Iran: Further information on Fear of torture or ill treatment/ arbitrary arrest
AI Index: MDE 13/039/2007
Further Information on UA 39/07 (MDE 13/017/2007, 16 February 2007) – Fear of torture or ill-treatment/arbitrary arrest
IRAN Adnan Hassanpour (m), Kurdish journalist and cultural rights activist
New name: Mansour Tayfouri (m), Kurdish journalist and translator
Adnan Hassanpour was reportedly transferred to Marivan prison on 26 March, together with another Kurdish journalist, Mansour Tayfouri. Both were reportedly kept blindfolded throughout. Neither has been charged with any offence.
Adnan Hassanpour is an advocate of cultural rights for Iranian Kurds. He was detained on 25 January in his home town, Marivan, in the province of Kurdistan. He was then taken to a detention facility run by the Ministry of Intelligence in the provincial capital, Sanandaj, where he is believed to have been held incommunicado, putting him at risk of torture or ill-treatment. Adnan Hassanpour is a former member of the editorial board of the Kurdish-Persian weekly journal Aso (Horizon), which the authorities closed down in August 2005. Adnan Hassanpour had reportedly been tried for offences supposedly arising from articles published in the journal.
Mansour Tayfouri, a member of the Kurdistan Journalists' Association, was reportedly detained in Marivan by Ministry of Intelligence officials on or around 8 March and held in a facility run by the Ministry of Intelligence. At some point he was reportedly taken to a court in Marivan by Ministry of Intelligence officials, and then taken to Marivan prison.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in English, French, Persian, or your own language:
- asking for details of why Adnan Hassanpour and Mansour Tayfouri were arrested, including any charges brought against them, the evidence on which these are based and of any trial proceedings;
- calling on the authorities to ensure that neither man is tortured or ill-treated;
- calling for both men (naming them) to be allowed immediate and regular access to their families, lawyers of their own choosing and any medical treatment they may require;
- stating that if Adnan Hassanpour or Mansour Tayfouri have been detained in connection with their peaceful activities on behalf of Iran’s Kurdish community, or the peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of expression or association, Amnesty International will consider both men to be prisoners of conscience, who should be released immediately and unconditionally.
APPEALS TO:
Leader of the Islamic Republic
His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei, The Office of the Supreme Leader
Shoahada Street, Qom, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: [email protected]
Fax: +98 251 774 2228 (mark "FAO the Office of His Excellency, Ayatollah al Udhma Khamenei")
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
President
His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The Presidency, Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: [email protected]
via website: www.president.ir/email
Speaker of Parliament
His Excellency Gholamali Haddad Adel
Majles-e Shoura-ye Eslami, Imam Khomeini Avenue, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: + 98 21 6 646 1746
Salutation: Your Excellency
and to diplomatic representatives of Iran accredited to your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 11 May 2007.