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Jailed British-Iranian academic sentenced to nine years in prison escaped Iran to the UK while he was awaiting a court appearance.
Anthropologist Kameel Ahmady fled across the Iranian border. Mr Ahmady is now back in Britain and today he breaks his cover.
He faced multiple allegations and was sentenced in December for “working for a hostile government.” He tells Channel 4 News about his 100 days in solitary confinement, why he “made a decision and escaped” and why he decided to return to Britain.
(By Darius Bazargan)
Read Kameel Ahmady’s statement on his detention and escape here:
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BBC News
Kameel Ahmady: British academic facing jail escapes Iran over mountains
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A British-Iranian academic facing nine years in jail in Iran has told the BBC how he escaped on foot over mountains to start a new life in the UK.
Kameel Ahmady was convicted two months ago of collaborating with a hostile government. He denies the charge.
He decided to try to flee while on bail and appealing against the sentence.
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A British-Iranian academic says he fled Iran across a mountain border after being sentenced to nine years in jail for collaborating with a hostile government.
Kameel Ahmady, a social anthropologist studying female genital mutilation and child marriage in Iran, tells the BBC and The Guardian newspaper that he escaped while on bail after being sentenced, as he feared he would not see his young son again.
“I just simply left. I packed my bag with shaving kit, a few books of mine and a laptop and I think pajamas… and warm clothes,” he tells BBC radio.
British-Iranian anthropologist Kameel Ahmady was held in Iran for three months before being released on bail on November 21, 2019. (Facebook)