URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa06009.pdf
1 April 2009
Further Information on UA 60/09 (4 March 2009) - Fear of torture and other ill-treatment
IRAN
Nasim Roshana'i (f) ]
Maryam Sheikh (f) ] All students
Amir Hossein Mohammadi-Far (m) ]
New name: Mohammad Pour Abdollah (m) ]
Sanaz Allahyari and Amir Hossein Mohammadi-Far were released on 19 March 2009. It is not known whether they have been released under any conditions. In a statement on its website, the Students for Freedom and Equality (Daneshjouyan-e Azadi Khah va Beraber Talab), a students' rights body, stated that they had been ill-treated during their 18 days of detention. The students' rights body reported that at the time of their release the students had signs of bruising and breathing difficulties possibly caused by beating they received while in detention.
Maryam Sheikh and Nasim Roshana'i remain in detention in Evin Prison where they continue to be at risk of torture or other ill-treatment.
The four students were arrested on 1 March, possibly in connection with a demonstration held on 23 February, at Amir Kabir University to protest against the government burying the remains of soldiers killed during the Iran-Iraq war between 1980 and 1988 on university campuses.
The details of the arrest of a fifth student, said to be linked to the Students for Freedom and Equality (Daneshjouyan-e Azadi Khah va Beraber Talab) student body, have emerged. Mohammad Pour Abdollah, a Tehran University student was detained at his house on 12 February 2009. Reports suggest that he was held for one month in solitary confinement at Evin Prison in Tehran and then transferred on 18 March 2009 to Qezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, west of Tehran. He was detained there in a section of the prison reserved to individuals convicted of serious crimes. He was reportedly later moved to the quarantined section of the prison for inmates with infectious diseases. On 21 March, Iran's Norouz, or New Year, his mother and father sat in front of the prison for several hours in the hope they would be granted permission to see their son.
In the presence of the prosecutor working on his case, Mohammad Pour Abdollah's parents were allowed to have a meeting with him during the last week of March. His parents have written an open letter to the Head of the Judiciary, calling for their son, to be released.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Since December there have been waves of arbitrary arrests and harassment, particularly directed against members of Iran's religious and ethnic minorities, students, trade unionists and women’s rights activists. These measures may in part be intended to stifle debate and to silence critics of the authorities in advance of the presidential election in June 2009.
More than 70 students were arrested on 23 February during a peaceful demonstration held by students at Tehran’s Amir Kabir University in protest at the government’s burial on campus of soldiers' remains
The burial of the unknown soldiers on the university campus has widely been seen as a move by the government to seek to control student groups opposed to its policies. Burial of soldiers, called martyrs on account of their sacrifice in fighting against Iraqi forces, appears to enable non-students to enter the campus without being required to show evidence that they are students, a normal requirement for access to university premises. Students groups fear that the presence of the graves would allow unrestricted access to the campuses by security forces, including the Basij mobilization forces who are under the control of the Revolutionary Guards.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- calling on the authorities to ensure that Nasim Roshana'i, Maryam Sheikh and Mohammad Pour Abdollah are protected against torture or other ill-treatment and are allowed immediate access to their family, legal representation and any medical attention that they may require;
- seeking specific details of the reasons for their arrest and any charges they may be facing and urging that they be released immediately if they are not charged with a recognizably criminal offense and brought to trial promptly and fairly;
- noting that if any of the students are held solely on account of the peaceful expression of their views or the exercise of their right to freedom of assembly, then they are prisoners of conscience, and should be released immediately and unconditionally.
APPEALS TO:
Head of the Judiciary
Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh/Office of the Head of the Judiciary
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri
Tehran 1316814737
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Email: shahroudi@dadgostary-tehran.ir (In the subject line write: FAO Ayatollah Shahroudi)
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
Head of Judiciary for Tehran province
Ali Reza Avaie
Tehran Judiciary
No. 152, corner of 17th Alley, before Shahid Motahhari Avenue
Sanaei Avenue
Karimkhan Zand Avenue
Tehran
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Email: avaei@dadgostary-tehran.ir, info@dadgostary-tehran.ir
Fax: 011 98 21 8832 6700 (unreliable, please try three times)
Director, Human Rights Headquarters of Iran
Mohammad Javad Larijani
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh/Office of the Head of the Judiciary
Pasteur St, Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhuri
Tehran 1316814737
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Fax: 011 98 21 3390 4986 (please keep trying)
Email: info@dadgostary-tehran.ir (In the subject line write: FAO Javid Larijani)
Iran does not presently have an embassy in the United States. Instead, please send copies to:
Iranian Interests Section
Embassy of Pakistan
2209 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington DC 20007
Phone: 202 965 4990
Fax: 202 965 1073
Email: requests@daftar.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 13 May.
----------------------------------
Tip of the Month:
Write as soon as you can. Try to write as close as possible to the date a case is issued.
** POSTAGE RATES **
Within the United States:
$0.27 - Postcards
$0.42 - Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To Mexico and Canada:
$0.72 - Postcards
$0.72 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To all other destination countries:
$0.94 - Postcards
$0.94 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes and defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including contact information and stop action date (if applicable). Thank you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
No comments:
Post a Comment