Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard
Background Protest Crackdown Despite the Ministry refusing Iran’s opposition a permit to demonstrate on February 14, 2011, Iranian activists took to the streets only to be met with violence. Special forces reportedly used electric batons, tear gas, and paintball pellets to disperse protesters. According to
reports by the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran (ICHRI), about 1,500 people were arrested during the February 14 and 20 protests, with two protester deaths confirmed on February 14 and another on February 20. Many of those arbitrarily detained are at great risk of facing prison abuse and trumped-up charges that could lead to severe and unjust sentences. Peaceful Iranian protesters took to the streets again on February 20, 2011, with one young protestor killed. Demonstrators were met with live ammunition and tear gas. The ICHRI has also
reported that many of the police and plainclothes security forces present at the protest were minors aged 15-16, who were armed with clubs, strongly suggesting that the IRI has resorted to using child soldiers to supplement its security forces.
Opposition Figures’ Enforced Disappearance Four major opposition figures Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mousavi’s wife Zahra Rahnavard, Mehdi Karoubi, and Karoubi’s wife Fatemeh Karoubi, have faced alarming government pressure in recent weeks. Iran’s parliament has even called for their executions despite the fact that judicial authorities have not indicted or summoned them to court. Despite the lack of a warrant, a summons, or any charges, the four dissidents were under “house arrest” since before the February 14 for which they’d called protests. Some report the four are now in Tehran’s Heshmatiyeh prison. Mousavi and Karoubi were integral forces during the post-election protests during 2009, and have assumed unofficial roles in spurring the opposition to action. Zahra Rahnavard is an outspoken activist and formerly the chancellor of Alzahra University – the first woman to have been appointed to this position since 1979. Following the 2009 protests, she was removed from this position. Fatemeh Karoubi, like Zahra Rahnavard, campaigned openly with her husband during the 2009 presidential campaign, which has previously been a rare occurrence since the 1979 revolution. Reports indicate that prior to being moved to the safe house, security forces cut all of Mousavi’s communications with the outside world and cordoned off his home with iron bars, imprisoning him and his wife. There were also reports that plainclothes agents threw an acoustic grenade into Mehdi Karoubi’s building, broke windows, and called for the “beheading of Karoubi and his wife.” As noted by the ICHRI, international law declares that secret holding of the four opposition figures is an “enforced disappearance.”
Take Action! Write to the world’s foreign ministers and ask them to address the increasingly brutal crackdown on Iran’s human rights activists, opposition members, and peaceful protesters in recent weeks.
Urge the international human rights community to call on the IRI to immediately desist its oppression and violence and to respect the basic human and civil rights of their own citizens, including the right to assembly, association, and expression.
Call on the world’s leaders to step-up and demand the release of the four illegally detained opposition figures, Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, Mehdi Karoubi, and Fatemeh Karoubi. With the IRI having set a precedent for government sanctioned violence, oppression, and arbitrary detention, share your concerns about the safety of the Iranian people and of the detained opposition leaders.
Mehdi and Fatemeh Karoubi
1) to call on the IRI to respect the right to freedom of expression, assembly, and association as set forth by international rights standards; 2) to urge the IRI to immediately halt its government sanctioned policy of oppression and brutality; 3) to call on the IRI to release all prisoners of conscience and protesters detained during rallies and immediately end the “enforced disappearances” of the four opposition leader; and 4) hold Iran’s rights abusers accountable by blacklisting, freezing the assets of, and instituting travel bans on them.
Directions The letter can be found here. If you choose to add a personal message to the e-letter, please keep it polite, human rights focused, and without rhetoric. To the right of the e- letter page are the recipients of the e-mail you send.You don’t have to send a letter multiple times (one click will send your message to all of the listed officials). Below the
letter are personal fields to fill out. Enter as much information as you feel comfortable. A VALID e-mail address is required; however, if you don’t feel comfortable sharing your e-mail, consider making an e-mail account just to use for actions like this. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail us at
info@united4iran.org.
Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard
Background Write to the world’s foreign ministers and ask them to address the increasingly brutal crackdown on Iran’s human rights activists, opposition members, and peaceful protesters in recent weeks. Take Action!
Urge the international human rights community to call on the IRI to immediately desist its oppression and violence and to respect the basic human and civil rights of their own citizens, including the right to assembly, association, and expression.
Call on the world’s leaders to step-up and demand the release of the four illegally detained opposition figures, Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, Mehdi Karoubi, and Fatemeh Karoubi. With the IRI having set a precedent for government sanctioned violence, oppression, and arbitrary detention, share your concerns about the safety of the Iranian people and of the detained opposition leaders.
Mehdi and Fatemeh Karoubi
1) to call on the IRI to respect the right to freedom of expression, assembly, and association as set forth by international rights standards; 2) to urge the IRI to immediately halt its government sanctioned policy of oppression and brutality; 3) to call on the IRI to release all prisoners of conscience and protesters detained during rallies and immediately end the “enforced disappearances” of the four opposition leader; and 4) hold Iran’s rights abusers accountable by blacklisting, freezing the assets of, and instituting travel bans on them.
Directions The letter can be found here. If you choose to add a personal message to the e-letter, please keep it polite, human rights focused, and without rhetoric. To the right of the e- letter page are the recipients of the e-mail you send.You don’t have to send a letter multiple times (one click will send your message to all of the listed officials). Below the
letter are personal fields to fill out. Enter as much information as you feel comfortable. A VALID e-mail address is required; however, if you don’t feel comfortable sharing your e-mail, consider making an e-mail account just to use for actions like this. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail us at
info@united4iran.org.
