2007: Iran: Ali Farahbakhsh
Oslo, 21 March 2007
Supreme 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: info@leader.ir , istiftaa@wilayah.org
Your Excellency,
As Chair of Writers in Prison Committee, Norwegian PEN, I am deeply concerned by the continued detention of journalist Ali Farahbakhsh.
He has been held in section 209 of Tehran’s Evin prison since his arrest. His trial began on 26 February 2007, and although no official charges have been made public he is believed to be accused of espionage. We have received reports that he is in poor health, and I seek your assurance, Your Excellencey, that he is given unrestricted access to medical treatment and is being treated humanely while in detention.
We believe that Ali Farahbakhsh is detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression, and I call for his immediate and unconditional release in accordance with Article 19 of the ICCPR, to which Iran is a signatory.
Confident that you, Your Excellency, will take action accordingly, I remain,
Yours sincerely,
Elisabet W. Middelthon
Chair Writers in Prison Committee, Norwegian PEN
COPIES TO:
Attention: The President:, His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The Presidency, Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection,
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oslo
The Norwegian Embassy, Iran
The Iranian Embassy, Oslo
