Your Excellency
I am deeply concerned about the arrest of 21 student human rights defenders in July 2007, which follows the arrest of 5 student human rights defenders in May 2007. Overall there are 21 student activists who remain in detention.
On 9 July 2007, 17 student leaders and human rights defenders were arrested during a peaceful student demonstration in Tehran, on 9 July 2007. The students were peacefully protesting in front of the Amir Kabir University. They were marking the 8th anniversary of the popular student uprising in 1999, which ended in many students being beaten or arrested, and one human rights defender was killed. 6 Human rights defenders: Bahareh Hedayat, Mohamed Hashemi, Mehdi Arabshahi, Ali Nikou Nesbati, Hanif Yazdani and Ali Veghfi were detained by members of the security forces.
Later the same day, 11 student leaders, Abdollah Momeni, Bahram Fayazi, Mojtaba Bayat, Morteza Eslahchi, Habib Haji-Heidari, Massoud Habibi, Saieed Hosseinia, Arash Khandel, Ashkan Gheysvandi, Ezatollah Ghalandari and Mohammed Hossein Mehrzad, were arrested by security personnel at the offices of the Alumni Association of Iran. Reports claim that excessive force was used during the arrests and that security officers fired their guns in the air whilst confiscating computers and documents before finally sealing the office premises.
Bahareh Hedayat, is the head of the women's rights committee of the student body Office for the Consolidation of Unity (OCU). Bahareh Hedayat is also a well known student leader; Mohamed Hashemi, is executive in charge of OCU and an active student leader since 2002; Mehdi Arabshahi, is a member and head of the political department of OCU; Ali Nikou Nesbati, is a member and head of the public relations department of OCU; Yanif Yazdani, Aloi Vafaqi and Bahram Fayzi are members of the central council at the OCU; Abdollah Momeni, is the spokesperson of the Alumni Association of Iran, an organisation which promotes democracy and human rights, he is also a well known pro-democracy activist and Mojtaba Bayat, is a member of the Alumni Association of Iran.
The student activist and human rights defender Amir Yaghoob Ali was arrested while collecting signatures for the One Million Signatures Campaign on 11 July 2007 in the Andisheh Park in Tehran. He is being detained in section 209 of Evin Prison. He was issued a 48 hours arrest warrant on 12 July.
Furthermore, 8 student leaders were arrested in Amir Kabir University in May 2007. Ali Saberi, Abass Hakimzadeh, Ahmad Ghassaban, Meqdad Khalilpour, Pouyan Mahmoudian, Majid Tavakoli and Ehsan Mansoori. 5 of the 8 student leaders have been released, the three that remain in detention are Ahmad Ghassaban, Majid Tavakoli and Ehsan Mansoori. It is reported that they have been victim of ill-treatment and torture while in detention - they have been victim of severe beatings, they have been forced to stand for 48 hours, they are big detained in solitary confinement, and they are victim of food deprivation. They have not been given access to medical care, they have been threatened with being killed and their family members have been threatened.
All those arrested are reportedly being held in solitary confinement in Section 209 of Evin Prison, Tehran. All have been denied access to legal representation and have been unable to receive visits from their families, however several detainees have been able to make telephone calls to relatives and friends. Searches of the homes of approximately 7 of the detained have been carried out, including that of Abdollah Momeni, who was forced to accompany security personnel whilst they searched his home. He was in handcuffs and had visible injuries as a result of having been beaten during his arrest. He also complained about his treatment in detention.
Front Line believes that the afore-mentioned events are directly related to the work of the Alumni Association of Iran and the Office for the Consolidation of Unity (OCU) in defence of human rights in Iran and that it forms part of an ongoing campaign against student leaders. Front Line is extremely concerned for the physical and psychological integrity of all of those mentioned above as they may be at risk of torture and ill-treatment.
On behalf of Front Line I urge the authorities in Iran to:
1.Immediately and unconditionally release all those student human rights defenders detained as it is believed they have been detained solely on account of their peaceful and legitimate work in defence of human rights in Iran; 2.Ensure the physical and psychological integrity of the afore-mentioned individuals whilst in detention; 3.Take measures to ensure that all human rights defenders in Iran, carrying out their legitimate work in human rights, are able to operate without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions and harassment.
I would also respectfully reminds you that the United Nations Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, adopted by consensus by the UN General Assembly on 9 December 1998, recognises the legitimacy of the activities of human rights defenders, their right to freedom of association and to carry out their activities without fear of reprisals. We would particularly draw attention to Article 5, which states that “For the purpose of promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, at the national and international levels: (a) To meet or assemble peacefully; (b) To form, join and participate in non-governmental organizations, associations or groups,” and to Article 12 (2): “The State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present declaration.”
Yours sincerely,
