International campaign to prevent the execution of prisoner of conscience Mohammad Ali Taheri and his immediate release from incarceration

August 20, 2019

His Excellency António Guterres Secretary General of United Nations The United Nations
New York, NY 10017

Re: International campaign to prevent the execution of prisoner of conscience Mohammad Ali Taheri and his immediate release from incarceration.

Your Excellency,

It is with utmost urgency that the Iran National Council for Free Elections appeals to the international community to prevent the execution of Mohammad Ali Taheri in Iran, and to facilitate his immediate release. We are extremely concerned about the continuous wave of executions and the declining health conditions of several prisoners of conscience. We are fearful that these innocent men and women will not escape execution without an outcry from the Free World.

On August 16th, the Islamic Republic summarily sentenced Mohammad Ali Taheri to death on the charge of spreading ‘corruption on earth’. Mohammad Ali Taheri, the founder of the spiritual group ‘Erfan Halqeh’, a pioneer of “holistic” complementary medicine and author in the field of Inter universalist alternative medicine, was first arrested in 2010 on the spurious charge of acting against national security. After being released for a brief period, he was arrested for a second time in May 2011, and convicted to five years for blasphemy, as well as 74 lashes and monetary fines. Mr. Taheri has endured difficult conditions in solitary confinement, hunger strike and deteriorating health conditions in the notorious Evin prison.

Ali Taheri’s sentencing to death has been condemned by Iranians around the world, international human rights organizations, U.S. Department of State and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein. Despite all these mobilizations, his life is still in jeopardy.

According to IRANNC Human Rights Commission Report of 2017, the Iranian theocratic regime continues to strongly oppress freedom of conscience, belief and expression. The regime’s security apparatus continues to arrest religious and non-religious groups, particularly atheists, agnostics and Baha’is who are persecuted, incarcerated, subjected to various forms of discrimination and apartheid, and even executed.

It is with a great sense of urgency that the Iran National Council for Free Elections appeals to your high office to prevent the execution of Mohammad Ali Taheri, through an immediate and firm diplomatic response to ensure his immediate and unconditional release.

We sincerely thank you for your assistance and consideration to this urgent humanitarian matter. Very truly yours,

Nazila Golestan