Solidarity files - ai WERAN Group 27, Victoria
Page 1 of 12
Update: 14 June 2004
Solidarity flies: Human Rights cases by other Amnesty International groups
Amnesty
In terriatiorial
Victoria, BC
- lidai tv
Public Meetings
I. 7 nicnt
Action
N AN Dl
1 ://‘
The
Swedish
Connection
Info about
Myan mar
(Burma) case
of Group 79,
Sweden:
Senaste
b irmanytt
contact: Qr pjip
79
Malme Sweden
also see: WERAN
Ii
At this year's Annual General Meeting of Amnesty
International, Canada (English Speaking) the desire
to communicate and co-operate was stronger then
ever. As with Group 65's action to free prisoner of
conscience Thich HuyenQu g of Vietnam, other
/ groups, too, asked for support for their causes.
Group 27 will update the Solidarity site to the best
our ability and invites fellow members to link up.
“Disappeared”
. For: Avdo Palic
. Concern:
“We have been working
since March 2001 on the
case of Avdo Palic, a
Human Rights
workers under
threat
. For:
charged
Prisoners of Conscience
(freedom of assembly and
expression)
. F or Khin.N 1u_/n od
lhcI. Naoe i So in
Myanmar (Burma)
. Concern: imprisonment -
F
SPOO I 55
group 27
S
Death Penalty
Abolition
. For: People'
Republic of
China
. Concern:
‘-
-
impose
moratorium
. Issued by:
Group?
j pea Is
I ti I
Prisoner of Conscience
(freedom of religion and
freedom of expression)
. For: the Venerable 1 lric'n
I 1uvci' QL ing, Supre-rn3
Patriarch of the Unified
Buddhist Church of Viet
Nam
. Concern: Ill-health and
continued house arrest -
release him and drop
charges
. Issued by: Group 65
. Contact: Stan and Kay at
Group 65
Prisoner of
Conscience
(freedom of
expression)
.. le v i•amak
Pourzand
kurnali ‘in -
Iran
. Concern: hetd
in hospital in
ill health apart
from family -
release him to
his daughter in
Canada and
drop all
charges
. Issued by:
daughter
:‘sp l -)c L
http ://www. wraytimes.com/group27/so1idarity htmI
8/10/2004
Solidarity files - ai WERAN Group 27, Victoria
Page 2 of 12
C i1Lea Land .Osmc
Vallo
Jisappeared prisoner
jmBosnia. Please visit
9 .urPalic page at
indswithoi thorders.org.
We would like to
increase exposure for our
action flue [ ...] Thank you
for your help.”
. Issued by: Brigitte
C. , 1 4JUSA Group
23 in Hoi, ion,
Action file co-
ordinator
Economical,
cultural and social
rights
(ffleedom of
movement, ffleedom
to work, education,
health, culture)
. For: People
affected by IIe
fetice/wail
within the
Occupied
Territories
. Concern:
restrictions,
discrimination,
iF [ -treatment
. Issued by:
Group 27
who
reported on
migrant
worker's
plight in
Malaysia
. Concern:
Fernadez'
org wisati n
threatened -.
drop
charges
against
Fernadez,
allow
organisation
to work
unhindered
. Issued by:
a ,ppcal
Prisoner of
Conscience
(ffleedom of
association)
. For: Qui
‘ Y ( :l1. nh1t
triedto
register a
political
organisation
. Concern:
imprisonment,
ill-health -
immediate
release
. Issued by:
Group?
release immediately, if not
charged with recognizable
crime
. Issued by: North Shore
Group A 53
. Contact:
. For: Death row inmates
in Tcx as.
. Concern: death sentences
. Issued by: Group 500,
Austin (USA)
• Contact:
fmc hy@austin.a o.m
in n Csci ie pe L L
I
ht tp://Ww:Wtaytimes.COrn/gr 0Up27/SO IidafltYhtml
8/10/2004
Solidarity flies - ai WERAN Group 27, Victoria
Page 5 of 12
W the undersigned residents of Canada, respectfully urge you to i se an
imm tejnoratorium on the use of the death penalty in the Peo e's
Republic o hina as a step toward abolition of the death pen y.
By your governmen' own admission, China's crimina stice system is
fraught with serious an stematic problems such corruption and
inadequate legal training, a result) police, pro utors and judges often
fail to adhere to proper standar in IIeir pro ing of deaII penalty cases.
Amnesty International has document an abuses leading to miscarriages
of justice, including the use in co fc fessions extracted under torture,
IIe denial of legal representation nd the wing up of guilty verdicts
before trial by politically app ted committee who supervise the work of
courts. All these abuses ar n violation of interna onal law, which China
has said it wishes to wo to respect.
We appeal to yo o show leadership on this issue and act ckly on the
demands by t international community, as well as from with China's
academic d legislative communities, for reform of the use of the eath
penalty China. We respectfully urge that you begin the process of r orm
by ing death penalty statistics public and by eliminating the death
p alty for non-violent crimes.
