Poland confirms arrest of Polish scientist in Iran

Poland confirms arrest of Polish scientist in Iran

Washington Post – July 7th 2022

LONDON — Poland confirmed Thursday that a Polish national has been detained in Iran after Iranian media reports claimed a number of foreigners had been taken into custody on suspicion of spying.

The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on its website that an unnamed “highly reputed scientist” had been taken into custody by Iranian authorities last September. The Iranian media reports identified one of those allegedly detained as Maciej Walczak, head of the microbiology department at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Poland.

iting a statement by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Iranian reports also claimed that the former British deputy ambassador to Iran, Giles Whitaker, and the spouse of an Austrian diplomat had been taken into custody on similar charges.

But Britain and Austria have denied that any of their citizens were recently detained. A spokesperson for the British Foreign Office called the reports of Whitaker’s detention “completely false.”

Iran says former British diplomat among several foreigners detained

Whitaker had been harassed by Iranian authorities last year while visiting an Iranian tourist destination with his family, but he was not detained, a British diplomatic official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive subjects.

Whitaker completed his tour of duty in Iran as scheduled in December and has taken up a new position in Britain, the official said. An Austrian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman told a French news agency that no Austrian embassy employees or relatives in Tehran had been arrested.

Video broadcast on Wednesday by Iranian state television showed a montage of images including apparent drone footage of the foreigners allegedly taking soil samples from prohibited sites and a photograph showing a foreign man apparently blindfolded in the back of a car. It also included a photograph of Whitaker and his family.

But the reports did not specify when the footage was taken or whether the foreigners were traveling together or separately when the purported detentions occurred. The British official denied that Whitaker had taken any soil samples during the vacation with his family.