Iran judge accused of corruption, human rights violations arrested in Romania

Gholamreza Mansouri, an Iranian judge accused of corruption in Iran and of human rights violations by activists, has been arrested in Romania by the Interpol, Iran confirmed on Saturday.

Mansouri cannot yet be extradited back to Iran due to coronavirus restrictions, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili as saying.

Mansouri had reportedly fled Iran after being accused of taking 500,000 euros in bribes.

Mansouri had denied he is on the run in a video recently shared on social media, saying he is abroad to receive medical treatment, and that he will be returning to Iran soon. The judge did not specify where he had gone for treatment, but a number of activists suggested that he may be in Germany.

Mansouri’s promise to return was not “serious,” which is why Iran took legal action to have him arrested, said Esmaili.

Mansouri is accused of having been involved in the arrest and torture of dozens of journalists in Iran. This prompted a number of Iranian journalists and human rights activists to demand his arrest in Europe.

Last year, Hamid Nouri, another Iranian judge, was arrested in Sweden on charges of crimes against humanity in the late 1980s in Iran following efforts by Iranian human rights activists.

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