Iranian-British dual national Mehran Raouf, imprisoned at Tehran's Evin prison, has criticized Tehran's treatment of prisoners who hold foreign passports and accused it of using them as bargaining chips.
In a letter published on the activist HRANA news agency on April 12, Raouf said political prisoners, women's rights activists, environmental activists, and labor activists are held because of their differing beliefs and convictions, as well as for protesting against the oppressive policies and laws in the country.
Raouf, a labor activist who was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison in August 2021 for participating in the management of an "illegal group" and to eight months in prison for "propaganda activities" against the regime, said Iranian authorities deny dual-national prisoners their citizenship rights without valid reasons.
The 65-year-old also emphasized that temporary leave and conditional release are rarely granted to dual-national prisoners, and they are not eligible for Iran’s leader's recent amnesty order.
“This clear discrimination and oppression are not unfamiliar to us, who have lived under the rule of the Islamic republic for over 40 years," he wrote.
SEE ALSO: The Farda Briefing: Iran, Saudi Arabia Move To Implement Agreement On Restoring Ties"Many of us, including political prisoners, women’s rights activists, environmental activists, and workers rights activists are imprisoned on charges of having different beliefs and opinions and protesting against wrong and dictatorial policies and laws. We stand in solidarity with the nationwide protests, demanding the unconditional release of all political prisoners."
In recent years, Iranian authorities have jailed dozens of dual nationals, including journalists, academics, and human rights defenders.
Rights activists accuse Iran of trying to win concessions from other countries through such arrests. Tehran, which does not recognize dual nationality, denies holding people for political reasons.
In February, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's ordered the pardoning of some prisoners as the government faces one of the biggest threats to the Islamic leadership since the revolution in 1979 over the September 2022 death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody for an alleged head scarf violation.
State media quoted Sadegh Rahimi, the deputy of the judiciary, as saying that in order to be pardoned, the accused must "express regret for their activities and give a written commitment not to repeat those activities."
Reports also indicate that Khamenei's amnesty order does not include dual-national prisoners and those accused of "corruption on Earth," a charge that many of those arrested in the recent nationwide protests over Amini's death are facing and which could carry the death penalty.
Iranian security forces have taken some 40 foreign nationals into custody during the current wave of unrest, often without revealing any charges.