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Iranian authorities arrested Mostafa Azizi, who has permanent
resident status in Canada, on Feb. 1, and charged him with
insulting Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and
spreading propaganda against the Islamic establishment.
"I don't want to speculate as to what evidence is being used
against my dad but I am confident he meant no wrongdoing and
law-breaking," said his son Arash Azizi, contacted by Reuters.
Arash, a Canadian journalist who lives in London, said his
father was put into solitary confinement for the first 14 days
but has been able to phone him and his sister and other people
regularly from prison.
"It is accurate that he is in a good physical and psychological
shape," said the son.
Iranian-Canadian photographer Zahra Kazemi died in 2003 of a
brain hemorrhage after receiving a blow to the head at Evin. She
had been taking pictures outside the prison.
Canadian foreign affairs spokesman Francois Lasalle said the
government was "aware of reports" of the arrest of a Canadian
permanent resident but was unable to provide further
information.
He noted that the Canadian embassy in Iran has closed until
further notice.
"In the context of heightened regional tensions,
Iranian-Canadian dual citizens and Canadian permanent residents
with Iranian citizenship may be particularly vulnerable to
investigation and harassment by Iranian authorities," he said.
Mostafa Azizi has a court date in Iran on June 1.
(Reporting by Randall Palmer; Editing by Christian Plumb)
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