Prominent Iranian human rights defender Nargess Mohammadi in an audio message received by Iran International Thursday reported that intelligence ministry agents stopped the vehicles of several activists traveling to meet the family of a detained lawyer, and assaulted a prominent rights advocate.

The group, including Ms. Mohammadi, Abdolfattah Soltani and two other human rights attorneys, as well as several activists were on their way to meet the family of imprisoned lawyer Mohammad Najafi near Arak, central Iran. As they arrived near their destination intelligence ministry agents stopped the convoy and began insulting and threatening the group.

The activists demanded to see an official order to stop them, and agents kept them waiting for two hours until they produced an order from the prosecutor, saying that the activists should not be allowed to enter the town. The agents confiscated their personal belongings, including their telephones. Mostafa Nili, one of the lawyers in the group was assaulted by the agents.

Narges Mohammadi who has been imprisoned several times in the past is the chairperson of Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran.

During the temporary detention in the street people began to gather and agents tried to disperse the crowd by saying that they had arrested drug smugglers.

Source » trackpersia