Iran arrests veteran revolutionary-turned-critic

Iranian security forces have arrested Abolfazl Ghadiani, a former revolutionary who has become an outspoken critic of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Ghadiani, who has been imprisoned several times since his volte-face following the nationwide protests in the aftermath of the 2009 disputed presidential election, was detained at his home on Monday, his son Ahmad announced on X. 

The young Ghadiani suggested that the arrest was a response to recent international pressures faced by the Iranian government, and that they were targeting domestic critics to deflect attention.

"They raided my father's house and took him away. His arrest is a sign of resorting to old methods. They seek to inflict upon domestic critics the blows they suffered from a foreign government,” he said, tacitly referring to Israel’s recent attacks on Tehran-backed Hezbollah and killing of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

Ahmad Ghadiani had previously mentioned that his father had a bag packed and ready for prison, indicating that he expected to be arrested at any time.

Receiving a 10-month jail sentence in July 2023, he said he is ready to go to prison “in Ali Khamenei’s dictatorial regime.” However, the authorities had refrained from implementing the verdict.

Ghadiani, an 80-year-old stalwart opponent of Iran's Supreme Leader, was once a fervent supporter of the Islamic Republic. However, his disillusionment began with the disputed 2009 presidential election, when Khamenei backed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's controversial re-election. Ghadiani's subsequent imprisonment turned him into a vocal critic of the Islamic Republic.

He has written numerous articles and open letters labeling the Islamic Republic and its clerical rule beyond repair.

In a recent analysis, Ghadiani criticized the Iranian government's upcoming elections, calling them a "sham" and urging citizens to boycott them. He also accused the government of becoming increasingly authoritarian.