Arbitrary detention of and judicial harassment against Messrs. Khosro Kordpour and Massoud Kordpour, two journalists and brothers from the Kurdish ethnic community

Arbitrary detention /

Judicial harassment

Iran

August 9, 2013

The Observatory for theProtection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the InternationalFederation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture(OMCT), requests your urgent intervention in the followingsituation in the Iran.

Description of the situation:

The Observatory has beeninformed by the Iranian League for the Defence ofHuman Rights (LDDHI) about the arbitrary detention of and judicialharassment against two journalists and brothers from the Kurdish ethniccommunity, Messrs. Khosro Kordpour and Massoud Kordpour,respectively editor and correspondent of the Mukrian News Agency,reporting mainly about the conditions of civil rights activists, politicalprisoners and violations of human rights, in particular in the IranianKurdish-inhabited regions and cities.

According to theinformation received, on March 7, 2013, Mr. Koshro Kordpour was arrested in thewest-Iranian Kurdish-inhabited city of Mahabad by Intelligence Ministry’sagents who confiscated his personal belongings.

Two days later, on March 9,Mr. Massoud Kordpour was in turn arrested as he was trying to find out aboutthe reasons for his brother’s detention.

About 10 days later, bothwere taken to the detention centre of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps(IRGC) in the West-Azerbaijan provincial capital Urumiya, where they were keptfor four months in solitary confinement.

Their family members wereable to separately visit them for the first time on April 25, 2013 for 10minutes. Messrs. Khosro and Massoud Kordpour told their relatives that they hadnot even been interrogated during those 45 days, and demanded to have access tolawyers. The second visit took place on May 27, 2013.

Mr. Khosro Kordpoursubsequently went on a hunger strike for 25 days to protest his conditionswhile in IRGC detention centre in Urumiya.

Both were transferred toMahabad prison on June 26, 2013, where it was revealed that Mr. Khosro Kordpourhad lost 12 kilos and Mr. Massoud Kordpour 20 kilos. It was only after beingtransferred to Mahabad that they were charged.

Mr. Khosro Kordpour wascharged with “moharebeh” (“fighting God”), “corruption on earth throughassembly and collusion to commit crimes against the national security”,“insulting the Leader”, “propaganda activities against the State” and“spreading lies with intent to disturb the public minds”, while Mr. MassoudKordpour was charged with “assembly and collusion to commit crimes against thenational security”, “insulting the Leader”, “propaganda activities against theState” and “spreading lies with intent to disturb the public minds”.

On August 5, 2013, Branch 1of the Islamic Revolution Court of Mahabad held the first session of theirtrial, during which the judge read out their charges. The lawyers of the twodefendants objected to the competence of the court on the ground that thedefendants were journalists and that they should be tried at a Press Court in thepresence of a jury as their charges were related to press activities. They alsoobjected to the absence of the prosecutor’s representative at the hearing.

The judge rejected theobjection about his competence, but accepted the second objection.

Mr. Khosro Kordpourdefended himself at the court stating that he was there only for being ajournalist, and that all the articles of the news agency had been publishedwithin the frameworks of the law. Mr. Massoud Kordpour also defended himselfstating he had only fulfilled his duty of reporting issues, as stipulated inthe Constitution.

Their lawyers requested thejudge to release them on bail, but the judge did not issue any decision incourt, saying he would notify them of his decision at a later stage.

The second hearing is dueto take place in late August or in September.

Actions requested:

Pleasewrite to the Iranian authorities and ask them to:

i. Guaranteein all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of Messrs. KhosroKordpour and Massoud Kordpour, as well as ofall human rights defenders in Iran;

ii. Release Messrs. Khosro Kordpour andMassoud Kordpour immediately and unconditionally as their detention is arbitrary since it only aims at sanctioning their human rightsactivities;

iii. Putan end to any kind of harassment - including at the judicial level - againstMessrs. Khosro Kordpour and Massoud Kordpour and all human rights defenders inIran, and release them all;

iv. Conformin any circumstances with the provisions of the Declaration on Human RightsDefenders, adopted on December 9, 1998 by the United Nations General Assembly,in particular its article 1, which states that “everyone has the right,individually or in association with others, to promote the protection andrealization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national andinternational levels”, and its article 12.2 which provides that “the Stateshall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competentauthorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, againstany violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination,pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or herlegitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration”;

v. Ensurein all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms inaccordance with international human rights standards and internationalinstruments ratified by Iran.

Addresses:

· Leader of theIslamic Republic, His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei, The Office ofthe Supreme Leader, Shahid Keshvardoost St., Jomhuri Eslami Ave., Tehran,Islamic Republic of Iran. Tel: +98 21 64411; Faxes: + 98 21 649 5880 / 21 7742228, Email: info_leader@leader.ir

· PresidentMr. Hassan Rohani, the Presidency, Palestine Avenue, Palestine Roundabout, Tehran,Islamic Republic of Iran. Tel: +98 21 64451; Fax: + 98 21 649 5880.

· Head of the Judiciary, His Excellency AyatollahSadeq Larijani, Office of the Head of the Judiciary, Pasteur Street, Vali AsrAvenue, south of Serah-e Jomhuri, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. Fax: +98 21879 6671 / +98 21 3 311 6567, Email: info@dadiran.ir / info@dadgostary-tehran.ir / info@bia-judiciary.ir

· Minister ofForeign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Abdolmajid Kushk-e MesriAv, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. Fax: +98-21-66743149; Email: matbuat@mfa.gov.ir

· H.E.Mr. Mohsen Naziri Asl,Ambassador, Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Chemin du Petit-Saconnex28, 1209 Geneva, Switzerland. Fax: +41 22 7330203, Email: mission.iran@ties.itu.int

· His Excellency Mr. Mahmoud Barimani, Embassy of the Islamic Republic Iran in Belgium, 15avenue Franklin Roosevelt, 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium. Fax: + 32 2 76239 15. Email: secreteriat@iranembassy.be; iranemb.bru@mfa.gov.ir

Please also write todiplomatic representations of Iran in your respective countries.

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Paris-Geneva,August 9, 2013

Kindly inform us of anyaction undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.

To contact the Observatory,call the emergency line:

• Email: Appeals@fidh-omct.org
• Tel and fax FIDH + 33 (0) 1 43 55 25 18 / +33 1 43 55 18 80
• Tel and fax OMCT + 41 (0) 22 809 49 39 / + 41 22 809 49 29