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Iran

Iranian Supreme Leader's Niece 'Arrested' After Praising Ex-Royalty

Updated
Iranian activist Farideh Moradkhani (file photo)
Iranian activist Farideh Moradkhani (file photo)

A civil activist and niece of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was arrested last week, her brother and activists say, after she praised a member of Iran's former royalty.

Agents of the Iranian Intelligence Ministry arrested Farideh Moradkhani on January 14, while some of her personal belongings were confiscated in a raid on her home, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), a U.S.-based news outlet that covers news in Iran.

The agency said on January 16 that Moradkhani had been transferred to Tehran’s Evin prison.

"We are very worried, we did not have news...we now know she is in Evin prison" and under the control of the Intelligence Ministry, her brother Mahmud Moradkhani, who lives in France, told the London-based Iran International Persian-language satellite news channel.

Moradkhani, a daughter of Khamenei's sister, is known in Iran for her activism against the death penalty and for civil freedoms in the country.

In Photos: The Extraordinary Life Of Farah Pahlavi, The Last Empress Of Iran

Empress Farah, wife of the shah of Iran, is pictured wearing her crown as she waves to crowds while driving through the streets of Tehran following their coronation ceremony on October 26, 1967. 
1/18 Empress Farah, wife of the shah of Iran, is pictured wearing her crown as she waves to crowds while driving through the streets of Tehran following their coronation ceremony on October 26, 1967. 
Farah Pahlavi was the last empress of Iran and the wife of the country's last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
The shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and his wife, Farah (née Diba), are photographed during their wedding ceremony in Tehran on December 21, 1959. 
2/18 The shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and his wife, Farah (née Diba), are photographed during their wedding ceremony in Tehran on December 21, 1959. 
Farah Pahlavi was the last empress of Iran and the wife of the country's last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip of the United Kingdom pose with the shah and his wife, Farah, during their state visit to Iran in March 1961. 
3/18 Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip of the United Kingdom pose with the shah and his wife, Farah, during their state visit to Iran in March 1961. 
Farah Pahlavi was the last empress of Iran and the wife of the country's last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
U.S. first lady Jacqueline Kennedy gives a guided tour of the White House grounds to Empress Farah in Washington in April 1962. Kennedy leads her daughter Caroline's pony, Macaroni, which had been nuzzling the empress, attracted by the daffodils she was carrying. In the background is the first lady's press secretary, Pamela Turnure. 
4/18 U.S. first lady Jacqueline Kennedy gives a guided tour of the White House grounds to Empress Farah in Washington in April 1962. Kennedy leads her daughter Caroline's pony, Macaroni, which had been nuzzling the empress, attracted by the daffodils she was carrying. In the background is the first lady's press secretary, Pamela Turnure. 
Farah Pahlavi was the last empress of Iran and the wife of the country's last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
Empress Farah with her children, Prince Raza and Princess Farahnaz, in Tehran in 1963.
5/18 Empress Farah with her children, Prince Raza and Princess Farahnaz, in Tehran in 1963.
Farah Pahlavi was the last empress of Iran and the wife of the country's last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
Empress Farah leaves the Marble Palace in Tehran in October 1967 for the coronation procession to the Golestan Palace. Her husband watches from the doorway.
6/18 Empress Farah leaves the Marble Palace in Tehran in October 1967 for the coronation procession to the Golestan Palace. Her husband watches from the doorway.
Farah Pahlavi was the last empress of Iran and the wife of the country's last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
A family portrait taken in October 1967 after the coronation ceremony. Princess Shahnaz Pahlavi (left), Princess Farahnaz Pahlavi (second from left), Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (center), Prince Ali Reza Pahlavi (second from right), and Empress Farah (right).
7/18 A family portrait taken in October 1967 after the coronation ceremony. Princess Shahnaz Pahlavi (left), Princess Farahnaz Pahlavi (second from left), Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (center), Prince Ali Reza Pahlavi (second from right), and Empress Farah (right).
Farah Pahlavi was the last empress of Iran and the wife of the country's last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
Empress Farah wearing her crown in Tehran in 1970.
8/18 Empress Farah wearing her crown in Tehran in 1970.
Farah Pahlavi was the last empress of Iran and the wife of the country's last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
