The engineering student at NTNU in Gjøvik is shaken and shocked by what is now happening in Iran. The 40-year-old himself came to Norway in 2011 as a political refugee. He says he knows several people who have been injured, imprisoned and even killed after the protests started in Iran this autumn. Iranians took to the streets after Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman, died after being arrested by the so-called morality police in the capital Tehran. Last week, on Wednesday 12 October, Aso Golabi’s brother, Peyman Golabi, went missing after a visit to the city of Mahabad. That same evening, there were supposed to have been demonstrations in the city against the Iranian authorities. – My brother was just going to visit another brother there. He is a calm person and not particularly politically engaged. He was probably arrested by the police that same evening. Nobody knows exactly what has happened to him, says Golabi to news. MISSING: Aso Golabi shows a picture of his brother Peyman. Photo: Lars Erik Skrefsrud / NRKSAVNET: Aso Golabi shows a picture of his brother Peyman. Photo: Lars Erik Skrefsrud / news A witness who allegedly saw his brother Aso says that family and friends in Iran have searched for his brother Peyman in various hospitals and with the police without finding answers. But a witness is said to have seen the brother badly injured and in police custody. Golabi says he does not want to put other people at risk by stating exactly how this witness came into contact with his brother. According to this witness, the brother must have had broken injuries in both feet and in his right hand. His nose is said to have been broken, several teeth knocked in and he is said to have had heavy bleeding around his eyes. – It looks as if they have beaten him very hard, says Aso Golabi to news. After this witness was in contact with the family, they have heard nothing more about what happened to Peyman Golabi. GONE MISSING: Peyman Golabi is supposed to have been missing since last Wednesday. Photo: Privat GONE MISSING: Peyman Golabi is said to have been missing since last Wednesday. Photo: Private – Often lethal use of force Political adviser at Amnesty Norway, Gerald Kador Folkvord, says he has heard several similar stories from Iran about people who are subjected to violence by the authorities. – There are people who are shot by the police, who are beaten up, who are arrested – often simply disappear in police custody. And many of them die, says Folkvord. He states that Amnesty has documented that over 140 people have been killed during the first two weeks of the protests in Iran. He says the real figure is much higher than that and calls the situation in Iran very tense. DRAMATIC: This video shows what are supposed to be demonstrations in the city of Mahabad in Iran on 12 October this year. It is difficult to verify absolutely certain videos from what is happening in Iran. PHOTO: Nishtmanijoan – The security forces continue to respond with heavy and often lethal use of force against anything that might look like a protest. People are arrested, people are tortured, he says. Folkvord says it is extremely important that human rights violations are documented and that someone can tell the story of what is happening. – Not least also counter the Iranian authorities’ attempts to claim that these are very violent protesters and that the security forces are doing the best they can. news has sent several questions to the Iranian embassy in Norway. They reject the accusations and write in an email that news’s questions are based on false and misleading information. Difficult to concentrate Aso Golabi says that his brother Peyman is educated as an architect and veterinarian at home in Iran. The plan was for him to work for a year before starting a doctorate at a university. Aso himself began studying mechanical engineering at NTNU in Gjøvik this autumn. But right now it is difficult to concentrate on the studies. THINKING OF THE BROTHER: – I am physically present with the other students, but my head is not there at all. It is very difficult for me, he says. Photo: Lars Erik Skrefsrud / news THINKING ABOUT THE BROTHER: – I am physically present with the other students, but my head is not there at all. It is very difficult for me, he says. Photo: Lars Erik Skrefsrud / news What do you think will happen to your brother now? – I do not know. Nobody knows. I hope he recovers and gets out of that prison. He is not a political man, he is a very calm person. He is just a student, says Aso.
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Brother missing in Iran – fears for his life – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
