Amnesty International remains gravely concerned by recent eventsin the
Islamic Republic of Iran. Widespread demonstrations in thecapital, Tehran,
and in provincial centres since 8 July 1999, were followed byserious
clashes between student demonstrators, security forces andunofficial
vigilante groups. According to reports received by the humanrights
organization, dozens of persons have been injured, some seriously,hundreds
arrested, some of whom may be prisoners of conscience, and atleast five
killed.
"As a first step, the Iranian authorities should fulfil theircommitments
to investigate fully and impartially the killings and seriousattacks and
bring to justice all those found to be responsible", saidAmnesty
International.
The violence began on 8 July, when a small number of students, whohad
gathered in a peaceful demonstration outside their universityhostels in
northern Tehran to protest against the closure of the dailynewspaper Salam,
were attacked by armed members of Ansar-e Hezbollah, a vigilantestudent
group which opposes current political developments in Iran.Security forces
posted at the scene reportedly failed to intervene to protect thestudents.
Some hours later, members of Ansar-e Hezbollah, together withmembers of the
security forces, stormed the student residences using teargas, asa result
of which at least one person was killed. According to reports, asa result
of this attack, which was strongly condemned by both thePresident,
Hojjatoleslam Sayed Mohammad Khatami, and the Supreme Leader,Ayatollah 'Ali
Khamenei, two senior police officers were arrested, and a specialcommittee
was appointed to investigate the causes of the violence.
In the following days the size and nature of the demonstrationschanged
dramatically, leading to an escalation in violence. Despite callsfor calm
from some student leaders and an official ban on demonstrations inTehran,
demonstrations continued and spread to other towns such as Shiraz,Rasht,
Esfahan, Mashhad and Tabriz.
The human rights organization is also alarmed by the scale ofarbitrary
arrests, including those of possible prisoners of conscience.Among those
known to have been arrested on 13 July is Maryam Shansi, a studentleader
who was attacked and beaten in her home by unidentified assailantson 12
June 1999. Her current legal status and whereabouts are unknown.Other well
known student activists, fearing for their safety, have reportedlygone into
hiding. According to other unconfirmed reports, two members of theIran
Nation Party (Hezb-e Mellat-e Iran), an unauthorized buttolerated
opposition group have also been arrested. They have been named asKhosrow
Sayf and Ahmad Namazi.
Amnesty International recognizes the right and responsibility ofall
governments to maintain law and order but this should never be atthe
expense of fundamental human rights. The organization calls onthe
authorities in the Islamic Republic of Iran to take withoutfurther delay
the following measures to protect fundamental human rights,including the
right to life and freedom of expression, as guaranteed by theInternational
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Iran is astate
party:
· to initiate a thorough and independent investigation intothe killings and
serious attacks and to bring to justice all those responsible;
· to ensure that any such investigation is carried outpromptly and
impartially, and that its methods and findings are madepublic;
· to release immediately and unconditionally all personsdetained solely on
account of peacefully expressing their conscientiously heldbeliefs;
· to make public the names of all those arrested inconnection with the
recent disturbances;
· ensure that all those arrested are humanely treated andgiven immediate
access to legal representation and family members, and that theybe
guaranteed a fair trial within a reasonable time or bereleased.
· to instruct its law enforcement authorities to adhere toagreed
international human rights standards including those governing theuse of
lethal force.
BACKGROUND
In recent months there have been several clashes betweenstudent
organizations supporting different political tendencies in theIslamic
Republic of Iran.
· On 6 July 1999 student activists Mohammad Masud Salamati,Sayed Javad
Emami and Parviz Safari were arrested and detained overnight aftera
demonstration outside the United Nations office in Tehran,demanding the
release of two journalists, Heshmatollah Tabarzadi and HosseinKashani, who
were arrested in mid-June 1999.
· Salam, a newspaper supporting reformist trends in theIranian
administration, was banned indefinitely on 7 July 1999 by order ofthe
Special Court for the Clergy (Dadgah-e Vizhe-ye Ruhaniyat),following a
complaint by the Ministry of Information (Vezarat-e Ettela'at)that it had
published "top secret" information. The official complaint waswithdrawn the
following day; however, it is not clear whether this will lead tothe
banning order being lifted.
· On 7 July 1999 the Majles (Parliament) voted to allowdebate on a bill
amending the current press law, aimed at severely curtailing thefreedom of
the press.
· On 9 July 1999 Amnesty International issued an UrgentAction (AI INDEX:
MDE 13/15/99, UA 160/99) urging the authorities, among otherthings, to
guarantee the safety and security of all students on universitycampuses,
and reminding the government of Iran of its commitment to theUniversal
Declaration of Human Rights, in particular Article 3: "Everyonehas the
right to life, liberty and security of person".
ENDS.../
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For more information please call Amnesty International's pressoffice in
London,
UK, on 44 171 413 5566.
Amnesty International, International Secretariat, 1 EastonStreet,
WC1X 8DJ, London, United Kingdom