back to homepage
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PRESS RELEASE
10 November 2004
Iran: Civil society activists and human rights defenders under attack
Efforts by Iran's judiciary to curtail freedom of expression and
association are now increasingly encroaching on human rights defenders and
civil society activists. Reports of around 25 internet journalists and
civil society activists arbitrarily arrested in recent weeks mark an
alarming rise in human rights violations in Iran.
"The judiciary has placed Iran's growing civil society under attack. The
targeted arbitrary arrests and detention in secret places along with
reports of ill treatment of activists like Omid Memariyan, Mahboubeh
Abbasgholizadeh and journalist Hanifmazrou'i clearly expose the
judiciary's intention to clamp down on Iran's burgeoning civil society",
Amnesty International said today.
Family members of all three individuals, along with members of other
families, have repeatedly expressed concern over the safety of their loved
ones.
"The ban on foreign travel of human rights defenders Emaddedin Baqi,
Mohammad Maleki, Azam Taleghani and Mohammad Maleki shows that Iran's
judiciary is turning its back on the international human rights standards
it has promised the international community that it will uphold. With the
latest clampdown, the judiciary has betrayed the Iranian peoples' hopes
for greater respect of their human rights," Amnesty International said..
In November 2003, Amnesty International expressed concern at the alarming
spiral of human rights violations in Iran. One year later, a similar
pattern of flagrant human rights abuses continues.
Iran has failed to adequately cooperate with visits made by United Nations
human rights representatives, several of whom have visited the country in
2003 and early 2004. The recommendations made by, for example, the UN
Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD), following its February 2003
visit appear to have been ignored.
Appeals received by Amnesty International state that the Iranian people
want Iran's judiciary - which has issued the arrest warrants - to uphold
the law, not carry out politically motivated arrests. The Office of the
Supreme Leader must intervene to stop the spiral of human rights
violations.
Amnesty International is urging the United Nations General Assembly to
carefully consider the draft resolution on the human rights situation in
Iran which is scheduled to be presented in the forthcoming weeks, and to
support civil society activists like Omid Memariyan who are now reportedly
facing ill treatment, so that international human rights standards can
become a reality in Iran.
Background
Mahboubeh Abbasgholizadeh is the editor of Farzaneh, a women's rights journal. She was arrested at her home on 2 November
2004. Omid Memariyan is a journalist who was arrested in his office on 10
October 2004. He is said to have refused his right to have a lawyer.
Amnesty International fears that this is a reflection of the ill treatment
he is currently facing. His arbitrary arrest is spreading fear throughout
civil society, reducing the scope of other activists to be able to protect
him, making his defence from outside - by the international community -
even more important.
They are both civil society activists and have been working with a variety
of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), supporting them with training
and capacity building. They are reportedly facing vaguely worded charges -
falling short of an internationally recognisable criminal charge -
relating to 'acts against national security' and possibly "acts against
morality" or defamation.
Scores of other internet journalists have reportedly been arrested during
the last couple of months and are said to be facing charges relating to
defamation and insult, similarly vaguely worded provisions which are
inconsistent with international human rights standards. Among the arrested
are Fereshteh Ghazi of the daily newspaper Etemad, arrested in her office on 28 October 2004, Javad Gholam Tamayomi, a
writer with the daily newspaper Mardomsalari, arrested on 18 October 2004, Shahram Rafihzadeh, cultural editor of Etemad, arrested on 7 September 2004, Reza Mir Ebrahimi, former editor of
foreign affairs section of Etemad, arrested on 27 October 2004, Hanif Mazrou'i, a former journalist,
arrested on 8 September and Amir Mojiri, an internet journalist, arrested
on 8 September 2004.
More Information
In October 2004, Amnesty International called for an end to the
limitations on the work of human rights defenders, who seek the promotion
and protection of civil and political and other rights. To read more
Amnesty International's statements in respect to human rights defender,
Emaddedin Baqi and the work of human rights defenders, please see Iran: End limitations on the work of human rights defenders (AI Index: MDE 13/039/2004; News Service No: 248, issued 6 October 2004),
which is viewable at:
http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE130392004?open&of=ENG-IRN.
To take part in Amnesty International's Campaign on behalf of Emaddedin
Baqi, please see the report Emaddedin Baqi: human rights defender at risk (AI Index: MDE 13/044/2004, issued 4 November 2004), which is viewable
at:
http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE130442004?open&of=ENG-IRN.
For more information about Emaddedin Baqi and the Society for the Defence
of the Rights of Prisoners (SDRP), please see:
http://web.amnesty.org/wire/September2004/Iran.
Public Document
For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in
London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566
Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW. web: http://www.amnesty.org
For latest human rights news view http://news.amnesty.org
