Iran denies arrests of Iranians during Turkey protests
Iranian embassy in Turkey has denied arrests of Iranian
nationals in the country, involved in recent protests, ISNA news
agency reported.
In a statement released on June 7, the embassy of Iran in Turkey
also asked that the Iranians who live in Turkey to avoid appearing
in areas restricted by the Turkish police.
The statement also said that one Iranian citizen has been detained
by the police last week, yet was immediately released right after
detention.
The protests against the reconstruction of the park Gezi in Taksim
Square in Istanbul have been going on for nine days already, and
continue in different cities of Turkey.
Turkey's prime minister Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
said on June 6 that five foreigners involved in protests were
arrested, and two of them were Iranian nationals.
Erdogan said earlier that the protests have ideological nature and
are directed against the government.
The statement from Iran's embassy came three days after Turkish
Today's Zaman newspaper reported that 15 foreign citizens being
arrested in Turkey during the protests, and most of them have
turned out to be Iranian nationals.
Another Turkish newspaper reported on June 4 that another Iranian
national named Ramin Sarabi was arrested in Erzurum on charges of
leading an attack plot. According to the investigation by the
public prosecutor's office in Erzurum, Sarabi is believed to have
links to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
Spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry, Abbas Aragchi on June 5 also
dismissed possibility that Iran had any involvement in protests in
Turkey.
Aragchi noted that the Iranian side asked the Turkish government to
clear the media-published claims regarding Iran's involvement.
He rejected the fact that Iran's intelligence services participated
in the unrests in Turkey.
According to Aragchi, the Iranian side asked the Turkish side if any Iranians have been arrested during the protests, and if there are any, let Iranian side to have immediate access to those people.