“Citizen Watch” Documentary & Reportage program goal is strengthening civil society, make people stronger and empowering them by raising awareness about the dangers of corruption and the importance to combating it.
The current “anti-Iranian Kleptocratic” campaign is calling on the international community to take action immediately to strengthen the Iranian citizens in fighting against corrupt government. This strategy should empower Iranian citizens to clean up the corruption at its roots in Iran and to achieve the human rights, rule of law and sustainable democracy. Day by day, the number of anti-corruption protests spread across Iran. The non-governmental organizations, the Iranian citizens around the world are joining forces to fight corruption. Today, our most valuable tool for countering corruption is the civil society.
The “anti-corruption” campaign is raising awareness of their rights and give them the voice to unmask the corrupt system and empower them to put an end to corruption and terrorism in the Middle East.
The Iranian economy and the judiciary system are suffering from the rampant institutional corruption. Supreme leader, who is totally controlling the 3 powers, misuses the judiciary to suppress opposition or anyone who condemns him; this abuse of power damaged the independence of the judicial branch and generates a breeding ground for widespread corruption in all courts. Because of this corruption in the Judiciary, there is no independent court to stop corruption.
Our main objectives of this program are founded upon two pillars:
Raising awareness about transparency, freedom, justice, human dignity, rule of law, effective democratic institutions, healthy economy, secularism, gender equality and human dignity.
Empowering and strengthen civil societies in fighting corruption, actively promoting civil society with the knowledge, tools, and capacity they need to actively and safely counter corruption.
“Citizens Watch” Documentary & Reportage program shall involve civil society, economic actors and experts to show to the Iranian people the national cost of corruption, terrorism’s support, theft and bribery in public and private sector; the cost of drug traffic and prostitutions, mental physical and financial damages caused by corruption to the Iranian citizens, and also the high social and economic damages because of the corrupt judiciary system. When relevant, we were use humor or sarcasm in order to promote our ideas and touch a wider audience.
Understanding and responding to corruption is a crucial challenge. This program offers an overview of the nature, pattern, and differing perspectives on political and economic corruption. Providing detail and depth, the show examines and compares corruption in Iran with some democratic countries such as the United States, UK, France, Israel, Japan and India. A comparative analysis will present the most prominent factors contributing to a reduced level of corruption and then to a stronger growth and greater prosperity and well-being for the citizen.
Appeal for Severe Political Pressure Against the Kleptocratic Theocracy of Iran
The Honorable Mike Pompeo Secretary of State U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, DC 20520
N° 2101-18 October 2018
Re: Appeal for Severe Political Pressure Against the Kleptocratic Theocracy of Iran
Dear Secretary Pompeo:
In Iran, we are facing a silencing war waged by the Iranian regime against the freedom-seeking Iranian Citizens. Only the willingness of the international Community to take punitive actions against the Iranian government can help us defeat the regime and bring the Iranian citizens one step closer to a stable and free Democracy.
Your remarks at The Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. on May 21, 2018 demonstrates how well you understand
the plight of Iranian people living under a kleptocratic theocracy. As you indicated, United States citizens and other
foreigners are snatched by the Islamic Republic and held hostage as negotiating chips. However, Iranian citizens are
arrested, imprisoned, tortured, raped, and killed by the regime with impunity; all for demanding their basic human rights.
You enumerated several goals that President Trump has asked you to achieve on Iran. The third goal promised
“tireless advocacy for the Iranian people,” “demand that the regime improves treatment of its citizens,” “protect the
human rights of every Iranian,” and “stop spending Iran’s wealth abroad.” While you followed with a long list of
hardships and adversities facing Iranian people, these points were not included in your 12 demands from the Iranian
regime.
Therefore, we respectfully request that the following become demand number 13 on your list:
“Iran must end its inequitable, unjust, unfair, and abusive behavior against the Iranian citizens” and
“Let Iranian citizens hold free, fair and transparent election for a Constitutional Assembly” in
accordance with article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the criteria by the Inter-
Parliamentary Union, of which Iran is a member, set forth at its 154th session on March 26th, 1994,
under the supervision and monitoring of the United Nations.
We sincerely thank you and President Trump for your attention to, and consideration of, this urgent humanitarian
matter.
Very Truly Yours,
Nazila Golestan
Special Envoy for Human Rights
Iran National Council for Free Elections
What Is Happening in Iran?
1. SUFFOCATION OF VIRTUALLY ALL IRANIANS UNDER THE HEAVY HANDS OF THE IRANIAN REGIME
The seven-headed dragon of the mafia government in Iran continues to strongly restrict free speech and dissent.
Authorities are waging a ruthless crackdown against those who stand up to injustice and defend human rights.
Political activists, women’s rights activists, trade unionists, human rights lawyers, journalists, environmental activists,
children’s rights defenders, and human rights defenders are harshly intimidated and their leaders are arrested and
imprisoned for merely exercising their basic citizen’s rights. Iranian human rights activists and board members of the
teachers’ union have been imprisoned solely for protesting the deplorable conditions with which the country’s teachers
and students are confronted every day. They are arrested under fabricated charges of “assembly with intent to create
public disturbance,” and “propaganda against the regime.”
Unfortunately, imprisonment alone is not the only punishment that the activists earn. A teacher, Mohammad Habibi,
who was arrested with 14 others at a peaceful gathering was beaten according to his wife and was transferred to
solitary confinement and denied medical attention one day after his arrest when all other participants were freed. At
the time of arrest Habibi was free under bail from an earlier arrest at the school he taught.1
Iranian dual-nationals and citizens returning from abroad, or just entering Iran for a short visit, have been targeted for
arbitrary arrests, interrogation and incarceration by security authorities. Often, they are held as bargaining chips as in
the case of those freed as part of the Iranian Nuclear Agreement signed by the former United States President Obama.
When the former President of Iran Mahmood Ahmadinejad spoke at Columbia University on September 24, 2007, he
claimed there were no homosexuals in Iran. Perhaps the reason he made the false claim was that all homosexuals are
condemned to death if they are identified. Islamic law considers homosexuality a deviant conduct and condemns it.
Even discussion of the subject is taboo.
Those who defend human rights are often labelled “Western agents” and are falsely and speciously accused of “warring
against Islam,” “conspiracy against national security,” “treason”, “propaganda against the regime,” “enmity with God,”
“insulting the Prophet,” and “insulting government officials.” They are prosecuted and imprisoned by authorities on
bogus charges of “threat to national security” and “enmity with God” because these charges carry harsher punishments.
