Authorities in Moscow arrested between 20 and 45 Iranian citizens for allegedly holding an unauthorized rally in support of U.S. and Israeli actions in the Middle East, according to the Russian Telegram channel Ostorozhno, Novosti.
According to the outlet, a group of Iranians gathered near the Salaryevo metro station on the evening of March 1. The previous day, a woman named Reyhane, who lives in Russia and works as a dentist, posted a call on Instagram inviting people to meet there. She has more than 15,000 followers on the platform, and most of her content is unrelated to politics. “This is a celebration of joy, and you shouldn’t bring political posters or anything like that,” she wrote.
Police arrested participants in the gathering near the metro station. According to Ostorozhno, Novosti, Reyhane was charged with organizing a public rally without prior notification and later sentenced to 10 days in detention. In court, she said she had not organized any rally and had “simply arranged a get-together to grill some shashlik.”
Others who came to the metro station were charged with participating in an unauthorized rally and fined. Police said the detainees had chanted “Thank you, United States of America,” though all of them denied taking part in any rally.
The website of Moscow’s Shcherbinsky District Court confirms that more than 20 foreign nationals were fined for participating in an unauthorized event.
Ostorozhno, Novosti also reports that some of those arrested on March 1 had previously posted on social media in support of protests in Iran and condemned the authorities’ violent crackdown. One participant, Mahleaba, said police told the group they had come to the scene after receiving a complaint. The detainees believe they may have been reported either by embassy staff or by compatriots who saw their social media stories. They insist, however, that no rally took place. Some participants were reportedly arrested at a student dormitory the following day.
