Melli-Mazhabi Statement Regarding Arrests and Disappearances
TO ALL ACTIVISTS OF HUMAN RIGHTS
During the last months, we have seen an increasing repression in Iran. The domestic and international situation has led the Islamic Republic of Iran to deny any kind of human rights. Here some examples that can highlight such situation:
(1) The trial against members of the Liberation Movement of Iran, and those known as Melli-Mazhabi, Nationalist-Religious groups, among them the Iranian political activist Ezzatollah Sahabi, 71 years old, has been taking place since April the 7th, 2001. In this trail basic rights universally applied to prisoners of conscience, have been denied.
(2) The health conditions of several prisoners of conscience, such as Habibollah Peyman, another aged political activist, are alarming.
(3) Amir Entezam’s health, the oldest pacifist in Iran, is object of concern because the authorities have rejected the request of medical treatments, made by his lawyers.
(4) Some of these prisoners of conscience, such as Taghi Rahmani, researcher, and Resa Alijani, journalist and awarded of the Reporters Sans Frontiers Prize (RF) on November 28th, 2001, are/were in custody, despite their families’ willingness to pay money, asked by courts,to be released on bail.
(5) Hundreds of students have been arrested in the last several months, in particular during soccer games. Ahmad Batebi, Mohammad Kasrani and the two brothers, Manouchehr and Mohammad Mohammadi, all arrested during the revolt of Iranian students in July 1999, are doing a hunger strike in prison. They need urgent medical care.
(6) Another political activist, belonging to the JAMA Party, Nezamoddin Ghahhari, was arrested in November 2001, and he still does not know the charges against him.
(7) Siamak Pourzand, 70 years old, director of the cultural and artistic center in Teheran, and husband of Mrs. Mehrangiz Kar, writer and activist for women rights, is currently reported as missing and nobody knows if it has been kidnapped or arrested.
Given this dramatic situation and despite the international attention is concentrated on other countries, your solidarity with the Iranian people, that love freedom and jsutice, is now necessary more than ever. Support the prisoners of conscience in Iran who are facing real threats of death. Condemn these fake trials and ask for the release of all the prisoners of conscience in Iran sending your letters to the Iranian authorities, in particular, to Ali Khameni, leader of the Islamic republic, to Mohammad Khatami, President of the Republic, and to the Speaker of the Parliament, Mehdi Karouvi, and of Iranian judicial power Mohammad Shahroudi.
Action Committee for the Release of Prisoners of Conscience in Iran (ACRPCI)
Paris, December the 11th 2001.