2. UNEQUAL TREATMENT OF INDIVIDUALS BASED ON GENDER
Iranian women are deprived of their fundamental rights under the Islamic Constitution since 1979. The laws violate a
woman’s right to equality, privacy, and freedoms of expression, belief, and religion and empower Basij forces to target
women for harassment, violence and imprisonment. The women activists who fight for Iranian women’s freedoms and
gender equality are still arrested and imprisoned. Iranian women who comprise one-half of the population, are
systematically eliminated from presidential elections. According to Ali Khamenei, “the gender equality is an utterly
wrong notion made up by the West. It is outdated and treacherous.”
As a clerical member of Iran’s Council of Guardians, “Mohammad Yazdi,” a constitutional body responsible for ensuring
that legislation adheres to Iran’s Constitution as interpreted by Iran’s religious scholars and Islamic law and for vetting
presidential candidates, has announced that Iranian laws “do not allow women to become presidents” 2. Most higher-
level government jobs are also closed to women.
There are many other discriminatory practices and laws that turn Iranian women into second-class citizens. Although
women comprise over 50 percent of university graduates, their participation in the labor force is only 17 percent. Iranian
women are unequal under the law, in Iranian society, and in the job market.3
3. STATUS OF CHILDREN
Under the Islamic Republic of Iran, the age at which children become criminally responsible for their actions is 9 lunar
years for girls (equivalent to 8.5 Gregorian years) and 15 lunar years for boys. Only below those ages are they
considered to be children. (Iranian Penal Code (1991) amended 2013, Article 147).
Iranian Constitution forbids “all forms of torture for the purpose of extracting confession or acquiring information”,4 As
if torturing adults is not abhorring enough, there have been recent reports of torture and mistreatment by juvenile
offenders who were forced to confess by means of physical coercion. One of the recent cases was reported by Alireza
Tajiki, who was only 15 years old at the time of arrest. He was convicted, after confessing under torture, of the rape
and murder of a friend, crimes that he consistently denied in court.5 Tajiki was placed in solitary confinement for 15
days during which, he said, he was subjected to severe beatings, floggings, and suspension by arms and feet to make
him “confess” to the crime.6 Iran has executed 1,900 prisoners since June 2013 when President Hassan Rouhani took
office – among them juveniles and women.7
Practices of child labor in Iran defy Declaration of the Rights of Children and International Labor laws. Children work in
all kinds of businesses in deplorable conditions.8 Many small, vulnerable children live and work in the streets and are
victims of criminal gangs, drug lords, child trafficking, and sexual abuse among others.9
Every six days a child is raped and killed in Tehran. Iran is rich in natural resources and wealth, yet the majority live
in poverty and misery because these resources are rerouted to terrorist networks and drug trafficking. The first victims
of poverty are children.
4. RELIGIOUS AND ETHNIC MINORITIES
By virtue of the Constitution, citizens with religious beliefs other than Islam remain second class citizens and do not
have many of the rights enjoyed by the Muslim majority.
The Constitution of the Islamic Republic established an Islamic theocracy. Article 1 states “The form of government of
Iran is that of an Islamic Republic.” Article 2 explains this to mean, among other things, “the necessity of submission
and the “fundamental role” of “divine revelation” in “setting forth the laws.” Article 18 requires Iran’s flag
contain the phrase “Allah Akbar.” Article 56 states “Absolute sovereignty over the world and man belongs to God
[Allah].”
The government, with the Supreme Leader at its apex, is an institution through which the will of Allah is implemented.
As such, all others; such as, Zoroastrians, Jews, Christians, Baha’is, Sunnis, Yaresans, Ismailis, Dervishes, atheists,
etc., are systematically precluded from holding senior government or military positions.
Due to their historical background, the Baha’i community has been persecuted from the beginning.10 A large number
of them have been imprisoned and many among them have been executed. Between 1979 and 1983 at least 135
Baha’is, many of them spiritual leaders, were executed.11 Since 2013, when Hassan Rouhani was first elected
President, “at least 283 Baha’is have been arrested. and there have been at least 645 incidents of economic
oppression, ranging from intimidation and threats against Baha’i-owned businesses to their closure by authorities. More
than 26,000 pieces of anti-Baha’i propaganda have been disseminated …”12 Thousands have been blocked from
access to higher education; “in just six months, Iranian universities expelled 50 Baha’i for their religious beliefs.”13
Other minorities such as Zoroastrians or Jews try to keep a low profile and are afraid to publicize their grievances.14
Christians are suspected of proselytizing and are often arrested and imprisoned for the same “crime.” Although the
laws do not prescribe it, the writings of the founder of the Islamic Republic do call for the death penalty for Muslims
who convert to other religions, particularly Christianity, or the Baha’i faith.15
The Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the most racist governments in the world. Iran is home to many ethnic minorities
who once lived in peace among all other Iranians before the 1979 revolution, but who are at odds with the Islamic
government and are subjected to racism as a result of the government’s policies and propaganda.
Most Kurds are Sunnis and live in the Kurdistan Province. Kurds have had armed conflict with the central government.
Those arrested have been sent to the gallows. Azaris in the northwest are Turkish-speaking people. The greater
Azerbaijan was divided by the Russian incursions and annexation of territories and its fate was sealed by the signing
of the Turkemanchi Treaty in 1828. Russia took Northern Azerbaijan and a greater part of Armenia.16 Now, if they
raise their voices for the rights of Azaris, they are labeled as “separatists” or “Turkish spies.” 17
Baluchis in the southeast are Sunnis and face institutionalized and economic, educational and cultural discrimination.
Islamic Republic has also thwarted the Baluchis attempt to form political organizations to promote their interests.18
The Arabic-speaking minority, who also speak Persian, have lived in the Province of Khuzestan in the southwest for
hundreds of years. Their language is called “Khuzestani Arabic.” They suffer the same discriminations as other ethnic
minorities. Their main grievance is over their right to participate effectively in decisions affecting the area in which they
live.19 The major cities of Khorramshahr, Abadan, and Ahvaz were badly destroyed in the war with Iraq. Very little has
been done to reconstruct the cities or to bring back sustainable economy for reconstruction.
5. ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
The Islamic Republic of Iran, instead of opting for sustainable use of natural resources and generation of clean energy,
continues to persist on the clandestine development of a nuclear arsenal — in total violation of the Non-Proliferation
Treaty and the Iran Nuclear Agreement signed on July 14, 2015. These policies and practices have paved the way for
international economic sanctions against Iran and have brought Iran’s economy to the brink of bankruptcy.
