Iranian Activist Deported from Türkiye Surfaces in Evin Prison

Shahryar Baratinya, a political activist and former political prisoner who was deported from Türkiye to Iran on August 3, is currently being held in Ward 209 of Evin Prison, IranWire reports. 

Baratinya's friends said that he contacted his family from the prison on August 22, after being detained for 20 days. 

Prior to that, there had been no information about his whereabouts or wellbeing.

Baratinya had been living in Türkiye without a valid residence permit for some time. 

An informed source told IranWire that the former political prisoner was taken from a camp in Dogubeyazit to the nearby Iranian border on August 3. 

Iranian agents reportedly took custody of Baratinya at the border, prompting fears for his safety.

The Intelligence Department of Sanandaj, the capital of Iran’s Kurdistan province, arrested Baratinya two years ago upon his return to the country from a European country, the source told IranWire.

After securing his release on a 700-million-toman ($14,000) bail, he illegally crossed the border to Türkiye, where he lived without a resident permit.

Turkish authorities arrested the activist in Istanbul on June 22 this year before transferring him to Dogubeyazit.