Yousof Azizi, a final-year PhD student in public policy at the University of Virginia, was arrested on the morning of Tuesday, April 14, in front of his home by ICE forces, and up to this moment he has not been allowed to meet with his lawyer. ICE officials have informed him that he will soon be transferred to a detention camp for undocumented immigrants in Louisiana.
This arrest is highly questionable, because the duty of ICE forces is to detain undocumented immigrants, while Mr. Azizi holds a valid visa and absolutely no deficiencies exist in his visa record.
Azizi is a well-known media figure in the Persian-language sphere who has participated in hundreds of debates and discussions across various media outlets, including BBC Persian.
There is no doubt that his arrest — given that he has been one of the rare voices opposing war and sanctions against the people of Iran on BBC Persian — has been carried out with the political motive of silencing opponents of the illegal war against Iran.
We call on all defenders of peace and freedom of expression to take action with full force for the release of Yousof Azizi.