Iran Confirms Arrest of British-Iranian Professor on 'Security Charges'
Morteza Nikoubazl/Reuters
Iranian authorities on Sunday confirmed they are holding a British-Iranian professor on undisclosed security charges, the latest in a spate of arrests that human rights groups say represent an alarming trend. Abbas Edalat, a professor of computer science at Imperial College in London, was reportedly arrested by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in mid-April while visiting the country for academic purposes. Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejehi told reporters in Tehran on Sunday that Edalat was in custody but "I am unable to give details." The news comes after Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office said on Wednesday it was "urgently seeking information from the Iranian authorities" on Edalat's whereabouts. The dual British-Iranian citizen is one of at least four British-Iranian nationals being held in the Islamic Republic, where the Revolutionary Guards have arrested at least 30 dual nationals since 2015 on what are widely believed to be fabricated charges.
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