Karan Vafadari is a
Zoroastrian Iranian-American businessman. He and his wife
Afarin Neyssari
Afarin Neyssari is an Iranian-American architect and the founder and owner of Aun Gallery. Neyssari and her husband Karan Vafadari, both Zoroastrians, were imprisoned in Evin Prison in Iran for two years without bail or trial before being relea ...
were regulars in the Terhan art scene and owned Aun Gallery. They were arrested 2016 and placed in
Evin Prison on charges of espionage, possession of alcohol, and "dealing in indecent art."
They were released on bail in 2018 but, as of 2023, are still unable to leave Iran.
[ ]He has three children who live in the United States.
[ ]
Arrest and detention
On 20 July 2016, Vafadari's wife
Afarin Neyssari
Afarin Neyssari is an Iranian-American architect and the founder and owner of Aun Gallery. Neyssari and her husband Karan Vafadari, both Zoroastrians, were imprisoned in Evin Prison in Iran for two years without bail or trial before being relea ...
disappeared on her way out to Venice from Tehran's
Imam Khomeini International Airport. When Vafadari arrived at the airport to investigate, he was promptly arrested by Iran's
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), who had also just arrested Neyssari.
Vafadari was held for one month in solitary confinement in
Evin Prison. Then, he was held an additional five months in a small cell without formal charges and without speaking to an attorney.
On December 31, 2016, Vafadari was notified of his charges, which further prevented him from going on bail. He selected a lawyer, but judge
Abolqasem Salavati
Abolqasem Salavati ( fa, ابوالقاسم صلواتی) (born 16 July 1967) is an Iranian judge and former head of the 15th branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran, Iran. In recent years, he had been the judge of numerous controversi ...
coerced Vafadari into dismissing the lawyer.
As a Zoroastrian, Karan could be another example in a history of confiscation of Zoroastrians' property.
Robert Toscano, former ambassador from Italy to Iran, refuted the authorities’ justification for their detention i
an open letter saying that “One has to be truly gullible and the easy victim of propaganda” to accept such charges. He continued, “The reason must be a different one…political blackmail toward the US (of which they are also citizens), envy for their success, intimidation toward the Zoroastrian community, desire to grab their properties,
ndrepression of contemporary art.”
In January 2018, the judiciary indicated that it planned to use Article 989 of the Civil Penal Code against Karan.
This law has not ever been used, and could have potentially serious consequences for Iran's economy and businesses.
In July 2018 both Karan and his wife were reportedly released on a $10 million bail pending an appeal.
See also
*
List of foreign nationals detained in Iran
Since the Iran hostage crisis, the Islamic Republic of Iran has engaged in a pattern of detaining foreign nationals for extended periods. Dual nationals of Iran and another country are particularly vulnerable to arbitrary detention because the int ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vafadari, Karan
Living people
20th-century Iranian people
Iranian Zoroastrians
Year of birth missing (living people)
Inmates of Evin Prison
American people imprisoned in Iran
Foreign nationals detained in Iran