Romanian communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu visits Iran in October 1971. Ceausescu (left) shakes the hand of the shah. Empress Farah is on the right. 
9/18 Romanian communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu visits Iran in October 1971. Ceausescu (left) shakes the hand of the shah. Empress Farah is on the right. 
Farah Pahlavi was the last empress of Iran and the wife of the country's last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
The shah and Empress Farah with President Richard M. Nixon and Mrs. Pat Nixon on a White House balcony in Washington, D.C. in July 1973. 
10/18 The shah and Empress Farah with President Richard M. Nixon and Mrs. Pat Nixon on a White House balcony in Washington, D.C. in July 1973. 
Farah Pahlavi was the last empress of Iran and the wife of the country's last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
The shah and Empress Farah visit Versailles, near Paris, in June 1974.
11/18 The shah and Empress Farah visit Versailles, near Paris, in June 1974.
Farah Pahlavi was the last empress of Iran and the wife of the country's last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
The shah and Empress Farah make their way to board a plane at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran as they flee the country amid the tumult of the Iranian Revolution in January 1979.
12/18 The shah and Empress Farah make their way to board a plane at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran as they flee the country amid the tumult of the Iranian Revolution in January 1979.
Farah Pahlavi was the last empress of Iran and the wife of the country's last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
The deposed shah and Farah pose for a photographer in Marrakesh, Morocco, a few days after fleeing Iran in January 1979.
13/18 The deposed shah and Farah pose for a photographer in Marrakesh, Morocco, a few days after fleeing Iran in January 1979.
Farah Pahlavi was the last empress of Iran and the wife of the country's last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
The shah with his children and Farah vacationing in the Bahamas in March 1979. 
14/18 The shah with his children and Farah vacationing in the Bahamas in March 1979. 
Farah Pahlavi was the last empress of Iran and the wife of the country's last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat (second from right) with the shah (left), Empress Farah (right), and Sadat's wife, Jihan, at a residence north of Cairo in April 1980.
15/18 Egyptian President Anwar Sadat (second from right) with the shah (left), Empress Farah (right), and Sadat's wife, Jihan, at a residence north of Cairo in April 1980.
Farah Pahlavi was the last empress of Iran and the wife of the country's last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
Bernadette Chirac, the wife of French President Jacques Chirac (left), Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco (second from left), Children's Foundation President Anne-Aymone Giscard d'Estaing (center), Princess Mathilde of Belgium (second from right), and former Iranian Empress Farah Pahlavi (right) pose as they arrive at the Palace of Versailles in France to attend a charity gala in December 2003.
16/18 Bernadette Chirac, the wife of French President Jacques Chirac (left), Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco (second from left), Children's Foundation President Anne-Aymone Giscard d'Estaing (center), Princess Mathilde of Belgium (second from right), and former Iranian Empress Farah Pahlavi (right) pose as they arrive at the Palace of Versailles in France to attend a charity gala in December 2003.
Farah Pahlavi was the last empress of Iran and the wife of the country's last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
Farah signs an autograph as she visits a contemporary art fair in Monaco in April 2013. 
17/18 Farah signs an autograph as she visits a contemporary art fair in Monaco in April 2013. 
Farah Pahlavi was the last empress of Iran and the wife of the country's last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
Iran's former Empress Farah arrives to attend a church service for French ex-President Jacques Chirac at the Saint-Sulpice church in Paris shortly after his death in September 2019. 
18/18 Iran's former Empress Farah arrives to attend a church service for French ex-President Jacques Chirac at the Saint-Sulpice church in Paris shortly after his death in September 2019. 
Farah Pahlavi was the last empress of Iran and the wife of the country's last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
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Her reported arrest came after a video posted on social media showed her praising Farah Diba, the widow of the last Shah, during an online event marking the former queen’s 83rd birthday. Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi ruled Iran until the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Farah is now based in France.

Moradkhani’s father is anti-Islamic Republic dissident Sheikh Ali Tehrani, who spent 10 years in prison in Iran.

With reporting by HRANA, AFP, and Iran International
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