Name (print) Signature
Free S arnak Pourzand! Top
Persian Journal
Culture
Siamak Pourzand: a case study of flagrant
human rights violations
Your Excellency;
Address
Siamak
Pourzand' s
daughter asks
for help
At the Al Annual General
Meeting in Ottawa, in May
2004, the daughter of 74 year
old Iranian journalist Siamak
Pourzand asked all guests to
come to help free her father
who is seriously ill in prison.
“We want him to be released
and get the permission to
travel to his family abroad to
the necessary cares”. Contact:
May 15, 2004, 19:13
Siamak Pourzand, (aged 74), Head of Majmue-ye Farhangi-ye
Honari-ye Tehran (The Tebran Artistic and Cultural Centre) and an
occasional newspaper correspondent, is a prisoner of conscience.
He is serving an 11 year sentence imposed aifier a grossly unfair
and politically motivated trial in connection with oral statements he
allegedly made about Iran's political leaders; Amnesty International
fears that the activities of his wife, Mehrangiz Kar, a human rights
defender currently outside Iran, may have exacerbated the
treatment of Siamak Pourzarid. He has urgent medical requirements
for which he recently started to receive specialist care. It remains to
be seen whether this will be adequate. Amnesty International (Al)
is calling for his immediate and unconditional release with a view
to a full review of the charges and sentence he faced.
http //www.wr ytimes.comIgrou.p27/sol1dar4t.Y.htrni
8/10/2004
Solidarity files - ai WEI AN Group 27, Victoria
Page 6 of 12
pourzarid cam pajgn @y4h - . I
PJ.ease support the appe li ed
by.Iranian.,ws or keep a watch out
fpr updates in the Amnesty
It iternational urgent action (UA)
section. The last Uhad been
issued on 6 April and the
International Secretariat should be
contacted if you wish to write on
this action.
Q6 April 2004
Fi ther. Information on UA 298/01
H aith concern/possibl.e torture or ift-
treatment and nL' Oj c rn: fear for
s fet
IRAIS ,1 Siamak Pourzand (m), aged 74,
Intefrectua , Head of Majmue-ye
Farhangi-ye T-Ilonari-ye Tehran
(Tehrati Artistic and Cultural Centre)]
A rrest and incommunicado detention
On 24 November 2001, Siamak Pourzand was arrested in central
Tehran, at around 9 o'clock in the evening. He had just leffi his
sister's apartment. The family initially thought that he had
“disappeared” as there was no official acknowledgement that he
h d been detained. On 7 December 2001 one of hs sisters, Mahin
I 6 urzand, was reportedly requested to bring a change of clothes for
him to an office of the Edare-ye Amaken, or Bureau of Premises.
The Edare-ye Amaken is reportedly responsible for the
enforcement of accepted moral codes in places of work and oIIer
offfices. When she asked where her brother was held and what he
had been charged with, she was reportedly told that it was none of
her business.
[ ...]
Around 31 March 2004, Siamak Pourzand reportedly suffered a
heart attack that left him in a coma. He was not treated until another
prisoner, the lawyer and human rights defender Nasser Zarafshan
(1) went to the prison medical facility and insisted that someone
examine him. Siamak Pourzand was taken to Tehran's Modarres
Hospital for treatment and aifier 36 hours in a coma he reg i .ed
consciousness.
Siamak Pourzand was again admitted to Tehran's Modarres
Hospital on 18 April. According to initial reports, he was chained
to his bed by his feet and denied family visits. Three days later, he
was moved to the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) in the hospital where
he reportedly remained for 10 days ai d received specialist care.
Following his return to the ordinary ward and according to
information received by Al, Siamak Pourzand reportedly received a
telephone call fflom Evin Prison asking him to give an interview to
a prisons' publication to declare that he had never been ill-treated
and that his trial had beer fair. Shortly after IIis phone call, Siamak
Poarzand had to be tran rj-ed again to CCU.
Siamak Pourzand is due to be tra ferred to Mahrad Hospital to
undergo a spinal surgery. He is then cheduled to return to
Modarres Hospital to receive treatment for his kidneys and prostate.
