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Iran Rounds Up Thousands in Mass Arrest Campaign
(Reuters) Parisa Hafezi - Plainclothes Iranian security forces have rounded up thousands of people in a campaign of mass arrests and intimidation to deter further protests, sources said. "They are arresting everyone," one activist said. "No one knows where they are being taken or where they are being held. With these arrests and threats, they are trying to inject fear into society." Similar accounts were given by lawyers, medics, witnesses and two Iranian officials. An activist said security forces were detaining not only people accused of involvement in the latest unrest but also those arrested during protests in previous years, "even if they had not participated this time, plus members of their families." The UN human rights office said Thursday that the number of detainees was very high and they were at risk of torture and unfair trials. Mai Soto, the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran, said the thousands of detainees included doctors and healthcare workers.