The B.C. mother of four children, who were allegedly abducted and taken to Iran by their father, says her ex-husband has been detained in Iran.
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Four abducted Vancouver Island siblings and their father Saren are seen in photos on a new Facebook page attributed to their father, who is facing abduction allegations for taking them to Iraq in contravention of a custody order. The B.C. mother of four children, who were allegedly abducted and taken to Iran by their father, says her husband has been detained in Iran.
In a statement, Vancouver Island resident Alison Azer says Iranian authorities on June 12 detained Saren Azer, who faces four counts of child abduction.
Azer, who lives in the Comox Valley but shared the news in Ottawa on Tuesday morning, renewed calls for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to phone the Iranian president to ensure her children are brought back to Canada.
Her husband was detained in the province of West Azerbaijan. He is out on bail with mobility restrictions.
The children, Sharvahn, Rojevahn, Dersim, and Meitan, all under the age of 11, were taken to Iran following a court battle.
Alison Azer had tried to stop her ex-husband from taking the children on holiday abroad. Their father won and was allowed to take the kids to Europe last summer. However they did not return to Canada.
Early last month, Mounties on Vancouver Island said the children’s father contacted investigators and assured them the kids were safe.
But Azer says she believes her kids are in danger because of their father’s connections with an Iranian separatist group.
Saren Azer, a well-known Canadian doctor of Iranian descent, was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant on charges of abduction. International policing organization Interpol also issued an alert for the 49-year-old father.
In May, Azer wrote an open letter on social media to say that the children are “well, safe and happy.” Supporters then launched a social media campaign urging Trudeau to contact his Iranian counterpart seeking co-operation in securing the children’s return.
ticrawford@postmedia.com
With files from The Canadian Press
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