An Iranian labour activist and netizen has been arrested by Iran’s cyber police.
According to Iranian opposition reports, Sattar Beheshti was arrested by the cyber police on national security charges on 30 October.
Beheshti, 35, is a worker from the city of Robat Karim, 25 kilometers southwest of the nation’s capital Tehran. He is his family’s only breadwinner,
He was reportedly active on the social networking site Facebook.
After raiding his home and violently arresting Beheshti, the security forces confiscated his personal belongings, including his computer and handwritten notes.
Opposition site Kaleme reports that Beheshti has been physically tortured at the hands of his captors.
“During the time [since his arrest], I’ve been to every [government] office, but they don’t have any answers [about my son]. Despite my illness, I have to travel all the way to Tehran in order to obtain information about him and to confirm that he’s well, but to no avail,” Beheshti’s ailing mother told the Saham news website.
Launched in January 2011, Iran’s cyber police has been an important element in the state’s relentless crackdown on online activism.
Source: Iran Green Voice