Mahsa Amini's Family Decries Travel Ban on Eve of Human Rights Award Ceremony

The family of Mahsa Amini has in a statement expressed frustration at the sudden and unexplained travel ban imposed on them by the Iranian authorities overnight yesterday.

Mahsa Amini died in police custody on September 16, 2022, after her arrest for “improper” hijab. Her death sparked the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran and months of protests.

Hours before Amini's family was to depart for France, where she will be honoured with the European Parliament’s prestigious Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, authorities at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport prevented them from boarding their December 8 flight.

"Upon arrival at Tehran International Airport, despite having the necessary visas and a legitimate reason to travel, we were unexpectedly informed by passport control officers that we were prohibited from leaving the country," the family said in its statement.

A copy of the statement was received by IranWire.

"Our passports were confiscated and we were given receipts instructing us to visit the Tehran General Passport Office the following morning [Saturday, 9 December] to retrieve our passports," the family added.

But officials at the passport office claimed to know nothing of the situation and directed the family to the Prosecutor General’s Office in Tehran.

The Amini family then visited this office accompanied by their lawyer.

Tehran’s first deputy prosecutor informed the family they had been prohibited from leaving Iran at the behest of the bailiff – the Ministry of Intelligence.

"Despite our inquiries, officials refused to provide a solid reason for the travel ban and said it would remain in effect until January 20, 2024," the family said.

The family had also checked their account on the Islamic Republic judiciary online system before visiting the prosecutor but found no record of any court case against them.

The Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that there was no case and that the travel ban was imposed based on the Ministry of Intelligence request.

"Despite recent directives from the head of the judiciary criticizing unnecessary travel bans and emphasizing the need for prompt notifications, our family received no prior notice or judicial order regarding the travel restriction," the family said.

"This lack of communication led us to travel from Saqqez to Tehran under the assumption that, if banned, we would have been informed in advance," they added.

The exact reasons behind the Ministry’s decision remain unclear and requests for more information from the Prosecutor’s Office have yielded no results. But it is widely believed to be a politically-motivated move aimed at silencing Amini's family and suppressing the burgeoning women's rights movement in Iran.

A court also sentenced the family’s legal representative to a year in prison for "propaganda activity" against the Islamic Republic in October.

Attempts by the family to retrieve their passports proved futile on Saturday afternoon. The Aminis were informed that the documents would only be returned if the travel ban was not extended after the specified January 20, 2024 date.

"Our intention for the trip was solely to attend the award ceremony, and we had purchased return tickets, demonstrating our genuine and lawful purposes. Nevertheless, our travel was unjustly halted," the Aminis said.

"We question why, according to the law, we are subjected to a travel ban without judicial authority. And if such authority exists then why has the order not been communicated to us? Why have we been left unaware of the alleged crime for which we are being restricted?” the family said.

After Mahsa Amini’s death and the outbreak of nationwide protests, more than 500 people were killed in the ensuing crackdown by security forces and over 20,000 people were unlawfully detained, including dozens of lawyers.

Following biased trials, the judiciary has handed down stiff sentences including the death penalty to protesters. The Islamic Republic has so far executed at least eight young protesters.

"We know that our only 'crime' is being the family of Jina Mahsa Amini," the family said in its statement.