Iran
17.07.02
Urgent Interventions
Iran: New condemnation of a lawyer: Nasser Zarafchan
URGENT APPEAL - THE OBSERVATORY
New Information
IRN 004/0012/OBS 125.4
Condemnation
Iran
17th July 2002
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of FIDH and OMCT, requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Iran.
New information :
The Observatory has been informed by the League for the Defence of Human Rights in Iran (LDDHI) that, on July 15th, 2002, the Military Court of Tehran confirmed the sentence of the Military Tribunal of Tehran against Mr. Nasser Zarafchan, a human rights defender and the lawyer of Mrs. Sima Pouhandeh, the widow of Mohammed Djafar Pouhandeh (a writer, kidnapped and assassinated in December 1998 by public information officers).
Mr. Zarafchan has been sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment and condemned to 50 lashes. As an appeal before the Supreme Court would not suspend his imprisonment, Mr. Zarafchan may be put in jail.
The Observatory considers this condemnation to be arbitrary and only aimed at depriving Mr. Zarafchan of its right to practice. It recalls that this sentence occurs only a few days after the condemnations of two other lawyers, Mr. Soltani and Mr. Seyfzadeh Mohammad condemned respectively to 4 months imprisonment and 5 years of prhibition to practice as a lawyer, and 4 months imprisonment and 3 years of prohibition to practice his profession (See Observatory urgent appeal IRN 002/0702/OBS 041).
Reminder of the facts :
On March 18th, 2002, Mr. Nasser Zarafchan, had been sentenced by the Military Tribunal of Tehran, to three years imprisonment for "possession of firearms and alcohol". He had also been sentenced to two years imprisonment for the opinions he had expressed during interviews with the press, concerning the trial dealing with the assassinations of Iranian intellectuals, which came to a conclusion in January 2001. Mr. Zarafchan had appealed against the decision of the Tribunal.
Mr. Zarafchan's trial had began on November 3rd, 2001, before the Military Tribunal of Tehran. He had been first arrested on December 9th, 2000, and released on bail two weeks later. During his trial, Mr. Zarafchan had been arrested and then released two days later.
Action requested :
Please write to the authorities of Iran urging them to :
i. guarantee the physical integrity of Mr. Zarafchan in any circumstances;
ii. ensure Mr. Zarafchan’s freedom in reason of the arbitrariness of his condemnation;
iii. Conform with the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 9 December 1998, in particular its article 1 which states that "everyone has the right, individually and in association with other, to promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels".
iv. Conform with the disposals of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and of human rights regional and international instruments which bound the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Addresses :
- His Excellency Hojjatoleslam val Moslemin Sayed Mohammad Khatami, President of the Islamic Republic, The Presidency, Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection, Tehran (Iran); E-mail: khatami@president.ir
- His Excellency Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrudi, Head of the Judiciary, Ministry of Justice, Park-e Shahr, Tehran (Iran); Fax: + 98 21 879 6671
- The Iranian Embassy of your country.
Paris, Geneva, 17th July 2002
*************
The Observatory, a joint FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need.
To contact the Observatory, call the Emergency Line:
E-mail: observatoire@iprolink.ch
Tel and fax FIDH +33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 / 01 43 55 18 80
Tel and fax OMCT + 4122 809 49 39 / 41 22 809 49 29
New Information
IRN 004/0012/OBS 125.4
Condemnation
Iran
17th July 2002
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of FIDH and OMCT, requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Iran.
New information :
The Observatory has been informed by the League for the Defence of Human Rights in Iran (LDDHI) that, on July 15th, 2002, the Military Court of Tehran confirmed the sentence of the Military Tribunal of Tehran against Mr. Nasser Zarafchan, a human rights defender and the lawyer of Mrs. Sima Pouhandeh, the widow of Mohammed Djafar Pouhandeh (a writer, kidnapped and assassinated in December 1998 by public information officers).
Mr. Zarafchan has been sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment and condemned to 50 lashes. As an appeal before the Supreme Court would not suspend his imprisonment, Mr. Zarafchan may be put in jail.
The Observatory considers this condemnation to be arbitrary and only aimed at depriving Mr. Zarafchan of its right to practice. It recalls that this sentence occurs only a few days after the condemnations of two other lawyers, Mr. Soltani and Mr. Seyfzadeh Mohammad condemned respectively to 4 months imprisonment and 5 years of prhibition to practice as a lawyer, and 4 months imprisonment and 3 years of prohibition to practice his profession (See Observatory urgent appeal IRN 002/0702/OBS 041).
Reminder of the facts :
On March 18th, 2002, Mr. Nasser Zarafchan, had been sentenced by the Military Tribunal of Tehran, to three years imprisonment for "possession of firearms and alcohol". He had also been sentenced to two years imprisonment for the opinions he had expressed during interviews with the press, concerning the trial dealing with the assassinations of Iranian intellectuals, which came to a conclusion in January 2001. Mr. Zarafchan had appealed against the decision of the Tribunal.
Mr. Zarafchan's trial had began on November 3rd, 2001, before the Military Tribunal of Tehran. He had been first arrested on December 9th, 2000, and released on bail two weeks later. During his trial, Mr. Zarafchan had been arrested and then released two days later.
Action requested :
Please write to the authorities of Iran urging them to :
i. guarantee the physical integrity of Mr. Zarafchan in any circumstances;
ii. ensure Mr. Zarafchan’s freedom in reason of the arbitrariness of his condemnation;
iii. Conform with the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 9 December 1998, in particular its article 1 which states that "everyone has the right, individually and in association with other, to promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels".
iv. Conform with the disposals of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and of human rights regional and international instruments which bound the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Addresses :
- His Excellency Hojjatoleslam val Moslemin Sayed Mohammad Khatami, President of the Islamic Republic, The Presidency, Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection, Tehran (Iran); E-mail: khatami@president.ir
- His Excellency Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrudi, Head of the Judiciary, Ministry of Justice, Park-e Shahr, Tehran (Iran); Fax: + 98 21 879 6671
- The Iranian Embassy of your country.
Paris, Geneva, 17th July 2002
*************
The Observatory, a joint FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need.
To contact the Observatory, call the Emergency Line:
E-mail: observatoire@iprolink.ch
Tel and fax FIDH +33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 / 01 43 55 18 80
Tel and fax OMCT + 4122 809 49 39 / 41 22 809 49 29