IRAN.— On Sunday, July 10, 2011, four Iranian law enforcement officers entered Pegah Ahangarani’s house, taking her and some of her personal belongings into custody.
The Iranian actress and blogger was arrested as she prepared to leave for Germany to write a blog for the Deutsche Welle radio station about the women’s football World Cup.
Pegah Ahangarani was able to contact her mother briefly and reportedly told her that she neither knew where she was nor what her crime was.
Deutsche Welle discovered that Ahangarani is being detained in Tehran’s Evin prison, they have urged Iranian authorities to release her.
Pegah Ahangarani was scheduled to travel to Germany to observe the events at the FIFA Women’s World Cup to write an editorial of the event for Deutsche Welle.
Iran’s Intelligence Agency contacted Pegah Ahangarani just one day before her trip to Germany and warned her not to go, otherwise she would be arrested. Ahangarani decided to cancel her plans to travel to Germany. Ahangarani vanished soon afterwards.
On July 14, it was confirmed that she had been arrested four days earlier.
“Obviously with the arrest of Pegah Ahangarani, Tehran wants not only to prevent reporting of women’s football, but first and foremost, cooperation with Germany’s international service,” Deutsche Welle said.
Pegah Ahangarani last had contact with her family on Sunday, July 10, 2011, since then there has been no news of the actress, her family has reported her disappearance.
July 22, 2011
Europe, Germany, Iran, Middle East