The environmental disaster explodes where out on the horizon, the blue sky of Persian Gulf is veiled in a thick
unbreathable cloud of rusty color sand such that the sun is no longer visible in Khuzestan. Children of Sistan and
Baluchestan Province are also buried under sand and misery.
Thus far, the environmental degradation, water crisis, disappearing lakes, diversion of rivers that turn a wetland into a
barren desert, water shortages due to poor management of water resources leaving people without water for drinking
or for maintaining industries, theft of natural resources that diverts the national wealth into the pockets of the ruling
clergy,20 and particularly political corruption have put Iranian environment in dire conditions.
6. ISLAMIC CONSTITUTION, JURISPRUDENCE, AND THE JUDICIARY
The Islamic Constitution requires its president to pledge that he will “dedicate himself to the propagation of religion and
morality” (Article 121) and requires the members of Iran’s Islamic Consultative Assembly [Parliament] to pledge “to
protect the sanctity of Islam” (Article 67). Presidential candidates must be “from among religious and political
personalities” who have “staunch belief in the fundamental principles of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the official
religion [Islamic jurisprudence] of the country” (Article 115).
It can be observed that the Constitution of the Islamic Republic is not about protecting “life,” “liberty,” and “the pursuit
of happiness” of the Iranian people, rather it is intended to preserve and protect a particular religion through installation
of individuals who have the zeal to do so.
All branches of government, including the judiciary, serve to promote Islam and Islamic law. The Islamic Constitution
has provided for “creation of a judicial system based on Islamic justice and operated by just judges with meticulous
knowledge of the Islamic laws.” (Preamble to the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran; The Judiciary in the
Constitution.)
Only lip service has been paid to rights, freedoms, and justice that Iranian people have not experienced since 1979
and for which protest.
The Islamic Republic has also Revolutionary Courts and the Special Court for the clergy both of which were established
by Islamic Revolutionary Leader Ruhollah Khomeini. Theses tribunals have never been incorporated into the
constitutional clauses that define the role and structure of the Judiciary. Theses separate Islamic Revolutionary Courts
can prosecute people on charges as vague as “being un-Islamic.” And have been used also as a political tool against
those clerics who criticize the regime or challenge the role of the Supreme Leader.
While millions of victims of the financial and credit institutions protest against the Central Bank of Iran and the corrupt
financial/banking system, there are no courts to hear the people’s pleas for justice. The President of the Islamic
Republic of Iran “Hassan Rouhani” ignores people’s protests, defends the corrupt Central Bank as well as his own
disreputable government.
Corruption is rampant within the judiciary. The worst case of it is the highly publicized scandal of the head of the
Judiciary, Chief of Justice, “Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani.” Larijani is a conservative, who previously was a member of
Council of Guardians. It was discovered that Larijani is the holder of more than 63 personal bank accounts filled with
embezzled public funds that the courts had received from defendants in civil, criminal or appeals courts as damages,
bail money, or court costs.21
A Member of Parliament questioned the Justice Minister about Larijani’s alleged 63 bank accounts. Judicial authorities
attempted to arrest the MP in front of his house. “An account run by an anonymous group on the social network
Telegram, recently claimed that more than £50m was transferred to the ayatollah’s personal bank accounts annually
from public funds.22
President Hassan Rouhani’s brother, who is also a close adviser to him, has previously been linked to officials at the
center of a scandal involving inflated salaries for managers at the state-owned insurance company. Other charges
against Hossein Fereidun include misappropriation of government funds and money laundering that involved his
daughter who lives in London.23
7. Politics and Political Control
Opposition politicians have suffered especially harsh repression, with many leaders facing arrest, prison sentences,
and lengthy bans on political activity. All secular political parties are constantly banned from any activity due to the
requirements that Presidential candidates must be religious and have strong belief in Islamic laws.
On the other hand, Islamists who run the government have cheated the people out of bank deposits amounting to
trillions of Tomans. The money has gone to the pockets of government officials and their relatives. The Islamic Republic
government and its affiliated entities that are close to the Revolutionary Guards have signed major economic contracts
with Syria, reaping what appears to be lucrative rewards for helping the Dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad regain control
of parts of his country against his own people.
Politics in the Islamic Republic of Iran is so corrupt that both “conservatives” and the so-called “reformists” support the
status quo and ignore the national interests of the people. After all, there is much financial windfall that comes from
the arms flows in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain, and Yemen to satisfy both sides.
Astan Qods Razavi, is purportedly a charitable foundation and the administrative organization which manages the
Imam Reza Shrine and affiliated institutions. It controls large endowments and business conglomerates in the country.
This foundation, also called “Empire of Khorasan” and its subsidiaries are exempted from paying taxes following
Ruhollah Khomeini’s Fatwa. This huge windfall helps cross-border terrorist financing.
The Islamic Republic’s constitution establishes the role of its military in fulfilling its goals as follows: “The Army of the
Islamic Republic of Iran must be an Islamic Army, i.e., committed to Islamic ideology and the people” (Article 144).
From the preamble: Iran’s Army and Revolutionary Guard “will be responsible not only for guarding and preserving the
frontiers of the country, but also for fulfilling the ideological mission of jihad in God’s way; that is, extending the
sovereignty of God’s law throughout the world [emphasis added].
the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, unquestioningly loyal to Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, controls major
companies, and businesses in Iran such as tourism, transportation, energy, construction, telecommunication and
Internet. in the cost of this control is suppression of Iranian women, students, labor, intellectuals, and political activists.
The Islamic Constitution cites Quranic verses fourteen times to make its political goal and objective is to promote Islam
worldwide vs the universal values of advanced civilizations. For nearly four decades the Islamic Republic of Iran has
sought to cement its stranglehold internally and export its revolution of terror to the rest of the world by establishing
Hezbollah in Lebanon, supporting Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Muslim Brotherhood, sheltering terrorists and permitting
them to run terrorist training camps in Iran.
Article 91 of the Islamic Constitution establishes a Guardian Council “in order to examine the compatibility of legislation
passed by the Islamic Consultative Assembly with Islam.” The Council also has “the authority of the interpretation of
the Constitution is vested with the Guardian Council (Article 98). Yet, in actuality, the Council has the power to select
the candidates loyal to the Supreme Leader and to nominate them for elections. Thus, none of the elections held since
the 1979 Islamic revolution has been regarded as free, fair, and transparent.
