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The cruelty of the Iranian regime is on full display for the entire world to see after a New York-based Iranian anti-hijab activist received a distressing video from her brother in Iran just minutes before he was arrested by security forces.

“Immediately before security forces stormed his house and arrested him, the brother of an exiled Iranian anti-hijab activist managed to send her a video message lamenting about being under heavy pressure,” Radio Farda said. “The New York-based Masih Alinejad has circulated the video sent by her brother, complaining about the pressure on her family living in northern Iran.”

The Iranian regime is arresting Masih Alinejad’s family members in an attempt to stop her from proceeding with her activism.

Alinejad’s brother, Ali Alinejad, managed to send her the message just before his home in Iran was “ransacked,” and security forces confiscated his laptop and cell phones before blindfolding him and taking him away. His whereabouts are currently unknown. Iran, a country under strict dictatorial rule, and its people do not enjoy the same due process rights that are afforded in America and other Western countries.

Ali Alinejad reportedly said in his video that he and the rest of his family were being pressured to testify against Masih Alinejad about her anti-hijab activism on Iranian’s state run television service.

“After talking to the intelligence agents, our mother started crying and saying desperately that the family might relent to pressures and testify against Masih to prevent further arrests,” Ali Alinejad reportedly said in the video recording.

Masih Alinejad spoke to the media about her brother’s arrest.

“We have no information about my brother’s whereabouts. My mother and the family members of my brother’s wife are distraught,” she said. “They have been threatened to remain silent, or else.”

She blasted the Iranian regime in a September 27 tweet which appears to include a video of she and her brother from years ago.

“My beloved brother was taken hostage by the Islamic Republic 4 days ago in order to try and silence me. I haven’t seen him for 10 yrs bc I’m not allowed to visit my homeland and he’s not allowed to leave it. The Islamic regime has been tearing Iranian families apart for 40 years,” she said.

“In a tweet, Masih Alinejad has divulged that the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps intelligence agents had already contacted her parents to force them to appear in front of cameras and denounce her,” Radio Farda reported.

She also testified before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Canadian Parliament Wednesday, discussing human rights abuses at the hands of the regime, and urging them to sanction Islamic Revolutionary Guard, among others, accusing them of “systemically violated Iranian people’s rights.”

Amnesty International made a statement about Ali Alinejad’s arrest.

“These arrests are a blatant attempt by the Iranian authorities to punish Masih Alinejad for her peaceful work defending women’s rights,” Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, reportedly said.

“Arresting the relatives of an activist in an attempt to intimidate her into silence is a despicable and cowardly move.”

Watch Ali Alinejad’s distress video: