nr : 10 news bulletin of the iranian Progressive youth 01-06-2010

Urgent request to save those recently arrested and sentenced to death – Second letter Source: Iranian Progressive YouthMay 30, 2010

PartijWijzer Iran 2010 Page 4

Cycle for free Iran

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Dear fellow Europeans and supporters of human rights,

Six months ago we wrote a simi-lar letter warning many European institutions that the violence and suppression against peaceful pro-testers, political activists, students and citizens in Iran will continue to escalate. We are thankful for many of the measures that were taken. However, since that time there have been more disturbing reports of unprecedented crack-downs against peaceful protests; extremely harsh and cruel treat-ment of political prisoners (includ-ing rape and torture) and execu-tions. Many of the student activists and other human rights activists who were arrested have been sentenced with the death penalty. Too many people have suffered and lost their lives and a far great-er number of innocent lives are in jeopardy. The human rights situ-ation is getting out of hand and requires immediate action and deserves special attention. The purpose of this letter is to reiter-ate the importance of supporting Iran’s recent struggle for freedom, equality and democracy. First, we would like to draw your atten-tion to two issues which we feel are representative of the extent to which the human rights crisis has deteriorated. Second, we want to kindly ask you to support the Ira-nian pro-democracy movement in a number of simple ways in order to help protect innocent individu-als from more mistreatment and death.

Rapid executions, increasing im-prisonments and torture Following last year’s post-election protests hundreds of people have been imprisoned and dozens con-tinue to be executed. On the 9th of May the Iranian authorities ex-ecuted five prisoners from Evin prison. The prisoners, four of them ethnic Kurds, were hung without their families or lawyers being no-tified, which is even against Ira-nian law. Iranian authorities have since refused to release their bod-ies. Since the post-election gov-ernment crackdown prisoners in-volved in the protests have been reporting extreme cases of brutali-ty and torture to their family mem-bers. To date there are dozens of activists on death row who may be executed any day.

The fate of a Peace Prize Candi-date and fellow studentsBahareh Hedayat is a 29 year old spokeswoman for the student union “Office for Strengthen-ing Unity” and a nominee for the prestigious International Student Peace Prize. Bahareh and many other student activists were ar-rested and given severe sentences during last year’s protests because of their brave stance in support of freedom, equality and democracy in Iran. Bahareh and her com-panions have been charged with crimes such as:a) communicating anti-state prop-aganda through interviews with foreign media b) insulting Iran’s Supreme Leader

c) insulting the Iranian presidentd) disrupting the social order by participating in illegal gatherings

Immediate and effective action

Due to the urgency and intensity of the crisis we would like to pro-pose a plan which we believe will have a strong and immediate ef-fect on the situation. We would like to publish a small portfolio and distribute it to selected indi-viduals and groups. The reason behind this is simple – many com-panies, institutions and embassies are not fully aware of the scale of the atrocities committed by the Iranian government and continue to negotiate with them and enti-ties associated with them. These actions send the message that the Iranian regime can continue what it has been doing without any consequences.

The portfolio we suggest creating will include the following:1) Photos and summaries of the two issues mentioned above2) A few academically cred-ible accounts of the human rights situation3) A series of question that in-dividuals and groups can ask cer-tain entities which will reveal their link to the regime

We recommend that this portfolio be sent to embassies, companies involved in trade with Iran, cul-tural institutions and educational institutions. We would like every-

one who is involved in any kind of dealings with Iranian organizations to realize exactly what is happen-ing there and that there may be a chance that they are strengthening the Iranian regime if the organiza-tion they are working with is con-nected with the government.1) Governments should not stand aloof or remain silent about human rights abuses and should seriously question and criticize the Iranian regime before agreeing to diplomatic and economic rela-tions.2) Academics from all disci-plines should pressure the Iranian government to improve the treat-ment of students and academics in Iran if they are to accept inter-national students from Iran.3) Businesses engaged with or intending to engage with Ira-nian companies should be certain that their partners are not linked to

the government.4) Cultural institutions need to be sure that they do not coop-erate with groups or organizations that are funded by or created by the Iranian government.

In hope of peace and progress,Arsalan Abadi and Mohammad Amin Valian have been acquitted from the crime of Mohareb (ene-my of God) and added, “The sen-tences for the 217 people arrested after the election is final. The ap-peals have been looked at and the sentences are now final.”Jafari Dolatabadi stated, “We cur-rently have three confirmed death sentences for Mohammad Ali Saremi, Jafar Kazemi, and Moha-mad Ali Haj Aghai.” He added that the three prisoners are supporters of the opposition. Tehran’s pros-ecutor stated, “The prosecutor charged ten individuals with the

crime of being a Mohareb in con-nection with the events of Ashura. Of these ten, Arsalan Abadi and Mohammad Amin Valian were acquitted of their charges. The charges associated with three in-dividuals were confirmed, the charges associated with three oth-ers were reduced, and the charges associated with the final two indi-viduals have not been addressed as we await their trail.”In reference to Mir Hossein Mousavi’s threat to confront the judiciary system in the future, Dolatabadi stated, “If he has not been arrested yet, it is not due to our inability, lack of intention, neglect or because we agree with them, but rather because the tim-ing is currently not right.” He add-ed, “When the time is right, much like a fruit that has ripened, action shall be taken.”

Grave concern for detained Iranian journalists Source: Reporters without BordersMay 29, 2010

Reporters Without Borders express grave concern over the well-being of detained Iranian journalists and report an increase in “violent treatment of Iranian prisoners in recent months.”

Reporters Without Borders report that Issa Saharkhiz, Kouhyar Goudarzi and Hossein Ronaghi Maleki are three detained journalists who are suffering from health complications and need immediate medical atten-tion.

The press rights organization writes: “In the Islamic Republic prisons, the basic rights of journalists and bloggers are violated and Islamic Republic officials are responsible for the lives of these detainees.”Kouhyar Goudarzi is a member of Iran’s Human Rights Reporters and was arrested last December in the government crackdown on Iran’s election protesters.

Prison officials have informed his mother that he has gone on a hunger strike and transferred to the hospital for the deterioration of his health.

Hossein Ronaghi Maleki, human rights activists and web writer, was also arrested last December. Maleki, whose arrest and imprisonment was kept silent for weeks, is accused of “use and production of internet proxies and hosting human rights websites” amongst other charges.

Issa Saharkhiz, editor-in-chief of a number of reformist publications, has been recently transferred to the notorious Rejai Prison in Karaj. He suffers from grave heart complications.

Reporters Without Borders reports that a number of political prisoners such as Ahamd Zeyabadi and Mas-soud Bastani have also been taken to Rejai Prison where they are kept together with a general crowd of prisoners and are “harrassed on a daily basis.”

Ahmadinejad’s Arrival in Kerman Results in 17 Student Arrests Source: RAHANAMay 29, 2010

Iran: Two Bloggers and Student Leader on Hunger Strike in Prison Source: Global VoicesMay 28, 2010

New Regulations at Shiraz University Bans LaughingSource: HRANAMay 28, 2010

In the morning of Ahmadinejad’s arrival in Kerman, 17 student

activists of Kerman’s Shahid Ba-honar University were detained. Following the arrest of 17 stu-dent activists in the morning of

Ahmadinejad’s visit to Kerman, security authorities threatened 30 other students with prosecution in the event they enter the university or attend Ahmadinjad’s welcom-ing ceremony.There were plans for on-campus protests upon Ahmadinejad’s ar-rival.The detained students have been taken to unknown locations and there is no information on their condition.A number of student activists were detained after they ignored the threats and entered the uni-

versity. The students of Kerman’s Shahid Bahonar University have been very active in supporting the green movement. They have been involved in activities such as inviting “Green Movement” poets and organizing a debate between Sadegh Ziba Kalam and Abbas Salami Namin.Earlier this week, Ahmadinejad’s speech in Khorramshahr was marred by citizens demanding jobs.

Two bloggers and one leading student activist - deprived of

their pen and blogs in an Iranian prison - are now using a hunger strike to protest prison conditions and defend their rights.The student is Majid Tavakoli, a leading human rights activist, and the two bloggers are Hussein Ron-agh Melki, and Koohyar Godarzi.

