Emergency statement from filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi…

“My younger brother, Behrouz Ghobadi, disappeared more than two weeks ago, and I have learned he has been detained by Iranian authorities and accused of acting against national security. My family and I are certain he is innocent and incapable of such actions. We are extremely concerned about his well-being and ask the Iranian authorities to release him immediately.

We now know that Behrouz was detained by Iran’s Intelligence Ministry. Over the last two weeks he has been denied his basic rights, including contact with his family and access to a lawyer. We have searched for him at several prisons and have asked the Iranian judiciary for news, but no one has told us where he is being held.

In the early morning of Sunday, November 4, Behrouz left Sanandaj, Iran, in a taxi headed for Tehran to catch a flight. We later learned that around 15 kilometers outside Sanandaj, plainclothesmen riding in two cars stopped the cab and arrested him.

Behrouz is not involved in any political or opposition activities. He was interested in film, served as a production manager in some of my movies, and directed a few short films. He is 40 years old and a Sunni Iranian Kurd who moved last year from Iran to Kurdistan, Iraq to run a store that sells shampoo and soap. One month ago, his wife gave birth to their first child, a son, Harmang.

We are extremely worried about Behrouz, especially because of his chronic health issues. He has platinum posts in both of his legs from a car accident several years ago in Kurdistan, Iran. He also requires care and medication for his gout, weak heart, and respiratory problems. We ask that Iranian authorities release him immediately.”

Bahman Ghobadi Nov. 19, 2012

Behrouz Ghobadi