🔻 Reza Vali-zadeh, imprisoned journalist, speaks to those who want to return to Iran: be wary of the promises

🔻 Reza Vali-zadeh, imprisoned journalist, speaks to those who want to return to Iran: be wary of the promises

Reza Vali-zadeh, an imprisoned journalist and Iranian-American citizen in Evin, in a recorded audio message addressed those who intend to return to Iran, warning them about the “promises and invitations” of the Islamic Republic.

In this audio file, Mr. Vali-zadeh, referring to the victims of the protests of Dey (December) and the history of the Islamic Republic in dealing with opponents and citizens, asked those who are thinking of returning to Iran: “Have you forgotten the vicious nature of the Islamic Republic?”

Persian-language media outside Iran have published this audio file.

Reza Vali-zadeh worked for Radio Farda before traveling to Iran and being detained.

In this audio message, he said: “It’s this system that has turned victimhood into a political industry for years. For years it spread a red carpet for war, but when war arrived, it crawled into the tunnels. It had budgets for missiles, but for life—sanctions; it had organizations for suppression, for prison liberation—it had the prisons. It not only enriched uranium; it also enriched lies, theft, superstition, crime, and despotism.”

Mr. Vali-zadeh, addressing those who are considering returning, said: “After entering Iran and ending the initial pleasantries, you will probably have to submit to information extraction and cooperation.”

Reza Vali-zadeh returned to Iran in Esfand 1402 (March 2024) after 14 years, and was detained upon arrival. The court issued a sentence of 10 years in prison for him. The U.S. State Department says his detention is “illegal.”