Student Activist’s Brother Interrogated and His Home Vandalized

An informed source close to family of student activist and prisoner of conscience, Majid Tavakoli, told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that Tavakoli’s brother was released several hours after being interrogated by Ministry of Intelligence forces on 5 January.  The source said that several Ministry of Intelligence forces stormed his home while he, himself, was at Shiraz Intelligence Office.  The source added that Majid Tavakoli’s brother, Ali Tavakoli, is under pressure and is not allowed to talk to the media.

In a report about this incident, Kaleme website wrote that on the same day Ali Tavakoli had appeared at the Shiraz Intelligence Office, several security forces went to his home and vandalized it, breaking and destroying property, and taking books, a computer, and CD’s from the house with them.

Ali Tavakoli, brother of student activist and prisoner of conscience Majid Tavakoli, has not spoken about his summons and interrogation and the security forces’ storming his home.

In December, Majid Tavakoli, along with Bahareh Hedayat and several other imprisoned students, issued a message on the occasion of Students Day.  Consequently, Majid Tavakoli was informed of the new charge of “propagating falsehoods,” and a new case against the imprisoned student activist was started.  In the end, the court sentenced Majid Tavakoli to posting a $200,000 collateral.

Majid Tavakoli, a student of Amir Kabir Polytechnic University, was arrested off-campus on National Student Day 2009 (7 December 2009), after he delivered a public speech at the university.  Security forces beat him severely during the arrest.  Majid Tavakoli was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison, five years’ ban on political activities, and five years’ ban on foreign travel, on charges of “assembly and collusion against the regime,” “propagating against the regime,” “insulting the Supreme Leader,” and “insulting the President.”