January 17-2014
. . . call us first
Deputy Foreign Minister Hassan Qashqavi says expatriates need not fear arrest on their return to Iran, but can check beforehand to find out if there are any charges pending against them.
Qashqavi said expatriates can email the Foreign Ministry, which will tell them if they are subject to arrest on returning to the country.
Qashqavi also said that, contrary to prevalent propaganda, the flow in recent years has been in-bound to Iran, rather than out-bound.
Speaking to the daily Sharq about Iranian emigrants, Qashqavi said, “We look at this issue from a legal perspective. Any Iranian national who is charged with a criminal offense, whether he or she is in Iran our outside, should expect to be tried. It makes no difference whether he is outside the country or inside. Everybody else who is not under a charge is free to visit his birthplace.”
Qashqavi said, “We do not have a banned-entry category. But if a person has committed a crime, it is obvious that if the relevant authorities gain access to him, they will be prosecuted. The atmosphere that the opposition—particularly the opposition that strives to overthrow the regime—and foreign radio stations have created is that of unrealistic fear. A person may have been outside the country for 30 years and because he has no criminal record, he will not have a case against him. He has no problem returning to Iran.
“Still, if someone has an issue about leaving the country, he or she can ask us. We will inquire from the relevant authorities and they will provide us with the right answer,” he said.
Qashqavi said, “Nobody is after trapping a person,” and mentioned some cases where an Iranian had been told that if he returned to Iran he would “have problems.”
He said, “We do not lie to people because, if we did, then the reputation of the Foreign Ministry would be undermined.” He provided an email address (iranianaffairs@mfa.gov.ir) to which expatriates can direct questions about their wanted status.
Qashqavi told Sharq that over the last 15 years the migration among Iranians has changed direction so that more Iranians have been returning to Iran than leaving. “Certainly some people left the country after 2009. But they belonged to the political section of society. From among five million Iranians outside the country, only 50,000 to 100,000 left for political reasons, not economic or cultural reasons. But I do not have official and definitive figures on this,” he said.
The Judiciary has also announced that any person who has committed a crime is a wanted individual who will be arrested and prosecuted on returning.
