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When it comes to Iran and the Iranians who are outside the country’s borders, there are many theories. And with each arrest that occurs, the theories quickly become more numerous and complicated. It creates a kind of uncertainty that leads to truths, which in turn leads to fear. But they are not entirely far-fetched either.
And perhaps that is precisely the unpredictability that dictatorships want to exist. There is no right answer, but you keep people on their toes all the time. Therefore, there may be a concern that a trip to visit family or something else is a trip with life at stake. Is it worth it then?
Unpredictability as a strategy
Particularly vulnerable are those with dual citizenship. Iran only recognizes citizenship and those who enter the country with an Iranian passport are seen as nothing other than Iranians. Therefore, the arrest of these people becomes an internal matter from Iran’s perspective. If the passport you have in addition to the Iranian is something you received in adulthood or with which you were born.
An example is the case of Researcher at KI Ahmadreza Djalali. He had traveled in and out of Iran on several occasions, but the trip he made in 2016 may be his last. He faces death, accused of espionage. The protection that the Swedish state gave Djalali through Swedish citizenship has been lacking.
International human rights organizations have repeatedly pointed out that Iran is carrying out unfair trials and imposing harsh punishments based on false recognition, which can even be broadcast on state television. Experts point out that these confessions are made under torture and threats.
One such case is Habib Chaab, which SVT Nyheter can report on Wednesday. He was not even in Iran, but in Turkey.
A life for a life
A few years ago i noticed Reuters news agency how arrests of people with dual citizenship have increased significantly in Iran. And there are those who suspect that arrests are being made to tear people to pieces in a risky international game. A life for a life. Or a life, for lifting sanctions.
So how do you become an enemy of a state? There are several cases of journalists, activists, researchers and human rights activists who are deprived of their rights solely for having exercised them. Regardless of whether this practice took place in Sweden or in Iran, which is a country that does not recognize them as rights.
There are bereaved relatives and new generations of young people who grow up uncertain whether it will ever be safe for them to travel to the country in which they have their roots.
