Amnesty International Urgent Action
AI Index: MDE 13/20/00
3 May 2000
UA 103/00
Ill-treatment / prisoners of conscience
Mehrangiz Kar (f), lawyer
Shahla Lahiji (f), publisher
Ali Afshari (m), student representative
They are apparently detained because they took part
in an academic and cultural conference in Berlin in April, where political and
social reform in Iran were publicly debated.
Mehrangiz Kar and Shahla Lahiji were both detained
by the Revolutionary Court on 29 April. Ali Afshari was detained the following
day. It is expected that they will soon be moved to Evin Prison.
Mehrangiz Kar and Shahla Lahiji both vocal supporters
of women's and other human rights. Ali Afshari is a representative of the student
organisation Daftar-e Tahkim-e Vahdat
(Office for Strengthening Unity).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Berlin conference was marked by occasionally
strong protests by Iranian political groups in exile. Elements within the Iranian
judiciary apparently consider attendance at the conference to have been "harmful
to national security". Many of those who attended have since faced arbitrary detention
and interrogation.
Akbar Ganji, who spoke at the conference, was detained
last week (see EXTRA 43/00, MDE 13/07/00, 25 April). Three journalists, Hamid
Reza Jalaipour, of the editorial team of Asr-e
Azadegan (Era of the Free), Ezzatollah
Sahabi, publisher of Iran-e Farda
(Tomorrow's Iran) and Alireza Alavitabar, editor of Sobh-e
Emrouz (Morning of Today) were detained,
interrogated and later released on bail. Jamileh Kadivar, a member of the Iranian
parliament, the Majles,
has also been summoned and is reportedly scheduled to appear before the Revolutionary
Court today. She is the sister of the cleric Mohsen Kadivar, a prisoner of conscience,
and the wife of the Minister of Culture, Ataollah Mohajerani. The writer Mahmud
Dolatabadi has also been summoned by the Revolutionary Court. Amnesty International
is monitoring these developments closely.
