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Khuzestand |
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LETTER BY Reza PAHLAVI to KOFI ANNAN IN REGARD TO POLITICAL PRISONERS
August 18, 2006
Your Excellency: Topic: Deterioration of the conditions of political prisoners in Iran
My compatriots and I are greatly concerned about the ever-increasing violation of human rights in Iran. Various Iranian political groups and women have stood out as targets of the Islamic Republic. The recent brutal murder of the human rights activist, Mr. Akbar Mohammadi, is a vivid example of such violations. On numerous occasions I have issued statements or sent urgent letters to Your Excellency stressing the dire conditions of my compatriots who have been maimed or tortured in Islamic republic’s prisons. Allow me now to personally reiterate my deep concern about the dire situation, in particular, of Mr. Ahmad Batebi a well-known prisoner who is near death. But there are many others whose detentions and even executions have not been publicized. Many if not all the political prisoners in Iran are brutalized and held in solitary confinement in spite of the specific objections of the United Nations. Unfortunately the Islamic Republic of Iran has so far ignored these warnings as well as all the urgent appeals made by international human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Despite all these threats, our compatriots in Iran continue to fight for their freedom at the risk of imprisonment, torture, disappearance and death. I salute their courage and dedication and ask your good offices to do all that they can to put an end to these violations. Specifically, an unequivocal request for an independent team to investigate the murder of Akbar Mohammadi while in custody of the regime’s prison system and an autopsy to determine exact cause of his death. It is sad to notice that in spite of glaring evidence of all the misdeeds, international pressure on Iran by the Western world has recently weakened considerably. That has led to the general belief that the present reluctance to investigate might be motivated by a desire to mute criticism while nuclear talks with my country continue. As we are all aware human rights and fundamental freedoms are one of the sacred basic purposes of the UN Charter. Thus, I urgently request your Excellency’s kind personal intervention on behalf of all political prisoners in Iran, and to put as much pressure as possible on the Islamic Republic to immediately stop such practices and free all political prisoners without delay. With best regards, Reza Pahlavi
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