The Basij and Ansar-i Hezbollah—regularly play a major role in breaking up the peaceful and non-political
demonstrations with brutal force. The security services routinely arrest and harass all human rights discourse,
grassroots activism, and secular activists. Thus, there is no secure and free electoral environment for political and
union activities.
Ultimately, Islamic Republic’s Constitution in Article 57 which establishes the Iranian legislature, judiciary, and
executive powers, dictates that the three branches are to function “under the supervision of the absolute wilayat al-
‘amr [Iran’s Supreme Leader] and the leadership of the Ummah.” The head of state, “Ali Khamenei” has absolute
power over all government institutions, including the judiciary. The Supreme Leader appoints the Judiciary chief, and
judicial officials are only accountable to the Supreme Leader. The Islamic judiciary avoid investigation or detect or
impeding ongoing judicial and investigative processes are accomplished by exerting influence, particularly at lower to
mid-levels of law enforcement structures. Such involvement surely corrupt and pervert the judiciary.
The Islamic Republic of Iran’s endemic corruption has made the country itself and its neighbors vulnerable to terrorist
activities. They still continue to provide financial and military support to terrorist movements. This sectarian “State
Sponsor of Terrorism” seeks to spread its brand of political Islam that has led to the rise of regional ideological conflicts.
The Iranian regime’s discriminatory policies contradict the numerous international conventions to which Iran is a party.
International laws create both rights and duties for member states, and when a state consistently disregards its duties,
it cannot expect the rest of the international community to respect its rights.
The Iran National Council calls on US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Recant Inaccurate Reference to Persian Gulf in June 9, 2017 statement.
Date: 9
June, 2017
No :
2057-17
The Iran National Council calls on US Secretary of
State Rex Tillerson to Recant Inaccurate Reference to Persian Gulf in June 9, 2017 statement.
FORMAL LETTER
Secretary Rex Tillerson
US Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Secretary Tillerson,
RE: The Persian Gulf
In your Middle East Remarks delivered in the Treaty
Room of the White House on June 9, 2017, you referred to the Persian Gulf
by an utterly inaccurate name. (1)
As Your Excellency is aware, geographic names are
rooted in the cultural and environmental history of their surrounding
civilizations. Any nominal evolution through the socio-economic, political and
cultural experiences of their corresponding nations is affirmed by the United
Nations. To this end, in 1959 (2), the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
of the United Nations convened a meeting of experts to provide guidelines for
standardizing geographical names at the national and international levels. (3)
Giving rise to the United Nations Conference on the Standardization of
Geographical Names (UNCSGN) and the United Nations Group of Experts on
Geographical Names (UNGEGN), the meeting engendered an internationally accepted
administrative framework responsible for affirming nominal geography.
By means of this international, deliberative
process outlined above, the United Nations––on several occasions in official
statements, legislative resolutions, amendments, and formal publication of
official geographic maps––has affirmed that the “Persian Gulf” is
the official name of said body of water. In 2006, to counter the emergence of
inaccurate nominal recognition of the Persian Gulf, the United
Nations requested that all international organizations and entities of
reputation refer to this body of water by its full, unaltered name of the “Persian
Gulf.” (4) Official UN cartography reflecting this long-standing
nomenclature is attached. (5)
As Your Excellency most certainly appreciates, the policies of the theocratic Islamic regime of Iran have demonstrably instigated unprecedented turmoil, instability, and religious and ethnic strife in the Persian Gulf region and the Middle East more broadly. Emboldened by these perverse policies, many opportunists and malicious groups and movements have surfaced with a goal to defy the universally accepted and sanctioned United Nations directives regarding the Persian Gulf. Furthermore, in recent years, some media outlets have also begun to incorrectly refer to the Persian Gulf using wholly inaccurate, altered terminology.
The illegal and acrimonious policies of the current
regime in Iran, however, should not be used as an excuse by the United Nations
and its affiliated organizations and institutions to ignore the national rights
and interests of the Iranian people, who unfortunately suffer at the governance
of the Islamic regime. The people of Iran’s sovereignty and identity is
sacrosanct and must be observed by the leading nation of the free world, the
United States of America, alongside the virtual majority of the international
community represented by the United Nations. The malicious infringement and
alteration of a nation’s geographical name are no different from the
infringement and violation of that country’s territorial integrity and
sovereignty.
This 3000-year-old name––the Persian Gulf––is a universal heritage rooted in Iran and shared by the global community of nations. (6) A uniquely ancient and singular name, the “Persian Gulf” has withstood the test of time––historically and linguistically. From the ancient Persian Empire dynasties to Alexander of Macedonia, from the Islamic rule of the Salafist Saleh to the Mongolian Hulago Khan, and the Portuguese and British colonialism on the Persian Gulf, and in more than three thousand official maps, the body of water under discussion is unapologetically named the Persian Gulf.
To this end, the Iran National Council wishes to
remind Your Excellency and the United States government more broadly to
dutifully respect the naming conventions set forth by the international
community. Specifically, the Council respectfully requests that a correction be
issued and that its official name be used in all future communications and
statements––not only as a sign of respect for the universally accepted
international laws and norms but also as a safeguard for the territorial
integrity and cultural sovereignty of the Iranian people. The Council
appreciates any additional measures Your Excellency on behalf of your
government may take to mitigate and condemn any and all violations of this
right.
Our shared objective is international peace and
security in the Persian Gulf region, and the Middle East more
broadly.
Sincerely,
Special Envoy for Human Rights
The Iran National Council for Free Elections
Council Boilerplate
The Iran National Council for Free Elections is
active opposition organization calling for a transition to secular democratic
governance in Iran, a nation which has, under this theocratic regime, become
the world’s boldest state sponsor of terrorism.
Citations
“Remarks on the Middle East”
United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN).
United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
The twenty-third meeting of the 61st issue of the document of the
United Nations in Vienna (28 March-4 April 2006) with the title of
“historical, geographical and legal recognition of the name Persian
Gulf
Map No. 4102. Rev 5. Department of Field Support. United Nations
The use of historical maps in the National Council of the Iranian
Gulf
Fifty Foreign Ambassadors Tour Tehran’s Evin Prison
The Honorable Ms. Asma Jilani Jahangir
UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights
In the Islamic Republic of Iran,
OHCHR-Palais Wilson
52 rue des Pâquis
CH-1201 Geneva, Switzerland
Re: Fifty Foreign Ambassadors Tour Tehran’s Evin Prison
Your Excellency,
July 13, 2017
On July 5th, the Islamic Republic’s Judiciary arranged for 50 foreign ambassadors residing in
Tehran to a “display tour” of “The Evin Prison” in an attempt to prove that the allegations raised
against Islamic Republic’s prisons are false and politically-motivated.
