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Diplomatic efforts to communicate with al-Jazeera's Dorothy Parvaz after her deportation from Syria
The father of a journalist who was deported to Iran by Syria and has been held there for nearly two weeks has spoken to the Guardian of his "grave concern" for his daughter's safety.
Dorothy Parvaz was arrested shortly after she arrived in the Syrian capital Damascus on 29 April to cover the escalation of violence against democracy protesters for the al-Jazeera English network. Parvaz, 39, holds Iranian, US and Canadian citizenship.
The Syrian embassy in Washington told al-Jazeera that Parvaz was deported on a flight to Tehran on 1 May, according to a spokesman for the network, Osama Saeed. She appears to have been in Iranian custody since that time. Saeed said the network had received no official confirmation from the Iranian authorities.
Her father, Fred Parvaz, who lives in Vancouver, told the Guardian: "I haven't heard anything of late. We are in the dark. Syrian officials have made a statement that Dorothy was sent to Tehran on 1 May. But I have yet to receive confirmation from any authority in Iran that this is the case."
"I am gravely concerned. I have not heard from her for two weeks. No word, no contact, nothing. We are a very close family so this really breaks my heart," he said.
Parvaz, a 68-year-old physics and computer studies teacher, said al-Jazeera was trying to approach Iranian officials to get confirmation that she was in the country and was also attempting to create a line of communication with her.
Parvaz, who migrated from Tabriz in north-west Iran and has lived in Canada for 26 years, also said that the Canadian foreign ministry was making interventions on his daughter's behalf. "But all these efforts so far have been fruitless," he said.
"My message to the Iranian government, if she is in Iran, is please let her go, or please give [us] some information and treat her with dignity and respect. I am pleading with them."
Parvaz also added that he was very grateful for the 12,000 people who were supporting his daughter on Facebook.
A statement released by the Syrian Embassy in Washington, made further allegations that Parvaz was carrying a large sum in Syrian currency and "transmitting equipment" when she arrived at the airport and that the reporter had provided false information about the reason for her trip to the country.
"It is very regretful that a journalist working for a world-renowned news agency such as al-Jazeera International would attempt to enter a country on two illegal accounts – an expired passport, and by providing false information on official documents regarding her travel reason," the statement said.
The al-Jazeera network said in a statement that they had received information that Parvaz was in Iran and that they were "deeply concerned" for her welfare.
A spokesperson for media freedom campaign group Index on Censorship said: "Iran's appalling press freedom record means that we have real concerns about Dorothy Parvaz's treatment. Deporting Dorothy to Iran rather than Canada or the US must be seen as an attempt to punish her for attempting to gain access to Syria while the authorities seek to exclude the foreign press and impose a media blackout."