Emad Heydari

Emad Heydari is a new Sunni convert and ethnic activist from Ahvaz. He was arrested four times for his activities. In his last arrest, he suspiciously died at 31 in an Intelligence Ministry lockup in Ahvaz. He was arrested during the countrywide uprising in reaction to the murder of Mahsa Amini.

The murder of Mahsa Amini triggered a country-wide uprising in September 2022 in Iran. The protests were initially sporadical around the country and against the mandatory hijab. But in a few days, dozens of cities in Iran became the scenes of clashes between protesters and security forces. The protesters' main demands were freedom of attire and the overthrow of the Islamic Republic. The focus of the protests on women led to international attention. <symbol-timeline></symbol-timeline>

• <coverage-outsourcing id='9834'> Emad, Mohammad, and Abdolmalek Heidari were arrested at their family home by Basijis and Intelligence ministry forces. According to Harana, their sister was assaulted and their mother was transferred to hospital and kept in ICU. According to Harana, prior to this arrest, Emad Heidari had been summoned to Intelligence ministry several times for promoting his religion </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='10338'> Emad, Mohammad, and Abdolmalek Heidari were released. According to Atlas, they each paid two hundred million tomans for bail. All three are charged with "promotion of Sunni related religious activities" </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='42505'> According to an IPA source, Emad Heydari was arrested by the security forces. The agents claimed that they were from IRGC's Abolfazl base; they assaulted his sister while arresting him. He was arrested during the countrywide protests in reaction to Mahsa Amini's murder. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='42506'> An IPA source reported that Intelligence Ministry agents in Ahvaz called his family telling them that Emad Heydari has died in prison. The source added: > The Intelligence Ministry claimed that Emad has died of a heart attack but we don't believe them. The source went on to say that after the family went to the information office, they were threatened not to hold any ceremony for their dead son. Although the arresting agents had claimed to be from IRGC's Abolfazl base, it was the Ministry of Intelligence that summoned and informed the family of Emad's death. There is no information on the location of Emad's death and the organization responsible. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='42517'> According to an IPA source, Emad's body was buried in the Boroumi area in Ahvaz in the presence of the security forces. Only his older brother was allowed to attend. The Boroumi area in Ahvaz is known as the burial location of the Islamic Republic's dissident. </coverage-outsourcing>