According to a report by Ms. Shirin Ebadi, President of Defenders of Human Rights Center
(“DHRC”,) in Iran, which was submitted to Ms. Asma Jahangir, UN Special Rapporteur, Iranian
officials engaged in a hastily staged transformation of the Evin prison to a luxury hotel as follows:
At 8 am on Wednesday, July 5th, more than twenty political prisoners were transferred from their regular cells in Evin prison to solitary A-2nd cells by the order of judicial authorities.
In the evening, theses prisoners were returned to Evin Prison not knowing that 50 foreign ambassadors had visited their cells in Evin Prison.
Curiously, the ambassadors never visited the Women’s Ward where 24 women political prisoners and prisoners of conscience are being held. Kazem Gharib-Abadi, the deputy head of the Islamic Republic Judiciary’s Human Rights Office, declared the ambassadors’ visit was aimed at showing that the image portrayed of the Iranian prisons by certain countries and media is a false and distorted one. In addition, the Iranian domestic media which is controlled by the authorities interviewed some of the ambassadors. Iran National Council for Free Elections strongly denounces this scandalous, staged visitation. The 24 women political prisoners being held in Evin Prison, including Atena Iraie, Atena Daemi, Narges Mohammadi, Nazanin Zagheri, Azita Rafizadeh, etc. were kept out-of-sight. Other male political prisoners and prisoners of conscience; such as, Reza Malek, Amin Afshar Naderi, Hadi Asgari, KaarenVafadari, Professor Ahmad Jalali, Ali Kebritsaz Tavakoli and others were transferred to other locations. The latter three are prisoners who hold dual citizenships.
We urgently request that your high office forward copies of the letters of Atena Iraie, Atena Damei, and Reza Malek describing the catastrophic, unsanitary conditions in Evin Prison to the foreign ambassadors who visited the prison in Iran. Atena Iraie and Atena Daemi have stated in their letters: “Dear ambassadors, while we are in prison in deplorable conditions, you are free and only motivated by your political and economic agenda. You, unwittingly, became the Islamic regime’s spokesman and described an unreal version of Human Rights situation in Iran”.
Reza Malek, a former agent of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence who is serving an eleven-year prison sentence for attempting to disclose information about Iran’s notorious “Chain Murders” in 1988-1998, addresses the ambassadors in his letter as follows: “It was only a few days that everyone was painting and decorating to give the dead prison illusion of livelihood; the face of the prison had changed so much as if anticipating a great celebration. They were explaining and instructing prison guards and other security personnel so as to deceive the visitors.”
We must also mention Amin Afshar Naderi, a Christian convert held in Evin prison who went on a hunger strike after the authorities kept him and others from speaking with the visitors.
The Iran National Council for Free Elections would like to highlight the following two facts:
Many Iranian citizens are frequently arrested merely for voicing everyday-life’s difficulties and/or objecting to violations of their most basic human rights. Under the Islamic regime’s system of jurisprudence, many crimes are punishable by death, including some that do not involve violence; such as, “insulting the Prophet,” apostasy, homosexuality, adultery, and drug-related offenses. Frequently, those opposing the regime are charged with fabricated or fictitious allegations. Allegations have included “Western agents,” “warring against Islam,” “conspiracy against national security,” “propaganda against the regime,” “enmity against God,” “insulting the Prophet,” and “insulting government officials”. According to Iran National Council’s Human Rights Commission Report 2017, the Iranian government has continued to highly restrict speech and dissent; authorities have arrested journalists, bloggers, and online media activists for exercising their rights of expression. Iranian dual nationals and citizens returning from overseas have been at higher risk of arrest by the secret police and security apparatus.
According to the 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International, Iran scored 26 on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean), and was ranked 136th out of 175 countries. There is no “accountability and transparency” in very large segments of the Iranian economy, judiciary and governance.
Corruption in all segments of the regime is the black hole that generates a breeding ground
for transnational organized crime, money laundering, terrorist financing and the trafficking
of humans, drugs, and arms. The blatantly corrupt Islamic judiciary has led to greater
suffering for criminal defendants and hardship for civil litigants alike.
Based on the foregoing, Iran National Council for Free Elections appeals to your high office to
condemn the masquerade of the ambassadors’ visit and demand a visit of political prisoners under
your supervision.
We sincerely thank you for your support and attention to this humanitarian matter.
Very truly yours,
Nazila Golestan
Special Envoy for Human Rights Iran National Council for Free Election
CC:
Mr. Antonio Guteres,
UN Secretary General
Ambassador Nikki R. Haley
U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations
Mr. Stavros Lambrinidis
EU Special Representative for Human Rights
Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Mr. Salil Shetty,
Secretary General of the Amnesty International
Mr. Michel Forst
Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
Mr. Fernando Gentilini EU Special Representative for Middle East peace process
______________________________________________
Conseil National Iranien pour les Elections Libres
115 rue Saint-Dominique, 75007 Paris,
France www.irannc.org
Remerciements à l’adresse de Monsieur le Président de la République
Paris, le 12 Mars 2019
N° 19-2112
A l’attention de Monsieur Emmanuel Macron
Président de la République Française
Palais de l’Élysée 55, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré́ 75008 Paris
Re : Remerciements à l’adresse de Monsieur le Président de la République,
Monsieur le President de la République,
Au nom du Conseil National Iranien pour les Élections Libres (CNIEL), je vous fais part de notre profonde reconnaissance après que vous avez publiquement invité l’avocate Nasrin Sotoudeh pour siéger au Conseil consultatif du G7 sur l’égalité des sexes. En cette période difficile que traverse le peuple iranien, nous vous remercions également pour le discours fort que vous avez prononcé à l’occasion de la Journée de la femme, le 8 mars dernier.
Ces gestes de solidarité qu’exprime à travers vous la République Française sont un encouragement à poursuivre notre lutte en faveur de la démocratie, de la laïcité, des droits humains, de l’égalité des sexes, et de toutes les valeurs sans lesquelles nous ne pourrons bâtir un avenir fondé sur la justice, la stabilité et la paix.
Nous profitons de cette occasion pour rendre hommage à une femme d’exception, Simone Veil, qui a consacré sa vie entière, sans jamais transiger, à la justice et aux valeurs humanistes, contre les préjugés et le fanatisme. Elle est une source d’inspiration dans le devoir que nous nous faisons de lutter pour les droits humains. Et comme vous l’avez justement déclaré lors de votre discours au Panthéon, « la moitié de l’humanité continuait obstinément d’être oubliée : les femmes ».
