BACKGROUND

On August 3, 2006 the government of Iran declared the Center for the Defense of Human Rights (CDHR) illegal and threatened its president, Nobel Peace Laureate Dr. Shirin Ebadi, and her staff with prosecution if they continued their human rights activities. The CDHR reports on violations of human rights in Iran, defends dissidents and political prisoners pro bono and supports the families of such prisoners. Read more background here.

TAKE ACTION

Urge the government of Iran to reverse the threat to the CDHR and other human rights defenders and allow them to carry out their activities, free from intimidation and prosecution, according to Iranian and international law.

Send a letter to the government of Iran.

Visit Human Rights First Defender Alert to send a letter through their website, or see a sample letter below. Use it or better yet, adapt it and send one in your own words. Copy, cut and paste and edit it, then send it from your own email program. Send it to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and cc Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and Ambassador to the United Nations Javad Zarif.

Their email addresses are:
President Ahmadinejad : dr-ahmadinejad@president.ir
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki : matbuat@mfa.gov.ir and Ambassador to the United Nations Javad Zarif: iran@un.int

If you can, print a copy and fax the Interior Minister, Hojjatoleslam Mustafa Pour-Mohammadi at fax: +9821 8896 6767.

Write or visit an embassy near you. A list of Iranian embassies world wide can be found here.

Please see below for this alert in Farsi.

Dear President Ahmadinejad,

I have recently learned that on August 3 the interior ministry announced that the Center for the Defense of Human Rights (CDHR), co-founded by Nobel peace laureate Dr. Shirin Ebadi, was an illegal organization and violators would be prosecuted, as it had not obtained a proper permit. It is my understanding that under the Iranian constitution such non-governmental organizations operating peacefully and within the law are not required to obtain permission.

Your government also has an obligation to protect human rights defenders under the 1998 U.N. Declaration on Human Rights Defenders. It declares that individuals and associations have the right to promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms, to develop and discuss new human rights ideas and principles and to advocate their acceptance. As a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, your government claims to respect human rights.

Now is an opportunity to take a stand for human rights, and I urge you to do so by reversing the threat to the CDHR and other human rights defenders and allowing them to carry out their activities, free from intimidation and prosecution, according to Iranian and international law.

Sincerely,

Download a pdf of this alert in Farsi here.