December 12, 2014
An animal rights activist was jailed for three days last week after calling for a public demonstration to support animal rights and oppose the killing of stray dogs.
Ali Tabarzadi was one of several people who called for a protest December 5 in support of animal rights. It does not appear that others calling for the protest have been arrested. The authorities did not announce any reason for Tabarzadi’s arrest.
Tabarzadi was taken from his Tehran home December 4, his family told Radio Farda. He was freed three days after the date of the planned protest and without any charges being filed. It was suspected his arrest was intended to scare people off from the protest.
Tabarzadi’s brother, Hossein Tabarzadi, said about eight security agents searched their house and took away computers and some other personal items.
He said the agents told the family Tabarzadi will be confined at Evin Prison.
On his Facebook page, Tabarzadi, the son of political prisoner Heshmatollah Tabar-zadi, criticized a draft bill in the Majlis providing 74 lashes and fines for Iranians walking dogs in public.
The call for the December 5 gathering in support of animal rights was made on a Facebook page titled “My Protest Movement and 74 Lashes” where Iranian dog lovers had been posting pictures of their pets and writing comments against the mistreatment of animals.
Dogs are widely considered dirty animals by the clergy and others in Iranian society. Dogs as pets used to be rare in Iran, but dog ownership has surged in recent years, which some see as a form of dissent from the regime, making opposition to dog ownership even stronger among hardliners.
Tabarzadi’s brother told Radio Farda, “In a country where the rights of people are not being taken seriously and are violated, it’s not [surprising] that defending the rights of cats and dogs, that are considered unclean, will face one with harsh [police] action.”