Austria has confirmed that one of its citizens has been arrested in Iran amid a wave of protests triggered by the death of a young woman while in police custody for "improperly" wearing a mandatory head scarf, or hijab.
The Austrian Foreign Ministry said on October 20 that the arrest of the Austrian man was not connected to the demonstrations.
"According to the Iranian authorities, he is accused of a crime unrelated to the demonstrations that have taken place continuously since the death of Mahsa Amini," the ministry said in a statement, referring to the 22-year-old who died last month after being detained by the country's morality police for allegedly wearing a hijab improperly.
The Fars news agency, which is affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), reported on October 19 that Iranian security forces have arrested a total of 14 foreigners, including American, British, Austrian, and French citizens, for their alleged involvement in anti-government protests.
Anger over Amini's death on September 16 has swept Iran, with demonstrations in cities across the country.
Iran has repeatedly accused outside forces of stoking the protests, though Tehran has not shown any evidence to back up its claim.
An Iranian-Austrian dual citizen, Masud Mosaheb, was already being held in Iran before the unrest. Iran has arrested dozens of foreigners and dual nationals in recent years, often on widely criticized espionage and security-related charges. Mosaheb was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2020.
According to Austria’s Kurier newspaper, the 75-year-old Mosaheb was detained in January 2019 while leading a delegation to Iran for an international medical project.
Western countries have repeatedly charged that Iran is taking dual and foreign nationals into custody on false charges for the sole purpose of using them in prisoner swaps.
