Agents from the Ministry of Intelligence attacked the private residence of 1980s political prisoner Mehdi (Houshang) Abedi Bakhoda and arrested him while he was bedridden and ill, taking him to an unknown location. Human Rights and Democracy Activists report that on Sunday, July 3, around 10pm Ministry of Intelligence agents entered the premises without knocking on the door, climbed over the walls and broke into Abedi’s house in Rasht. Despite the fact that he was bedridden and ill and had IV tubes connected, he was taken to an unknown location while in a critical physical condition.
Abedi’s family protested against the Iranian Intelligence agents’ unusual attack. With widespread support from neighbors, the family yelled at the agents in order to stop the arrest; the agents quickly retreated from the disquieted neighborhood. During the raid, Ministry of Intelligence agents confiscated the family computer, personal address book, mobile phones, and other personal items.
Since the arrest of their loved one, the Abedi Bakhoda family has been visiting the public prosecutor’s office and the Rasht Revolutionary Court daily in order to find out about Bakhoda’s condition and where he is detained. Until now the family has not received any answers.