IHRWG condemns attacks on students and calls for the
release of all political and religious prisoners
30th May 1999 (IHRWG) -- Over the last few days, a number of students
gatherings in Tehran have been attacked by organized groups with links
to factions inside the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI).
As a result, a number of participants have been injured, some very seriously.
Also, the security forces have arrested some of the students.
One of these gatherings occurred on Tuesday 25th May with the explicit
demand of freedom of political prisoners and in particular, Abbas Amir-Entezam
(a post revolutionary government minister who has had spent over 18 years
in jail) and Mohsen Kadivar (a religious scholar who has been sentenced
to 18 months in jail for his un-orthodox religious views). Following this
demonstration, a number of students, including two of their leaders Manouchehr
Mohammadi and Ali Sadeghi were arrested and taken away.
The Iranian Human Right Working Group, while supporting the students'
demand for the release of all political prisoners in Iran, condemns any
attack on peaceful assemblies and regards the IRI directly responsible
for safety of the participants. The IRI is obliged, by its international
commitments under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to provide
the necessary facilities and safety for peaceful assemblies of all Iranian
groups irrespective of their political tendencies or religious beliefs.
We once more ask the Iranian authorities to put an end to their policy
of suppression of political and religious opposition and to free all political
and religious prisoners forthwith.
Iranian Human Right Working Group (IHRWG)
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