Hussein Rongah Melki (also known as “Babak Khoramdin”) was one of the key cyberactivists behind Iran Proxy against web fil-tering. He used to blog about [fa] about human rights and civil so-ciety. When Tavakoli was arrested in December, he was photographed in women’s clothing by the au-thorities as an attempt to humiliate him. As an expression of support, countless Iranians photographed themselves dressed in hijab and replaced their Facebook profile photos.The last post in Kouhyar Godarzi’s blog in April 2008 calls on readers to help stop an execution.After the contested Iranian presi-dential election in June last year, the Iranian government quelled protests and arrested hundreds of political and civil society leaders, including human rights activists, bloggers and journalists.Majid and Hussein began their hunger strikes on May 23 from solitary confinement. Accord-ing to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, news of Majid Tavakoli’s hunger strike has caused human rights activists and intellectuals in Europe, the United States, Canada and Australia, to announce their own solidarity hunger-strikes.

According to the recently dis-ciplinary regulations at the

Medical School of Shiraz, laugh-ing out loud and making jokes on the university campus is now pro-hibited. This is the first time such regulations have been implement-ed at the university level in Iran. The ruling was announced to stu-dents in chapter 7, paragraph 23 of the university regulations.The above regulation includes a ban on t-shirts for men and col-oured Mantus (long shirts and light jackets) for women. It also includes a ban on long fingernails and high heels shoes taller than three cen-timeters. Regular bathing and short haircuts for men are a must. The final chapter of the regulation threatens to refer students to dis-ciplinary committee if they fail to obey by the regulations. Although the regulation were announced to students recently, its develop-ment dates back to at least three months ago. During this period, university management was not able to enforce the rules due to

student protests. However, after a meeting between the president of the university and students, a number of students from the Bas-ij force have protested the poor conditions. These student, whom all were not enrolled at the univer-sity, demanded enforcement of the regulations by distributing let-ters and chanting in protest of the conditions.By protesting the clothing ideals of the students, supporters of the regulation requested from authori-ties to also deal with other cases such as “cigarette smoking and in-appropriate and unnecessary be-havior.”

Suspended Iranian students rallied to defend rightsSource: Radio ZamanehMay 28, 2010

PartijWijzer, A votematch for Dutch election & Iran issuesSource: Iranian Progressive Youth May 27, 2010

Iran’s Council of Defence of the Right to Education issued

a statement to urge all students that have been suspended from university to contact the Council with their information for further action.

Despite good performance in their exams, some student activists, who are referred to as “starred” students, were suspended from continuing their university educa-tion last week after the results of the graduate exams were released.

The Council of Defence of the Right to Education condemned the establishment’s policy of ex-

tending the right to ed-ucation only to those they favour.

The Council adds that the “starred” students have gathered “so that their systematic omis-sion from the country’s universities could not be carried out in si-lence.”

The Council of De-fence was established two years ago by a number of suspended university students. In the last presidential election in 2009, the Council was active in highlighting the demands of the suspended students in the presidential cam-paign.

Following the presidential elec-tions, a number of their active members were arrested and sen-

tenced to heavy imprisonment terms.Ziaeddin Nabavi, Majid Dorri, Shi-va Nazarahari, Peymon Arref, Me-hdieh Golrou and Samieh Rashidi are some of the Council activists that were arrested last year.While Ziaeddin Nabavi and Majid Dorri have been sentenced to im-prisonment; the other members of the Council are awaiting their sen-tences behind bars.

The goal of the guide is to provide insight to the Dutch public in the positions of different political parties concerning various Iranian questions, such as human rights, international relations and the

nuclear issue.

