Judicial harassment of Mr. Hadi Esmaeilzadeh

Iran

April 11, 2014

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 Iran.

Description of the situation:

The Observatory has beeninformed by the Defenders of Human Rights Centre (DHRC) about the judicialharassment of Mr. Hadi Esmaeilzadeh, an Iranian human rights lawyer andmember of the DHRC.

According to theinformation received, on April 15, 2014, Mr. Hadi Esmaeilzadeh is to be triedby Branch 15 of the Islamic Revolution Court. During a preliminaryinterrogation on July 12, 2011, he was notified of the charges of “assembly andcollusion with intent to commit anti-security crimes” based on his membershipof DHRC, and “spreading propaganda against the State”, and was banned fromleaving the country. However, his lawyers havenot been given the opportunity to access and read his file for next week’shearing.

Sincethe closure of the DHRC’s offices in 2008, Mr. Hadi Esmaeilzadeh has faced several interrogations by intelligence and securityorganisations as well as pressures to resign from the DHRC. He was alsoexpelled from the Higher Institute of Banking of Iran in 2009 and from theIslamic Azad University-Bam Unit in 2012 because he refused to resign from theDHRC.

The Observatory recallsthat Messrs. Abdolfattah Soltani and Mohammad Seifzadeh,two other human rights lawyers and co-founders of the DHRC, are currentlyserving long-term prison sentences in Tehran's Evin prison and Karaj’sRajaishahr prison, respectively, on charges related to their human rightsactivities. In January 2013, the United Nations Working Group on ArbitraryDetention declared that Mr. Soltani's detention was arbitrary. Mr. Soltanisuffers from serious health problems but does not have adequate access toproper medical care in detention or outside medical facilities.

The Observatory expresses its deep concern withthe ongoing persecution against Mr. Esmaeilzadeh bythe intelligence and security organisations and the denial of his right to dueprocess, and calls on the Iranian authoritiesto end his harassment, including at the judicial level.

Actions requested:

Pleasewrite to the Iranian authorities and ask them to:

i. Guaranteein all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Hadi Esmaeilzadehas well as of all human rights defenders in Iran;

ii. Release immediately and unconditionally allhuman rights defenders detained in Iran merely to sanction their human rightsactivities;

iii. Putan end to any kind of harassment - including at the judicial level - against Mr. Hadi Esmaeilzadeh and all human rights defenders in Iran and ensure in all circumstances that they can carry out theiractivities without any hindrances;

iv. Conformin all 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, individuallyor in association with others, to promote the protection and realization of humanrights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels”,

- and its article 12.2 which provides that “the State shall take allnecessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities ofeveryone, individually and in association with others, against any violence,threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure orany other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exerciseof 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, Faxes: + 98 21 649 5880 / 21 774 2228, Email: info_leader@leader.ir

· President HassanRouhani, the Presidency, Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection, Tehran,Islamic Republic of Iran, Fax: + 98 21 649 5880.

· Head of theJudiciary, His Excellency Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani, Office of the Head of theJudiciary, Pasteur Street, Vali Asr Avenue, south of Serah-e Jomhuri, Tehran,Islamic Republic of Iran, Fax: +98 21 879 6671 / +98 21 3 311 6567, Email: info@bia-judiciary.ir

· Minister ofForeign Affairs, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, SheikhAbdolmajid Kushk-e Mesri Av, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran, Fax:+98-21-66743149; matbuat@mfa.gov.ir

· SecretaryGeneral, High Council for Human Rights, Mr. Mohammed Javad Larijani, [Care of]Office of the Head of the Judicary, Pasteur St, Vali Asr Ave, South of Serah-eJomhouri, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. Email: info@humanrights-iran.ir

· H.E.Mr. Mohsen Naziri Asl,Ambassador, Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the UnitedNations in Geneva, Chemin du Petit-Saconnex 28, 1209 Geneva, Switzerland, Fax:+41 22 7330203, Email: mission.iran@ties.itu.int

· H.E. Mr. Mahmoud Barimani,Ambassador, Embassy of Iran in Brussels, 15avenue Franklin Roosevelt, 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium, Fax: + 32 2 76239 15. Email: secreteriat@iranembassy.be

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

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Paris-Geneva,April 11, 2014

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