For German nationals, there is “a concrete risk of being arrested arbitrarily, interrogated and sentenced to long prison terms,” the statement said.
The German government is now officially warning against traveling to Iran. The Federal Foreign Office issued a warning on Friday saying that German nationals “are at real risk of being arbitrarily arrested, interrogated and sentenced to long prison terms”.
People who have both German and Iranian citizenship are particularly at risk, as are individual travelers who are traveling with a motorcycle or camper, for example. The Federal Foreign Office points out that in the recent past there have been a large number of arbitrary arrests of foreign nationals in Iran. This also happens to uninvolved people, for example in the context of demonstrations. The Federal Foreign Office therefore advises avoiding large-scale demonstrations and crowds.
Since September 18, there have been repeated demonstrations in many cities across the country in Iran, during which the security forces have acted brutally, and there have always been deaths and injuries. The protests were triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. She was arrested by the vice squad for not covering her hair as required.