Hataw Akrami, a family member of Mehran Akrami, one of the victims of the nationwide protests in Iran in 2022, was arrested by security forces in Bukan on Friday, May 31, 2024.
According to the Campaign for the Defense of Political and Civil Prisoners, Ms. Akrami, who was living abroad, had traveled to Bukan to attend a relative’s wedding. Due to her online activities criticizing the government and seeking justice for her cousin, Mehran Akrami, she had come under the scrutiny of security agencies.
Sources indicate that over ten security personnel violently arrested Ms. Akrami at her residence, conducted a thorough search, and confiscated her personal and electronic belongings. Following her arrest, Ms. Akrami’s Instagram page was also taken down by security forces.
Hataw Akrami had previously traveled to Iran for Mehran Akrami’s funeral but had to leave the country quickly due to security concerns surrounding Mehran’s death.
There is currently no information on Ms. Akrami’s whereabouts or the charges against her.
Mehran Akrami, Hataw Akrami’s cousin, was arrested in Saqqez in November 2022 and died in March of the same year due to torture by intelligence officers in Saqqez. His body showed signs of torture, including a fractured skull, facial bruising, and bleeding from his nose, ears, and left eye.
Mehran Akrami, born on February 11, 1990, in Takab, was an athlete in taekwondo with provincial and national championship titles.
The arrest of Hataw Akrami highlights the ongoing repression and suppression exercised by the Islamic Republic against dissidents and the families of protest victims.