Release on bail of Mr. Abdolfattah Soltani

August 27, 2009

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), has received new information and requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

New information:

The Observatory has been informed by reliable sources about the release on bail of Mr. Abdolfattah Soltani, a lawyer at the Bar of Tehran and a founding member of the Defenders of Human Rights Centre (DHRC),

According to the information received, on August 26, 2009, following the decision of the Security Branch of the Revolutionary Courts, Mr. Abdolfattah Soltani was released on payment of USD 100,000, following 70 days of arbitrary detention, including 17 days in solitary confinement without access to a shower.

However, Mr. Abdolfattah Soltani remains accused of having acted against national security and no information could be obtained as to when he will be prosecuted.

The Observatory welcomes Mr. Abdolfattah Soltani's release and wishes to thank all the persons, organisations, and institutions that intervened on her behalf. However, the Observatory remains concerned about the persistence of charges against him, which are related to his constant involvement in defending human rights in Iran.

More generally, the Observatory expresses its deep concern about the current general crackdown on the Iranian civil society and calls upon the Iranian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all human rights defenders still detained in Iran, and more generally to put an end to all forms of harassment against them.

Background information:

On June 16, 2009, Mr. Abdolfattah Soltani was abducted and his whereabouts remained unknown until July 7, 2009 when he was located in section 209 of Evin prison after having been authorised to contact members of his family.

First detained in section 240 of Evin prison, in Tehran, he was subsequently transferred to section 209, where political prisoners are detained.

Actions requested:

Please write to the Iranian authorities and ask them to:

1. Guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Abdolfattah Soltani and all human rights defenders in Iran;
2. Put an end to all acts of harassment, including at the judicial level, against Mr. Abdolfattah Soltani and all human rights defenders in Iran;
3. Conform in any circumstances with the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, 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 and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels”, its article 5(c), which reads that “everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, at the national and international levels, [...] to communicate with non-governmental or intergovernmental organizations”, and its article 12.2 which provides that “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”;
4. Ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights standards and international instruments ratified by Iran.

Addresses:

• Leader of the Islamic Republic, His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei, The Office of the Supreme Leader, Shoahada Street, Qom, Islamic Republic of Iran, Faxes: + 98 251 649 5880 / 251 7 774 2228, Email: info@leader.ir / istiftaa@wilayah.org / webmaster@wilayah.org
• President Mr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Presidency, Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran, Fax: + 98 21 649 5880. Email: dr-ahmadinejad@president.ir
• Head of the Judiciary, His Excellency Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani, Ministry of Justice, Park-e Shahr, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran, Fax: +98 21 879 6671 / +98 21 3 311 6567, Email: Irjpr@iranjudiciary.com
• Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Manouchehr Mottaki, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Abdolmajid Keshk-e Mesri Av, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran, Fax: + 98 21 390 1999, Email: matbuat@mfa.gov
• Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Chemin du Petit-Saconnex 28, 1209 Geneva, Switzerland, Fax: +41 22 7330203, Email: mission.iran@ties.itu.int
• Embassy of Iran in Brussels, 15 a avenue Franklin Roosevelt, 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium, Fax: + 32 2 762 39 15. Email: iran-embassy@yahoo.com

Please also write to diplomatic representations of the Islamic Republic of Iran in your respective countries.

Paris-Geneva, August 27, 2009

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

The Observatory, a 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.

The Observatory was the winner of the 1998 Human Rights Prize of the French Republic.

To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line:

Email: Appeals@fidh-omct.org Tel and fax OMCT: + 41 22 809 49 39 / 41 22 809 49 29
Tel and fax FIDH: +33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 / 01 43 55 18 80