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RIGHTS-IRAN: Groups Denounce Crackdown on Dual Nationals
By Eli Clifton
WASHINGTON, May 31 (IPS) - Human rights groups are calling on the Iranian government to halt its harassment of dual
nationals, release two U.S.-Iranian citizens charged with espionage on Tuesday, return the
passports to two other dual-national journalists, and provide information about the location
of a peace activist who "disappeared" on May 8.
The American-Iranian dual nationals, Haleh Esfandiari, a Washington-based scholar, and
Kian Tajbakhsh of the New York-based, George Soros-funded Open Society Institute, have
been held in Iran since earlier this month.
Last weekend, Iran announced it had uncovered a U.S. spy network and accused the two of
espionage in a message sent to Washington through the Swiss Embassy, which represents
U.S. interests in Iran.
Ali Shakheri, a peace activist from Irvine, California, is also believed to be in detention, and
may be the victim of an enforced disappearance.
"The Iranian government should immediately release two Iranian-Americans from
detention and clarify the case of a third who may have 'disappeared'," said a statement
released today by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International
Federation for Human Rights, Reporters Without Borders and the Nobel laureate Shirin
Ebadi.
The groups also called upon Iran to allow two journalists with dual-nationality, Parnaz
Azima of U.S.-funded Radio Farda and Mehrnoush Solouki, a documentary filmmaker, to
leave Iran, where the Information Ministry has been withholding their passports.
"These measures appear to be an attempt by Iran's security authorities to sow fear into the
wider community of journalists, writers, scholars and activists," read the joint statement.
"Their exchanges with counterparts in other parts of the world underscore both their
commitment to enhance mutual respect and recognition of human dignity through
dialogue and to see human rights norms upheld in their country."
The arrests and travel bans seems to be part of a wider crackdown on labour and student
organisers and human rights activists by the Iranian Information Ministry.
The Woodrow Wilson Centre, where Esfandiari serves as the director of the Middle East
programme, issued a statement on Tuesday announcing that they just received word that
Iran's Ministry of Intelligence had charged Esfandiari with espionage and "endangering
national security through propaganda against the system."
"We are extremely disheartened to receive this news," said Lee H. Hamilton, president and
director of the Woodrow Wilson Centre. "Haleh is a scholar. The work she does at the
Wilson Centre is open, non-partisan, and includes a broad range of views."
"The Wilson Centre receives zero funding from the U.S. government's fund to promote
democracy in Iran. Her detention is an affront to the rule of law and common decency. The
Wilson Centre's message to the Iranian government is simple: Let Haleh go," Hamilton
added.
"We know with confidence that these charges are unfounded. (Iran) should drop the
charges and let her go," Shaul Bakhash, Esfandiari's husband, told reporters at a press
conference Thursday.
Bakhah cited the way Iranians handled the British soldiers detained in March and requested
that the dual-nationals currently detained by Iranian authorities be treated with the same
respect and dignity.
According to the statement released by the human rights groups, "detentions and travel
bans are part of a broad crackdown being mounted against Iranian human rights activists,
students, and labour organisers by Iranian intelligence officials based in the country's
Information Ministry."
Esfandiari, who was arrested on May 8, and Tajbakhsh, who was arrested on May 11, are
both being held at the Evin prison, where they have been denied access to legal
representation and have been allowed only very limited contact with the outside.
Shakeri was "disappeared", according to his associates, on May 8, but in a May 29
statement, an Iranian judiciary spokesman said, "Shakeri is not in detention, and there are
no charges against him."
"Iranian intelligence agents often bring politically motivated charges of 'endangering
national security' against activists and intellectuals," said the joint statement.
The groups "reminded the Iranian authorities that they bear full responsibility for the
health and safety of all those detained by the state, and that all detainees must be treated
with dignity and allowed access to their lawyers and visitors."
(END/2007)
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