Alors que les femmes iraniennes, la moitié oubliée de l’Iran, demandent à vivre dignement, dans une société fondée sur le respect et l’égalité des droits, que la jeunesse iranienne aspire à la liberté, à l’ouverture sur le monde et à la démocratie, que la classe ouvrière souffre d’injustices et de précarité, qu’elle est privée du droit fondamental de s’organiser en syndicats pour exprimer ses revendications, le régime islamique répond à ces aspirations légitimes par la menace, l’emprisonnement et les traitements cruels et dégradants.
Les avocats, qui assurent la défense des justiciables poursuivis pour des motifs politiques, sont dans le viseur de juges inféodés au pouvoir religieux qui les accusent sans preuve d’agir contre les intérêts de l’État.
Nasrin Sotoudeh, avocate et militante des droits humains, en détention depuis juin 2018, a été condamnée à une lourde peine de 38 années d’emprisonnement et 148 coups de fouet pour avoir défendu des femmes ayant manifesté publiquement sans porter le voile.
Abdolfattah Soltani, avocat et défenseur des droits humains a été condamné par le tribunal révolutionnaire de Téhéran à 18 années d’emprisonnement et à 20 ans d’interdiction d’exercer son métier. Il a été l’avocat de Zahra Kazemi, photographe irano-canadienne arrêtée et torturée à mort en 2003.
Mohammad Ali DadKhah, avocat et défenseur des droits humains, a été condamné à neuf ans d’emprisonnement et est détenu à la prison d’Evin à Téhéran.
Amir Salar Davoodi, avocat, a défendu de nombreux prisonniers politiques. Très actif sur les réseaux sociaux, il animait sur le réseau Telegram un groupe d’échanges entre avocats défenseurs des droits humains et s’est ouvertement opposé à la politique du régime islamique.
Un grand nombre d’avocats comme Mohammad Najafi, Javid Houtan Kian, Maryam Ghanbari, Payam Derafshan, Farokh Forouzan, Hoda Amid, Arash Keykhosravi, Masoud Javadieh, Roya Saghiri, Zeynab Taheri, Mostafa Daneshjoo, Farhad Mohammadi, Mehdi Houshmand Rahimi, Massoud ShamsNejad, Farshid Yadollahi, Amir Eslami, Afshin Karampour et Omid Behrouzi sont également en prison pour avoir défendus des opposants politiques ou des défenseurs des droits de l’homme. Beaucoup d’autres ont été contraints de quitter l’Iran.
Le régime prive les justiciables iraniens du droit à une justice équitable et fait peser de lourdes conséquences sur des avocats dont le seul tort est d’exercer leur métier au service de leurs concitoyens.
Monsieur le Président, la France et les valeurs universelles qu’elle incarne occupe une place particulière dans le cœur des Iraniens. Aujourd’hui, nos compatriotes comptent plus que jamais sur elle pour les soutenir dans leur combat pour la liberté et la justice.
C’est pour cette raison que nous vous prions de continuer à défendre les droits humains des Iraniens en exigeant du régime islamique la libération de tous les prisonniers politiques. Cette avancée ne pourra être obtenu sans la promesse, en cas de refus de la part du régime, de sanctions diplomatiques.
En vous renouvelant nos remerciements pour votre démarche forte en faveur de Madame Nasrine Sotoudeh, veuillez agréer, Monsieur le Président de la République, l’expression de ma très haute considération.
Nazila Golestan
Envoyée Spéciale pour la défense des droits humains
Conseil National Iranien pour les Élections Libres
CC:
His Excellency Mr. Francois Delattre, Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations
His Excellency António Guterres
Secretary General of United Nations
Mr. Javid Rehman,
UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran
Appeal for Severe Political Pressure Against the Kleptocratic Theocracy of Iran
Re: Appeal for Severe Political Pressure Against the Kleptocratic Theocracy of Iran
Dear Secretary Pompeo:
In Iran, we are facing a silencing war waged by the Iranian regime against the freedom-seeking Iranian Citizens. Only the willingness of the international Community to take punitive actions against the Iranian government can help us defeat the regime and bring the Iranian citizens one step closer to a stable and free Democracy.
Your remarks at The Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. on May 21, 2018 demonstrates how well you understand the plight of Iranian people living under a kleptocratic theocracy. As you indicated, United States citizens and other foreigners are snatched by the Islamic Republic and held hostage as negotiating chips. However, Iranian citizens are arrested, imprisoned, tortured, raped, and killed by the regime with impunity; all for demanding their basic human rights.
You enumerated several goals that President Trump has asked you to achieve on Iran. The third goal promised “tireless advocacy for the Iranian people,” “demand that the regime improves treatment of its citizens,” “protect the human rights of every Iranian,” and “stop spending Iran’s wealth abroad.” While you followed with a long list of hardships and adversities facing Iranian people, these points were not included in your 12 demands from the Iranian regime.
Therefore, we respectfully request that the following become demand number 13 on your list:
“Iran must end its inequitable, unjust, unfair, and abusive behavior against the Iranian citizens” and “Let Iranian citizens hold free, fair and transparent election for a Constitutional Assembly” in accordance with article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the criteria by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, of which Iran is a member, set forth at its 154th session on March 26th, 1994, under the supervision and monitoring of the United Nations.
We sincerely thank you and President Trump for your attention to, and consideration of, this urgent humanitarian matter.
UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran
Date: July 10, 2018
No: 2095-18
The Honorable Mr. Javid Rehman
UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran
Your Excellency,
On behalf of the Iran National Council for Free Elections, I wish to extend my sincere congratulations to you on your appointment as United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran. Iran National Council for Free Elections is a nongovernment organization with our ultimate objective to create the preconditions for free, fair and transparent elections of a constituent assembly, for the purpose of drafting a new secular and democratic constitution.
The fundamental principles relating to periodic free and fair elections shall be based on the will of the people as expressed in periodic and genuine elections. The Iranian electoral system suffers from serious structural problems that undermine free and fair elections due in part to the influence of the hardline Guardian Council. Ultimate power which rests in the hands of the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the unelected institutions under his control. These institutions, including the security forces and the judiciary, play a major role in the suppression of dissent and other restrictions on civil liberties.
