The deterioration of the conditions of political prisoners in Iran

Her Excellency Laura Dupuy Lasserre

President of United Nations Human Rights Council

OHCHR

Palais Des Nations

CH-1211

Geneva 10

Switzerland

 

Re: The deterioration of the conditions of political prisoners in Iran

 

August 22nd, 2012

 

Your Excellency:

 

 

My compatriots and I are greatly concerned about the ever-increasing violation of human rights in Iran. Iranian men and women activists, ethnic communities and religious minorities have constantly been repressed and targeted by the clerical regime.

 

On numerous occasions, I have issued statements to the international media and have sent several letters to The Secretary-General of the United Nations, stressing the dire conditions of my compatriots who have been maimed and tortured in prisons, and have been executed throughout these years.

 

Recently, the following critical information has come to my attention. I wish to particularly draw yours to the case of the following individuals:

 

Mr. Gholamreza Khosravi Savadjani (Attachment #1)

Mr. Abdolreza Ghanbari (Attachment #2)

Mr. Mohsen Daneshpour (Father) (Attachment #3)

Mr. Ahmad Daneshpour (Son) (Attachment #3)

Mr. Saeed Malekpour (Attachment #4)

 

These political prisoners have all been sentenced to death, and are in danger of imminent execution. Based on article 168 of The Islamic Republic’s Constitution, political prisoners have the right to be prosecuted in front of a jury, and in an open court. Unfortunately, and contrary to the regime’s own laws, political prisoners are in fact deprived of their legal rights.

 

Most political prisoners in Iran physically assaulted, tortured and often held in solitary confinement, in spite of the specific objections of the United Nations and the world community. The clerical regime has repeatedly ignored these warnings as well as urgent appeals made by international human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. 

 

Despite this vicious injustice, our compatriots in Iran continue to fight for their freedom, all the time risking imprisonment, torture, disappearance and execution.

 

The defense of human rights and fundamental freedoms is one of the sacred tenets of the UN Charter. I therefore request your Excellency’s to urgently intervene on this time-sensitive matter, and press upon the clerical regime to immediately put an end to these heinous violations, and free all political prisoners without delay.  

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Reza Pahlavi