Identity Verification of Four Individuals Arrested at Armita Garavand's Funeral Ceremony

Hengaw: Monday, October 30, 2023

Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer and human rights activist; Manzar Zarrabi, a family member of Ukrainian plane crash victims; and two educators, Masoud Zeinalzadeh and Mohammad Garavand, were apprehended by security forces during the burial ceremony of Armita Garavand.

According to a report received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights on Sunday, October 29, 2023, during Armita Garavand's burial ceremony at Behesht Zahra in Tehran, attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh was forcefully arrested by security forces.

Simultaneously, during the same event, Manzar Zarrabi, who lost her two children, grandson, and daughter-in-law in the Ukrainian plane crash, was also detained by security forces. She endured violence and physical abuse during her arrest.

Furthermore, Masoud Zeinalzadeh, an activist associated with the teachers' union, and Mohammad Garavand, a dismissed teacher and relative of Armita Garavand's family, were taken into custody. Mr. Mohammad Garavand was subsequently released after a few hours.

Following their apprehensions, Nasrin Sotoudeh, Manzar Zarrabi, and Masoud Zeinalzadeh were transferred to a security detention center in Ray City, Tehran province, as confirmed by sources close to the matter.

In a prior report, Hengaw detailed that Armita Garavand's funeral was characterized by a high level of security control, with those present in the reception hall largely comprised of organized members of the Islamic Republic's security institutions. Many attendees, particularly Armita's relatives, abstained from consuming food or beverages during the ceremony in the reception hall due to the circumstances.

Armita Garavand, a 17-year-old girl who tragically lost her life at the hands of government agents enforcing the Hijab rule, known as the Morality Police, in Tehran, was laid to rest on October 29th under stringent security measures in Behesht Zahra, Plot 99, Tehran.