The Iranian regime has used corruption as a tool to stay in power. Therefore, a powerful system of political patronage, nepotism and cronyism pervades in all sectors of the economy. Irregular payments and bribes are often exchanged to obtain services, permits, or public contracts. The Iranian economy is the victim of the rampant corruption. Sadly, the Iranian environment is a silent victim of this kleptocratic system.
Recently the late-year protests led to violent clashes with security forces across the country, leaving several people dead and thousands in detention. The Iran National Council acknowledges this corruption as fundamental and inalienable human right’s violations. In order to prioritize openness and transparency enforcement as a matter of policy needs to occur to put an end to the corruption and to create the preconditions for free, fair and transparent elections in Iran.
I look forward to working with you to communicate the human rights violations, in particular the corruption cases, on all levels in Iran.
International Campaign Against the Outrageous Violations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the Kleptocratic Regime of Iran
Date: August 20, 2019
No: 2085-15
His Excellency António Guterres
Secretary General of United Nations
The United Nations
New York, NY 10017
Re: International Campaign Against the Outrageous Violations of the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights by the Kleptocratic Regime of Iran.
Your
Excellency,
On March 8th, the International Women’s Day, Ms. Maryam Mombeini[i], the widow of an Iranian-Canadian environmentalist, Kavous Seyed-Emami, who died in the notorious Evin prison has been barred from leaving Iran. Maryam Mombeini with her sons Ramin and Mehran Seyed-Emami decided to flee after facing harassment, threats and smear campaigns over their rejection of Iranian authorities’ claim that their husband and father Kavous Seyed-Emami, committed suicide in prison. Iranian authorities confiscated Ms. Mombeini’s Iranian passport at the airport. The two brothers left their mother behind.
Kavous Seyed-Emami, one of the founders of the Wildlife Heritage Foundation, an environmental activist and professor of sociology who fought for Iran’s environmental causes was arrested, after being accused of spying, by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) along with several other environmental activists, including Niloufar Bayani, Houman Jowkar, Sam Rajabi, Taher Ghadirian, Sepideh Kashani, Amir-Hossein Khaleghi, and Morad Tahbaz. These environmentalist detainees are some of the best and brightest elite of Iran who were just concerned about saving our planet.
The head of Tehran’s Justice department Gholamhossein Esmaili[ii] declared to ILNA news agency “A group of those who gathered strategic intelligence and handed it over to foreigners have been identified. Some of them were arrested and some others will be arrested soon”. Two weeks after Kavous Emami’s arrest, on February 9,2018, the news of his sudden death was released to his wife, Maryam Mombeini. His suspicious death was labelled as suicide by the prison officials. Until recently, we have no news of the whereabouts of the detainees or their health status.
Islamic Judiciary has announced the suicides of other political prisoners among those arrested during the nationwide anti-government protests in January. With such a background, Prosecutor General of Tehran, Abbas Jafari-Dolatabadi[iii], told ILNA news agency “Kavous Emami was one of the defendants in a spying case and unfortunately he committed suicide in prison since he knew that many had made statements against him and because of his own confession.”
The fates of detainees during anti-establishment protests[iv] and the unrest that erupted in late January 2018 still is unclear. Among thousands of detainees, Sina Ghanbari[v], a 22-year-old, died in custody in Tehran under unknown circumstances on January 6, 2018. Mostafa Mohebi, the head of Tehran’s prisons, claimed Sina hanged himself in the Evin Prison bathroom. Authorities have forbidden the families of those arrested from speaking to the media.
Mohammad Raji[vi], a war veteran, was one of more than 300 members of Iran’s Sufi Gonabadi who were detained following skirmishes with security forces in Tehran on February 19, 2018. He died from blows to his head in prison.
Currently, dozens of dual nationals are in jail in Iran, mostly on spying charges. Iranian physician and researcher, Ahmad Reza Djalali[vii], a resident of Sweden, has been sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court’s Judge Abolghassem Salavati[viii], on the charges of “Corruption on earth, espionage, and collaboration with a hostile government”. He has been kept behind bars at Tehran’s notorious Evin prison since April 2016.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe[ix], the British-Iranian charity worker, was on holiday visiting her family for Persian new year (Nowruz) in Iran. She was at the airport returning to the UK on the April 3, 2016 with her 22-month-old daughter Gabriella, when she was detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. She was sentenced to five years imprisonment after an unfair trial “for allegedly plotting to topple the Iranian regime.” Her daughter’s British passport was confiscated during the arrest, and the 3-year-old remains in Iran under the care of her maternal grandparents.
In the past, in June 2003, Zahra Kazemi[x], a Canadian-Iranian photojournalist, was beaten to death while in custody there. Iranian authorities arrested her as she was photographing the Evin prison. The Iranian authorities have not charged anyone in connection with her death. Since her death, the diplomatic relations between Iran and Canada have been tense.
Golrokh Iraee, a human rights prisoner exiled to Qarechak prison, is in dire condition on her 45th day of hunger strike. Atena Daemi and Golrokh Iraee[xi], were transferred from Evin to Qarechak prison in Varamin for supporting the uprising in January 2018 where they are at risk of developing hepatitis and other contagious diseases.
Soheil Arabi[xii], another blogger prisoner, is on day 33of his hunger strike. The lives of Ms. Golrokh Iraee and Mr. Soheil Arabi are in serious jeopardy.
Outside the walls of Iranian prisons there still are the sharia laws of the Islamic constitution as the barriers that oppose women’s rights and suppress other beliefs and political orientations since the Islamic revolution of 1979. Iranian constitution based on Sharia law stipulates that all women must be fully veiled in public at all times. Women are barred from attending sports events. On February 9, 2018, 35 women[xiii] were detained in front of Azadi Stadium for trying to attend a particularly significant football match. The women were trying to attract Mr. Gianni Infantino’s attention to the ban on women attending sporting events.
On March 8, 2018, there was a strong call, more emphatic than ever, for commemorating the struggle for women’s rights, and progress in gender equality worldwide. In contrast, Iran reportedly impeded Women’s Day gatherings and detained participants. Several women’s rights activists[xvi] have been jailed by security forces.
Maryam Mombeini, like many other
activists’ families, is hostage to the regime. The Islamic Republic’s
security agencies use the prisoners and their families
as bargaining
chips for money or influence. We are facing a
powerful kleptocratic system of political nepotism and familial surrogacy that uses corruption
as a tool to stay in power. The Iranian economy is suffering
from the rampant corruption. The judiciary is suffering from institutional
corruption, and there is no independent court to stop the corruption in other
parts of the government.
These are
some outrageous violations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the Islamic regime of Iran.