PRESS RELEASE

Iran is currently a central issue in world affairs. More attention is also being paid to Iran in Dutch politics.Politics in the The Hague is concerned with subjects such as the controversial Iranian nuclear program, the worrisome human rights situation in Iran and the spread of a fundamentalism and support for ter-rorist organizations by Iran. Naturally, different political parties have different visions on these subjects.To illustrate the Iranian question in Dutch politics in election time, we of ‘Iranian Progressive Youth’ have developed a specific guide to Dutch political parties. This is coupled with a commemoration of the large-scale revolt after the elections of June 12th 2009.The goal of the guide is to provide insight to the Dutch public in the positions of different political par-ties concerning various Iranian questions, such as human rights, international relations and the nuclear issue.In the guide “Partijwijzer” for 2010 nine political parties participated. The propositions can be answered with Agree, Disagree or Neither.On Wensday May 26th the “Partijwijzer Iran” was launched at the following website: www.iranpy.net/partijwijzer

Amnesty International reported an increase in “human

rights abuses and repres-sion” in Iran last year.

Claudio Cordone, interim secretary general of Amnes-ty International said: “The situation in Iran in critical.”According to their report currently over five thousand government dissidents are incarcerated in Iran inder dif-ficult conditions and in per-petual danger of torture. The report adds that at least 16 Islamic Republic dissidents were executed and over 80 recent detainees were put to trial in the past year.

The Islamic Republic confronted protests against alleged elec-toral fraud in the 2009 presi-dential elections with fierce violence. Reportedly tens of people were killed and detainees were subjected to “torture and abuse” in the course of government crack-down on protesters.

The Amnesty International report also criticized Con-go, Israel, Palestine, Rus-sia, Afghanistan, China and Sri Lanka for violations of human rights and reported restrictions on free speech in 96 countries around the world.

Report on Women Prisoners Detained IllegallySource: RAHANAMay 27, 2010

Amnesty reports rise in human rights abuses in IranSource: Amnesty InternationalMay 27, 2010

Confirmed reports from Evin Prison indicate that several

female political prisoners were detained illegally for months and faced serious yet unsubstantiated charges.According to Kaleme, Maryam Akbari Monfared was arrested on December 31, 2009, following the Ashura events. She is currently detained in Evin prison and is ac-cused of Moharebeh (enmity with God) for alleged membership in the MKO. Monfared has repeat-edly denied the charges. She is the mother of three children, the youngest is five years old. Mon-fared is extremely worried about her children’s well-being in her absence.Parvin Javanzadeh is another fe-male prisoner detained under harsh conditions. Javanzadeh was arrested on the afternoon of Ashura (December 27, 2009),

and is currently detained in Evin prison. At age 22, she is the youngest political prisoner in the women’s ward of Evin prison. Java-nzadeh spent the first three months of her captivity in soli-tary confinement at an IRGC detention center. She has suf-fered physically and emotionally as a re-sult. Reports from Evin suggest that Javanzadeh faces Moharebeh charg-es. Her case was recently sent to branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran.Other female political prisoners detained unlawfully in Evin on ex-pired detention orders are Kobra

Zagheh Doost, Badrolsadat Mofidi (secretary of the Iranian Journalists Association), and Fatemeh Khor-ramjoo. Reports indicate that all three prisoners are in poor physi-cal and emotional condition.

Solidarity with iranian PeoPle’S Struggle for freedomStoP executionS, free all PriSonerS of conScience

following the electoral coup d’état and fraudulent results of the Presidential elections, thousands of iranians have been subject to state-sponsored violence, torture, rape and execution last year.

June 12, 2010 is the first anniversary of the people’s uprising in Iran. A large number of Iranians worldwide will commemorate this day simultaneously.With regard to this occasion, we as “Iranian Progressive Youth” have

organized a cycling demo. in order to support the Iranian citizens inside Iran, specially the political prisoners, and raising awareness about the executions that have taken place recently.

the netherlands is the land of cyclists,

So join us and invite others to join !Amsterdam, June 12

Route: Dam to Museumplein,13.00 to 15.00 PMGathering: Museumplein 15.00 to 17.00 PM (with or without bike)

* click here for route and its print options and gPS download options !

* You could rent a bike for € 5 at ‘Rent a Bike’, Damstraat 20. (Mention that you are taking part in ‘cycle for free Iran’!) Don’t forget your ID and € 25 deposit.

Confirm your attendance at the Facebook event here“Iranian Progressive Youth”

www.iranpy.net

Iranian Progressive Youthwww.iranpy.net

contact@iranpy.net

Cycle for free Iran