Defend Iranian lawyer Nasser Zarafshan
Workers Left Unity - Iran | 23.03.2002 20:21
In the last days of the Iranian calendar year, Islamic authorities in Iran have sentenced Nasser Zarafshan, the lawyer of two of the families of victims of serial political murders in Iran, to 5 years imprisonment and 70 lashes. This follows a closed trial during which Mr Zarafshan was accused of 'exposing state secretsÆ, possession of alcohol and firearm in his office. Mr Zarafshan and his lawyer have maintained throughout that 'alcohol' and a gun were planted in his office, while he was in detention.
The authorities in Iran are clearly taking revenge against the most outspoken lawyer of the families of victims of serial political murders in order to bury any further coverage of this issue at a time when the release of tapes showing methods used to extract confessions from 'rogue agents' of Iran's ministry of Intelligence have 'shocked the nation'* and discredit the sham trials of these low ranking ministry official as opposed to real culprits who gave æfatwasÆ for the murder of dissidents writers and journalists.
A deputy minister of Intelligence, Saeed Emami, arrested in connection with these murders, allegedly committed suicide while in custody in June 1999, before he could say who ordered these murders. The DVDs released of the interrogation of 'rogue' agents of Iran's ministry of Intelligence show them being humiliated, beaten, flogged and forced to confess that they worked for foreign powers, including the US and Israel. This was part of a familiar scenario, propagated mainly by Iran's supreme clerical leader, Ayatollah Khamneii, that 'foreign powers' were responsible 'serial political murders' in Iran. In addition to silencing this outspoken defender of the victims of 'serial political murders' , Zarafsha's sentencing coincides with a re-launch of the activities of shadowy groups associated with Iran's ministry of Intelligence and the Islamic judiciary in kidnapping and forcing confession as in the case of journalist Siamak Pourzand.
We call once more on the Human Rights Committee of the bar association, Lawyers associations in Europe and North America, as well as Human Rights groups to condemn this sentence and support Nasser Zarafshan whose only crime is defending his clients.
Co-ordinating Committee of Workers Left Unity - Iran
21st March 2002
email:
hh@etehadchap.com
http://www.etehadchap.com
* Quote from the cover of the journal 'Bonyan' published in Tehran
A deputy minister of Intelligence, Saeed Emami, arrested in connection with these murders, allegedly committed suicide while in custody in June 1999, before he could say who ordered these murders. The DVDs released of the interrogation of 'rogue' agents of Iran's ministry of Intelligence show them being humiliated, beaten, flogged and forced to confess that they worked for foreign powers, including the US and Israel. This was part of a familiar scenario, propagated mainly by Iran's supreme clerical leader, Ayatollah Khamneii, that 'foreign powers' were responsible 'serial political murders' in Iran. In addition to silencing this outspoken defender of the victims of 'serial political murders' , Zarafsha's sentencing coincides with a re-launch of the activities of shadowy groups associated with Iran's ministry of Intelligence and the Islamic judiciary in kidnapping and forcing confession as in the case of journalist Siamak Pourzand.
We call once more on the Human Rights Committee of the bar association, Lawyers associations in Europe and North America, as well as Human Rights groups to condemn this sentence and support Nasser Zarafshan whose only crime is defending his clients.
Co-ordinating Committee of Workers Left Unity - Iran
21st March 2002
email:
hh@etehadchap.com http://www.etehadchap.com * Quote from the cover of the journal 'Bonyan' published in Tehran
Workers Left Unity - Iran
e-mail:
hh@etehadchap.com
Homepage:
http://www.etehadchap.com