Other information:
Siamak Pourzand is the husband of lawyer and humanrights
defender, Mehrangiz Kar, who continues to face charges in
connection with her participation at a socialand cultural conference,
which was held in Berlin inApril 2000. She is a former prisoner of
conscience (see UA 103/00, MDE 13/20/00 3 May 2000 and follow
ups)
p ://www.wraytimes:eornIg OBp27/S0't 1 ai1tY.h1tmI
8/10/2004
Solidarity flies - ai WERAN Group 27, Victoria
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_____________________ I lop ]
RECOMMENDED ACTIONS
Please send telegrams! telexes! faxes! express/ e-mail letters in English or French:
. expressing concern IIat Siamak Pourzand is a prisonerof conscience, arrested solely for IIe
peaceful expression of his beliefs; and he should be released immediately and unconditionally;
. urging the authorities to allow Siamak Pourzand to receive adequate medical attention and regular
access to family visits whilst he remains in detention;
. expressing concern that he has been denied the right to adequate and regular access to legal
representation of his choice pnor to and aifier his trial;
. urging the authorities to end the practice of solitary conffinement, in line with the
recommendations made by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) following its
visit to Iran in February 2003 (UN document E/CN.4!2004!3/Add.2), which noted that “such
‘imprisonment wiIIin imprisonment' is arbitrary in nature and must be ended”;
. reminding the authorities IIat Rule 32 of the UN's Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of
Prisoners states that close conffinement should not depart fflom the prohibition on cruel, inhuman
or degrading punishment;
PLEASE SEND YOUR APPEALS TO:
Leader of the Islamic Republic
His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed ‘Au Khamenei
The Presidency, Palestine Avenue, Azerballari Intersection,
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Telegram: Ayatollah Khamenei, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: + 98 21 649 5880 (please mark ‘For the attention of the Offfice of His Excellency, Ayatollah al
Udhma Khamenei, Qom)
Email: webmaster wilayah.org (on the subject line write: For the attention of the Offfice of His
Excellency, Ayatollah al Udhurn Kharnenei, Qom)
Salutation: Your Excellency
Influential Parliamentarian
Ghoiamali Haddad Adel
Maj les-e Shoura-ye Eslami (Parliament)
Imam Khomeini Avenue,
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: + 98 21 646 1746
8!l 0!2004
http : !!www.wi:aytimes.conJg O P27/8Qliciai tY.htmi
Solidarity fiLes - ai WERAN Group 27, Victoria
Page 8 of 12
To show your solidarity with Siamak Pourzand, you could send him a copy of your appeal:
Evin Prison
Siamak Pourzand
Evin Prison, Chamran Highway,
Shahid Katchuyi Street Darakeh,
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
soti.rce: Iranian .ws.
[ f Appeal 2 flop ]
PEN Honorary Award for Siamak Pourzand
PEN considers Siamak Pourzand to be detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his right to ffleedom
of expression as guaranteed by Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to
which Iran is a signatory, and is calling for his immediate and unconditional release.
HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Please write a polite letter on your personal or institutional letterhead requesting that Siamak Pourzand
be released - or copy the one below - and mail to His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed ‘Au Khamenei and to
the Iranian Interests Section.
[ Date]
His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed ‘Au Khamenei
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran
do The Presidency
Palestine Avenue
Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran
Islamic Republic of Iran
I am writing to express my grave and urgent concern about the
imprisonment ofjourrialist and film critic Siamak Pourzand. As you know,
on May 3, 2002 the Tehian Press Court reportedly sentenced Pourzand to
eight years! imprisonment on charges of ‘undermining state security through
his links with monarchists and counter-revolutionaries.” I understand Mr.
Pourzand was tried in a closed proceeding, that your government has offered
no explanation of the charges or case against him, and that he may in fact
have been convicted on the basis of statements made under duress while in
incommunicado detention. I am particularly concerned for his well-being, as
1 understand he is of an advanced age and is in poor physical condition. I
fear Mr. Pourzand is being detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his
right to freedom of expression as guaranteed by Article 19 of the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which your country ha
htt // 1;Wr4itfleS:COmfgroup27/solidaritYJ1tm1
8/10/2004
Solidarity files - ai WERAN Group 27, Victoria
Page 9 of 12
ratified. Please reconsider Mr. Pourzand's case and, in a spirit of humanity,
facilitate his immediate release.
Sincerely,
[ Your name and signature]
Cc:
Iranian Interests Section
do Emhassy of Pakistan to the
2209 Wisconsin Avenue NW
United States
>
PETITION
Amnesty
Canada
1-800-266-3789
www.arnnesty ca
Washington, DC 20007 [ or the ambassador in your country]
Irene Fc rnad z op
APPEAL
Irene Fernandez
Private
MALAYSIA:
Human
. . i'TLts
j . i fender
fa s
imprisonment
eal started: March 2004/
Iitein'e Fernandez, Director of
Teiiiaganita, a women's non-
governmental organization (NGO
is facing a 12-monII prison term
after being convicted and sentenced
in October 2003 on charges of
“maliciously publishing false news”.
She is currently free on bail,
pending the outcome of her appeaj./
Her passport has been impoun ,
preventing her from takingyp'
invitations to participate) (
international human rj gflts
conferences and wshops
.. or you can copy the Al group's petition:
Internatio a!
[ date]
Prime Mip r Dato' Abdullah Haji Ahoead
Badaw/
Of of the Prime Minister
an Dato' Onn
50502 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
Dc Prime Minister Badawi;
We, t / r1dersigned, urge you to drop all
charges a inst Irene Fernandez and allow
valuable citkens like her to carry out their
important wo?k in protecting the rights of
everyone in Ma)
