Father and Brothers of Slain Iranian Protester Kept “Hostage”

The family of Javad Heydari, a 39-year-old protester killed at a protest a year ago, is facing renewed pressure from the authorities, with his brother Morteza being forced into confessions and transferred to solitary confinement while on a hunger strike, his sister says.

Fatemeh Heydari wrote in a post on X on September 25 that Morteza was transferred to solitary confinement in Qazvin province’s Chobindar prison on the fourth day of his hunger strike, instead of taking him to a hospital.

Security forces attacked the family of Javad Heydari on September 21, a day before the anniversary of Javad’s death, resulting in injuries to several family members. Javad’s father, Ali Panah, and two brothers Rohullah and Morteza were detained.

Fatemeh said that her three relatives were being pressured to give forced confessions in Chobindar prison.

"Dear people! Just two days ago, you witnessed the harrowing scenes of their forces assaulting our family. You observed the ruthless use of bullets and tear gas against a mourning family. You saw the two-year-old Delvan struggling to breathe amid tear gas. You witnessed my mother's dire condition as she lay in the hospital bed," she wrote. 

"They're holding my father and brothers as hostages, compelling them to tell you, the people, that everything you saw and heard with your own eyes and ears was a lie. They have detained my brother, forcing him to appear before a camera with a wound visible on his forehead to say he was not beaten," she added.