Kameel Ahmady, a British-Iranian who was facing nine years in jail in Iran, talked with BBC about how he managed to escape on foot to the mountains to start a new life in the UK.
Mr Ahmady, two months ago, was convicted of collaborating with a hostile foreign government, but he denied any such charges. He ran away and escaped while he was on bail, appealing against the given sentence.
When asked about how he managed to escape, Mr Ahmady told how he trekked the mountainous border to escape the Revolutionary guards. He explained his journey was very long, very dark, and very scary.
Mr Kameel Ahmady was born in Kurdish stock in western Iran. Then he was sent to Britain by his parents at the age of 18 for his further studies. After completing his studies at the University of Kent and the London Scholl of Economics, he stayed for a few years and applied for British citizenship before returning to Iran.
He focused his research on the issues of child marriage and female genital mutilation(FGM) in Iran. It didn’t sit well with authority, and he came to the notice. Mr Ahmady led a campaign on increasing the age of marriage in Iran, which is 13 right now.
Story of Kameel Ahmady
He told the BBC how being a dual nation made him a potential case. And how Iran wanted to get back at Britain for the recent Iranian oil tanker seize.
He gave all the details about how many more reasons were there for his capture. Since being a Sunni doesn’t sit well with Shia’s majority in Iran and raising awareness about his research. He told that he was played mind games with by his interrogator while being in prison for three months.
He was charged and sentenced to nine years in jail and a fine of around £500,000 ($683,000), but he ran away while on his bail.
Now while he has his uncertain future in Britain, the question remains of how will Tehran reacts and act. And also, how it might impact other dual nationalists.
