No: 560-LR-3410
His Excellency Ban-Ki Moon
Secretary General of the United Nations
The United Nations
New York, NY 10017
Re: International Campaign for the Immediate Release of Narges Mohammadi from the Islamic Republic's Prison
Your Excellency,
We urge the international community to demand the immediate release of Narges Mohammadi, a prominent political prisoner, from the notorious Evin prison in Tehran, Iran. We are seriously concerned about Mohammadi's health due to the denial of proper medical care, while the authorities of the theocratic regime refuse to provide any information about her condition. Recent reports point at her weakened health following several days of wet hunger strike, which she started on June 27th to protest her jailors' refusal to grant her phone contact with her children. Mohammadi suffers from pulmonary embolism and crippling muscle disease, which combined with her hunger strike under these difficult conditions pose a serious threat to her life.
Mohammadi, the former spokesperson of the now banned Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC) and the winner of the 2011 Per Anger Prize for Human Rights Initiatives, was first arrested in 1998 for her criticism of the theocratic regime in Iran. She was summoned to the Islamic Revolutionary Court for her membership in the DHRC, released on bail, and rearrested within days.
In July 2011, Mohammadi was prosecuted again and found guilty of "activities against the security of the Islamic Republic, membership in the DHRC and propaganda against the regime'. She was subsequently sentenced to 11 years of imprisonment before being temporarily released following the international community's outrage at her imprisonment. In May 2015, Mohammadi began serving a six-year sentence for charges that include 'spreading propaganda against the system' for her human rights work. This year, a new trial was held where she was sentenced to an additional 10 years for forming a group against the death penalty.
We appeal to your high office and the international community to join our campaign for the immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience. Iranians across the political spectrum appreciate your tireless efforts in support of various human rights initiatives. It is with an emphasis on the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and a non-violent solution for the future of Iran that we formed the Iran National Council for Free Elections in 2013. Our ultimate vision is to hold free, fair and transparent elections in our beloved homeland. This vision requires the moral support of the international community for the unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience.
We thank you sincerely for your consideration and offer our unqualified assistance on this urgent matter.
Yours sincerely,
Reza Pahlavi
President of the National Council of Iran for Free Elections