Yousof Azizi: The Iranian-American scholar pressured by the FBI to return to Iran
Middle East Eye
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Middle East Eye
Original Source
The FBI arrested Yousof Azizi, a prominent Iranian-American scholar and vocal critic of Iran's war, at his Maryland home after 13 years of stable residence in the United States. The doctoral candidate, who commands a substantial following on Persian-language media platforms and YouTube, now faces American pressure to return to Iran.
Monday 13 April started as a normal day for Yousof Azizi, a PhD student at Virginia Tech University in America.
In the morning, he took his 12-year-old daughter and four-year-old son to their schools in Baltimore, Maryland, before returning home.
A vocal opponent of the war on Iran, he had been living in the US for nearly 13 years and was recognised as a prominent political commentator on Persian-language media platforms and on his YouTube channel, which has more than 68,000 subscribers.
Azizi had also been involved in discussions with Congress in relation to the Iran nuclear deal during Barack Obama’s presidency.
When he arrived back home that April morning, a number of FBI vehicles were parked outside his residence.
Upon exiting his car, Azizi found himself surrounded by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, their rifles pointing straight at him.
In the morning, he took his 12-year-old daughter and four-year-old son to their schools in Baltimore, Maryland, before returning home.
A vocal opponent of the war on Iran, he had been living in the US for nearly 13 years and was recognised as a prominent political commentator on Persian-language media platforms and on his YouTube channel, which has more than 68,000 subscribers.
Azizi had also been involved in discussions with Congress in relation to the Iran nuclear deal during Barack Obama’s presidency.
When he arrived back home that April morning, a number of FBI vehicles were parked outside his residence.
Upon exiting his car, Azizi found himself surrounded by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, their rifles pointing straight at him.
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Tags:#إيران#الولايات المتحدة#الاعتقال#الناشطون السياسيون#حقوق الإنسان#الترحيل
Source: Middle East Eye
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