Iran: Further Information: Clotilde Reiss Released on Bail
Clotilde Reiss was released on bail on 16 August, but is required to remain inside the French embassy in Tehran until the verdict in her case is issued. If she were to be imprisoned, she would be a prisoner of conscience held because of her peaceful exercise of the rights to freedom of association, assembly and expression.
Clotilde Reiss, a 24-year-old French national, was released from Evin Prison in Tehran on bail of 300million toumans bail (approx US$300,000), on condition that she remains inside the French embassy until the verdict is issued.
She was one of more than 100 people tried en masse, in connection with the largely peaceful protests that broke out after the 13 June announcement of the widely-disputed official result of the previous day's presidential election. She was charged with "acting against national security" by taking part in demonstrations, collecting news and information, and sending pictures of the demonstrations abroad.
Excerpts of the trial proceedings shown on state-controlled Iranian TV showed Clotilde Reiss "confessing" to the Revolutionary Court on 8 August that she had taken part in the demonstrations and had sent a report to the head of the French Institute of Iranian Studies, for personal reasons, and apologizing to the court and requesting a pardon. It is unclear, however, whether her statements were given freely or made under duress. Her lawyers say they were not allowed time to examine her case file and were able only to seek clemency from the court.
PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in Persian, Arabic, English, French or your own language:
-
welcoming the release on bail of Clotilde Reiss;
-
stating that if Clotilde Reiss is again detained solely in connection with the peaceful exercise of her right to freedom of association, assembly and expression, including the right to receive and impart information and ideas, Amnesty International will consider her a prisoner of conscience and will call for her immediate and unconditional release.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE I OCTOBER 2009 TO:
Leader of the Islamic Republic
Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Islamic Republic Street – End of Shahid Keshvar Doust Street, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: via website: http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/index.php?p=letter (English)
http://www.leader.ir/langs/fa/index.php?p=letter (Persian)
Salutation: Your Excellency
Head of the Judiciary
Ayatollah Sadeqh Larijani
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh (Office of the Head of the Judiciary)
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri, Tehran 1316814737, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: [email protected]
(In the subject line write: FAO Ayatollah Larijani)
Via website: http://www.dadiran.ir/tabid/81/Default.aspx
Under the box containing the [email protected]' address, enter your given name; in the field below that, your family name; leave the unstarred field blank; give your email address in the last field above the large box. In the large box, paste your appeal.
Salutation: Your Excellency
And copies to:
Minister of the Interior
Sadegh Mahsouli
Ministry of the Interior
Dr Fatemi Avenue
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: +98 21 8 896 203/ +98 21 8 899 547/ +98 21 6 650 203
Salutation: Your Excellency
And to diplomatic representatives of Iran accredited to your country
Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date. This is the second update of UA 188/09 (MDE 13/073/2009). Further information:www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE13/073/2009/en
URGENT ACTION
CLOTILDE REISS LET OUT ON BAIL
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Clotilde Reiss was detained on 1 July at Tehran airport, on her way home to France. She was charged in connection with photographs she took during a demonstration in June, which she emailed to a friend.
A graduate politics student from the city of Lille, Clotilde Reiss travelled to Iran after receiving a scholarship for her studies on Iran. She was about to return home via Lebanon, after five months working as an assistant teacher in Esfahan University. She met with a French envoy on 9 July and said that she was being interrogated daily, but not ill-treated.
In June she had taken photographs of a demonstration in which she took part, in response to the announcement of the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which many Iranians have disputed. She emailed the photographs to her family in France and to a friend in Tehran.
In the days following the announcement on 13 June that President Ahmadinejad had won the previous day's presidential election, which hundreds of thousands of Iranians dispute, the authorities imposed draconian restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly. The security forces, including the paramilitary Basij, have been widely deployed in the streets; communications have been significantly disrupted. Iranian publications have been banned from reporting on the nationwide unrest since the result was declared. Foreign journalists have been banned from the streets; their visas have not been renewed, and some have been arrested or expelled from the country.
According to statements made by Iranian officials, over 4,000 people have been arrested since 12 June by the police and Basij forces across the country during demonstrations or their aftermath. These include prominent political figures close to either presidential candidates Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, or former President Khatami, who supported Mir Hossein Mousavi’s campaign. As well as journalists, some human rights defenders have been detained. Lawyer and human rights defender Abdolfattah Soltani was arrested and detained on 16 June (see UA 160/09, MDE 13/059/2009, 19 June 2009: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE13/059/2009/en). Journalist Issa Saharkhiz was arrested on 4 July and taken to an undisclosed location (see UA 181/09, MDE 13/067/2009, 6 July 2009: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE13/067/2009/en)
Iran is a state party to the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights and as such must uphold Article 19 which guarantees the right to freedom of expression and includes the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print.
Further information on UA: 188/09 Index: MDE 13/087/2009 Issue Date: 18 August 2009