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TO ALL FREEDOM-LOVING PEOPLE, AND TO ALL LABOUR,
STUDENT, AND HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE WORLD
As you may be informed, in a pre-emptive attack on independent
student organizations the Islamic regime in Iran arrested dozens of
politically active students prior to the Student’s Day (December 7),
practically a day of protest against the status quo during decades of
student struggles. However, despite the said arrests, the students
celebrated their day by holding protest actions in different forms on a
national level. In the course of those actions more students were
arrested. At present there are forty-odd student activists from various
parts of the country held in detention in the notorious Evin prison in
Tehran, as well as in other known and unknown places across the country.
Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners in Iran Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei The President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad The Head of the Judiciary 1- Milad Moyini (Mazandaran University) 2- Behrang Zandi (Mazandaran University) 3- Hamed Mohammadi (Mazandaran University) 4- Arash Pakzad (Mazandaran University) 5- Hasan Maarefi (Mazandaran University) 6- Anooshe Azadfar (Tehran University) 7- Ilnaz Jamshidi (Communications, Azad University, Central Tehran) 8- Mehdi Gerayloo (Geophysics, Tehran) 9- Nader Ehsani (Mazandaran University) 10-Sayid Habibi (ex-member of the Central Council of Advare Tahkime Vahdat) 11- Behrooz Karimi-zade (Tehran University) 12- Keyvan Amiri Elyasi (Masters, Industry, Sharif Technical University) 13- Nasim Soltan Beygi (Communications faculty, Allameh University) 14- Ali Salem (Masters of Polymers – Polytechnic University) 15- Mohsen Ghamin (Polytechnic University) 16- Roozbeh Saf-Shekan (Tehran University) 17- Roozbehan Amiri (Computer Science, Tehran University) 18-Yaser Pir Hayati (Shahed University) 19- Mahsa Mohebbi 20- Okhtay Hosseni (Azad University) 21- Sayid Agham Ali Khalili (Allameh University) 22- Behzad Bagheri (Tehran University) 23- Ali Kalayi 24- Amir Mehrzad 25- Hadi Salari (Rajaee University) 26- Farshid Farhadi Ahangaran (Rajaee University) 27- Amir Aghayi (Rajaee University) 28- Milad Omrani 29- Soroosh Hashempoor (Chamran University) and 30-Yoones Mirhossein (Student of Shiraz University) 31- Parsa Kermanjian (Kermanshah University) 32-Abed Tavanche 33- Reza Arab (Mazandaran University) 34- Sadra Pirhayaty(Shahed University) 35-Peyman Piran 36- Majid Ashrafnejad (Rajaee University) 37- Shovan Merikhi (Mazandaran University) 38- Sara Khademi (Mazandaran University) 39- Nima Nahvi (Mazandaran University) 40- Mohammad Saleh Ayuman (Tehran Univercity) 41- Sohrab Karimi (Tehran Univercity) 42- Farshad Dustipoor (Tehran Univercity) 43- Javad Alizadeh (Tehran Univercity *** Dear Nora and Jen, Thought I should write to update you with regards to the latest
developments in the case of the socialist students detained in Iran.
