PEN letter to Khamenei on Berlin trial
To:
-- Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei ,
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran
-- Hojjat-ul Islam v-al Muslemeen, Seyyed Mohammad Khatami,
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
-- Hojjat-ul Islam v-al Muslemeen Shahroodi,
Chief of the Judiciary
-- Hojjat-ul Islam v-al Muslemeen Mehdi Karroubi,
Speaker of the Parliament
Cc:
-- Kofi Annan Secretary General, United Nations
-- Mary Robinson UNCHR
-- Maurice Copithorne UNCHR
-- Islamic Human Rights Commission
November 9th, 2000
Your Excellencies,
On behalf of the 2700 writers who are members of PEN American Center,
we write to express our deep dismay at the ongoing public trials, by the
Revolutionary Court of Tehran, of writers, journalists and intellectuals,
including Mahmoud Dowlatabadi, Mohammad Ali Sepanloo, Moniroo Ravanipour,
Hassan Youssefi Eshkevari (tried by the Special Court for the Clergy)
Mehrangiz Kar, Shahla Lahiji, Jamileh Kadivar, Shahla Sherkat, Khadijeh
Hajdini Moghadam, Akbar Ganji, Mohammad Reza Jalaipour, Said Sadr, Khalil
Rostamkhani, Ali Reza Alavi-Tabar,Ezzatollah Sahabi, Fariborz Raisdana,
and Ali Afshari.
These individuals, some of whom are distinguished and internationally
known writers and journalists, have been accused of being counter-revolutionary
and of threatening national security by organizing and/or attending the
Berlin Conference. Their charges have ranged from propaganda against the
Islamic Republic, and acting against national security , to "waging
war against God" (moharebeh) and even apostasy.
Particularly disturbing are the charges against HojjatulIslam Eshkevari
for apostasy, and Mr. Said Sadr and Mr. Khalil Rostamkhani for "waging
war against God". Mr. Sadr and Mr. Rostamkhani did not participate
in the confrence in Berlin, but are accused of working on the organization
of the conference in their capacity as translators. The charges against
these three individuals can carry the penalty of execution.
The Berlin conference was organized by the Heinrich Boll Foundation
on April 7-8 , 2000 to discuss the impact of the sixth parliamentary elections
in Iran. We would respectfully like to remind you that conferences such
as these are convened for discussion and the free exchange of ideas, a
right that is guaranteed by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights. In fact, these participants were invited to and participated
in an international conference, in which they merely expressed their opinions.
It is outrageous that participants in an open international conference
would be accused of endangering national security, or of any other political
charge.
This is only the latest evidence of the blatant disregard for the fundamental
right of free expression by the judiciary in Iran. In April, a number
of individuals accused of the serial murders of writers and intellectuals-events
which shocked the international literary community-were freed, and the
process of finding and punishing those responsible seems to have been halted.
Furthermore, a major crackdown on the independent press has continued,
resulting in the closure of over 20 newspapers and magazines. The detention,
imprisonment, and trial of editors and journalists have become a matter
of daily occurrence. Writers, journalists, or anyone engaged in critical
thought or analysis risks censorship, harassment, public humiliation and
imprisonment.
As members of the international community of writers, we firmly believe
that free expression is a fundamental right. We write to you to as a matter
of utmost urgency to respect that right, to drop all the charges against
these writers, journalists, translators and intellectuals, and to allow
these respected individuals to return to their lives and professions.
Thank you for your attention We look forward to your response in this
matter. Sincerely,
K. Anthony Appiah Chair Freedom-to-Write Committee Michael Roberts
Executive Director PEN American Center
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