Iran
National Council for Free Elections
appeals to your high office and the
international community to take immediate and effective action to save the lives of
detainees and their hostage families.
We are fearful that these innocent women
and men will not escape suspicious deaths without an international outcry and
firm diplomatic actions by the leaders of the Free World to force the Islamic
republic regime to comply with the following:
Give Maryam Mombeini,
a Canadian citizen, immediate freedom to safely return to Canada;
Take immediate and effective action to save the lives of two jailed
hunger striking prisoners, Mrs. Golrokh Iraee and Mr. Soheil Arabi, whose lives
are in jeopardy,
Immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners;
Allow an independent investigation into the
suspicious deaths in the Islamic regime’s prisons;
End the persecution of women who speak out against compulsory veils and
for access to sports stadiums, and abolish “discriminatory and humiliating
practices” against women in the name of Sharia.
We sincerely thank you for your assistance and consideration to
this urgent humanitarian matter.
Les frères Rajabian et leur ami, Youssef Emadi étaient les directeurs et fondateurs de la plateforme « Barg Music » désormais interdite par le régime. Barg Music était un label indépendant de distribution de musique en ligne d’artistes underground iraniens.
A l’attention de Madame Françoise
Nyssen
Ministre de la Culture
Paris,
le 31 Mai 2017
2055-17
Madame la Ministre de la Culture,
Je me permets d’attirer votre
attention sur l’extrême urgence de la situation de trois artistes iraniens, les
frères Mehdi Rajabian, Hossein Rajabian et leurs collègue Mehdi Emadi qui sont
des prisonniers d’opinions dans la sinistre prison d’Evin de Téhéran, en Iran.
Les frères Rajabian et leur ami,
Youssef Emadi étaient les directeurs et fondateurs de la plateforme « Barg
Music » désormais interdite par le régime. Barg Music était un label
indépendant de distribution de musique en ligne d’artistes underground
iraniens.
Ils ont été condamnés, il y a un an,
lors d’un procès expéditif, à trois ans de prisons pour « insultes au
Sacré, propagandes contre le système » et pour avoir produit les disques
de plusieurs chanteuses solistes iraniennes. En effet, le régime islamique
interdit formellement aux femmes de chanter et de se produire seules sur scène !
Depuis plusieurs semaines, les
frères Rajabian sont en grève de la faim, sans aucun soin, pour protester
contre leurs conditions d’emprisonnement. Ces conditions ont provoqué une
infection pulmonaire chez Hossein Rajabian et une forte poussée de la sclérose
en plaques chez Mehdi Rajabian qui risque de perdre l’usage de ses jambes.
Récemment, les frères Rajabian ont
écrit : « Nous appelons tous les artistes du monde à
condamner les abus de pouvoirs dont nous souffrons. Ne nous oubliez pas, en ces
temps étouffants […] Il
n’y a pas de souffrance plus grande que d’être oublié de tous. »
Madame la Ministre, au nom des
valeurs de la République, des droits de l’homme et de la France haut lieu des
Arts et de la Culture, le Conseil National Iranien pour les Elections Libres
vous prie de bien vouloir prendre position en faveur des frères Rajabian et de
Mehdi Emadi. La remise exceptionnelle et rapide d’une distinction de l’ordre
des Arts et des Lettres permettrait certainement une conséquente amélioration
des conditions de détention de ces trois prisonniers d’opinion.
En vous remerciant d’avance de votre
soutien, je sollicite de votre haute bienveillance, l’octroi d’une audience
pour vous exposer plus amplement les conditions de vie et de travail des
artistes iraniennes et iraniens.
Je vous prie de bien vouloir agréer,
Madame la Ministre de la Culture, l’expression de ma haute considération.
Nazila Golestan
Envoyé Spécial pour la défense des
droits de l’Homme
Conseil National Iranien pour les
Elections Libres
International campaign for immediate release of prisoner of conscience Soheil Arabi on Hunger Strike in Tehran’s Evin Prison
Date: October 10, 2017
No: 2072-17
His Excellency António Guterres
Secretary General of United Nations
The United Nations
New York, NY 10017
Re: International campaign for immediate release of prisoner of conscience Soheil Arabi on Hunger
Strike in Tehran’s Evin Prison.
Your Excellency,
It is with utmost urgency that the Iran National Council for Free Elections appeals to the international
community to prevent the loss of Soheil Arabi who has started his hunger strike in Evin Prison to
protest the harassment of his family by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and to
facilitate his immediate release.
Soheil Arabi, a young Iranian blogger activist, has been initially arrested in November 2013 by the
IRGC’s Sarallah Headquarters, and subsequently placed in solitary confinement for posting messages
on social media. Soheil Arabi has been sentenced to death under the pretends of ‘insults to the
prophet’, and has been charged with ‘corruption on earth’ by the Revolutionary Court under Judge
Salavati. According to Farangis Mazloum, his only crime was to express his opinion.
IRGC did not just to abuse him in prison, they arrested also his wife, Nasrin Naimi, on the morning of
Monday, July 31. Soheil Arabi has started his hunger strike in prison to protest the harassment against
his wife. “I have forgiven all the injustices against myself but I can never stay silent in the face of
your constant and unjust harassment against my family” His letter from prison on August 24. He is
resuming his hunger strike after discovering that the IRGC was continuing to harass his wife and
relatives. On September 23, he began a dry hunger strike, and has not had any water or other
fluids. He has been suffering from bleeding in his stomach and has extremely low blood sugar and
blood pressure and his health is quickly deteriorating.
It is with a great sense of urgency that the Iran National Council for Free Elections appeals to your
high office to support Soheil Arabi and his family, 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
Special Envoy for Human Rights Iran National Council for Free Elections
_________________________________
Iran National Council for Free Elections
115 rue Saint-Dominique,
75007 Paris, France
www.irannc.org
CC:
His Excellency Trudeau Justine,
Prime Minister of Canada
His Excellency Emmanuel Macron,
The President of the French Republic
Her Excellency Chancellor, Angela Merkel
Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany
The Right Honourable Theresa May MP,
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Honorable Donald Trump
President of the United States of America
********************
Mr. Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein,
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Ms. Asma Jahangir,
UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic
Republic of Iran
Mr. José Guevara
Chair-Rapporteur, The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
Mr. David Kaye,
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom
of opinion and expression
Mr. Salil Shetty, Secretary,
Secretary General of the Amnesty International
_________________________________
Iran National Council for Free Elections
115 rue Saint-Dominique,
75007 Paris, France
www.irannc.org