Besides summoning more Leftist and other student activists to the
so-called “diciplinary committee”s which is still underway, there were
two developments on Mon., Jan 14: The tug of war, in this case granting partial visitation rights and, at the same time, arresting and kidnapping more activists, is something we are quite used to by now! In every case the regime backs off one step under international presurre, only to take two steps forward in the direction of oppression in order to show off power and send out a message of we-are-still-in-the-saddle. And this proves only one thing: the international community has to keep pushing this anti-human regime back relentlessly. So, please regard one and all letter of support for the students, or any other form of protest, as a spotlight turned on the ruling criminals in Iran. In the midst of the contented silence of the Western governments, it could clearly be said that, firstly, “international community” seems to be, unfortunately, limited to us, the people only (we only need to remember that a Canadian photo-journalist, Zahra Kazemi, was killed under torture in Iran, the cronor that had examined her body sought political asylom in Canada, he listed a whole scroll of dirrenet kinds of toture, including “brutal rape”, she had been subjected to, the Iraninan regime was forced to admit that she was killed under interrogation by a “rouge agent” in the Ministry of Intelligence, and all the Canadian government did was politely asking the Iranian government to “hold an open trial” for the guy “so that the Canadian Ambassador could attend the trial sessions”, and that was the end of the case as far as the life of a Canadian citizen was concerned!), and, secondly, shedding light on the acts of criminals almost seems to be the only thing we can do from overseas to rein these criminals back. The efficiency of latter should not, however, be under-estimated. That is, as I told Jen in our discussion last week, the single doctrine on the basis of which the whole Amnesty International has grown from a one-man initiative to the global AI of today! So, please, may I ask you to pass this update to Manda Aziz also, so she can also kindly write a letter of support, as well as pass it on to all other provincial offices of the Federation. Thank you very much. In solidarity, *** I am writing on behalf of over 22,000 students at the University
of Manitoba regarding the treatment and safety of students in Iran. The University of Manitoba Students’ Union (UMSU) condemns the actions of Iranian Authorities against Iranian students. UMSU condemns the violent actions taken by Iranian Authorities which includes the kidnappings and torture of the students detained. Further, the detention of students involved in the peaceful public demonstration, is unjustified and reprehensible. The University of Manitoba Students’ Union calls upon the Iranian
Government to release all students detained in recent weeks if they are
prisoners of conscience, held solely on account of the peaceful exercise
of their rights, and for any others to be tried promptly and fairly, in
accordance with international fair trial standards, on recognizably
criminal charges or else released; to make assurances that none of those
arrested are subject to torture or other ill treatment; and to ensure
that these detainees have unfettered access to relatives, legal
representation, and any medical attention they may require. The mistreatment of students for standing up for their rights does
not go unnoticed by the international community, and I urge you to
follow international standards and end the persecution of students and
activists. The whereabouts of the following students needs to be made public and
for them to be released unconditionally to their family and friends: - Mehdi Gerailoo I look forward to you earliest response and immediate action to address the above concerns. Furthermore, I look forward to hearing about the immediate release of the students and all others that have been detained without just cause. Sincerely, ***
Dear President Ahmadinejad On behalf of the 55,000 members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers I am writing you over concerns about recent repression of students. We know that dozens of politically active students were arrested prior to the December 7 student day. It is our understanding that forty or more students from around Iran are being held at the despicable and notorious Evin prison and other locations.. We have also received reports of torture and cruelty. The authorities appear to be covering their actions by claiming, without evidence, that these students were violent and acquiring weapons. The Ministry of Intelligence has admitted that it fears the circulation of ideas by suggesting that “heretical books and leaflets with a sacrilegious content” were found in the possession of students. It is chilling to observe any society that relies on intelligence agencies to define morality and heresy. The old tactic of crying wolf, labelling communists as operating terror cells and inciting riots is an old discredited tactic that has been used elsewhere. We are familiar with the demonizing of those that have different views. It is also hard to separate the actions of the Islamic Sate with those of the United States in places like Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. We hope that your government will not remain on this path. We urge you to immediately and unconditionally release the prisoners as well as the labour activists you are holding and cease this transparent abuse of students and workers. Sincerely, Deborah Bourque CUPW National President Cc: NEC, NURs, Specialists Bcc: David Aram, WCI (d_aram@sumpatico.ca )
Latest developments: *** Dear President Ahmadinejad, The Ryerson Students' Union, representing all 24,000 full-time undergraduate and graduate students at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada, is appalled to have learned of the arrest of 47 students and activists leading up to and on the National Day of Students. While we understand that 16 of the original 47 have been released, we are disturbed that their release was only made possible by the payment of extortionate bail amounts. We are particularly horrified to hear accounts of torture and cruel treatment toward the detained students. We feel obliged to condemn your government’s detention of dozens of protesting students, and demand their immediate and unconditional release. The National Day of Students is an important day commemorating three
Iranian students who were shot to death by police while protesting the
visit by then U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon to Tehran in1953.
Students should have the right to attend University, demonstrate and
protest free of fear of political retribution or incarceration. The Ryerson Students' Union, Local 24 of the Canadian Federation of Students, lends our supportive voice to those in Iran calling for the unconditional release of the recently arrested students. Regards, |