Sheffield Demo

October 25th, outside Sheffield Town Hall, many Kurds and others joined together to demonstrate against the treatment of Kurdish prisoners of conscience and the torture of Ocalan in Imrali jail, Turkey.
Enjoy the pictures.

Adnan's death penalty commuted

We rejoice with Kurds everywhere (and especially Adnan and his family) that Adnan's sentence has been commuted. Pray on and campaign on for dear Hiwa. There is hope.

Details here

Hunger Strike

Many prisoners in jails across Iran are hunger striking demanding the abolition of the death penalty for so-called intellectual and political crimes, and trials in open court, attended by defendants and their lawyers. Many of them are ethnic Kurds.

We appeal again for you to protest

Could you write a letter to one of the following and express your concern about the Kurdish journalist Hiwa Butimar. Call on the Iranian government to stop his execution and to release him immediately.

Please send your appeal to:

Secretary-General United Nations
Hon. Ban Ki-moon
United Nations Headquarters
First Avenue at 46th Street
New York, NY 10017

Supreme leader of Iran
Sayyed Ali Khamenei
E-mail via web site
http://www.leader.ir/

Iranian president
Mahmud Ahmadinejad
E-mail via web site
http://www.president.ir/en/

Head of the Judiciary
Ayatollah Mahmud Hashemi Shahroudi
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh / Office of the Head of the Judiciary
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri, Tehran 1316814737, Islamic Republic of Iran

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Ms Louise Arbour
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Palais des Nations CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland

Chairwoman of European parliament Human Rights committee
Ms Hélène FLAUTRE
Bureau d'Hélène Flautre au Parlement européen8G130, rue WierzB-1049, Bruxelles, Belgique

Sentenced again

Hiwa Butimar has been sentenced to death by branch number one of the Revolutionary Court in Mariwan city, for a second time.

The Iranian government accused him of selling arms to Kurdish guerrilla fighters connected to P.K.K, which all of the Kurdish political parties strongly repudiate.

It seems, from sources inside Kurdistan, that Hiwa Butimar has been in solitary confinement for more than a year and has undergone torture.

His brother, Hadi Butimar says that his appeal against the sentence was referred to the same judge in Mariwan city, who confirmed it for a second time.

This is totally unacceptable, and shows the summary and arbitrary nature of executions in Iran. How can an appeal case be referred to the same judge?

Full story here

Hadi & Layli receive Journalist Awards for Adnan & Hiwa

We are in Italy.
We collected Hiwa and Adnan's Freedom of the Press awards from ISF * on 30.11.2007 in Siena City, Toscani county. On the same day we went to Toscani local parliament in Florence and gave a speech there.

Tomorrow Layli Hasanpur and I are going to Italy's parliament in Rome at 11am.

http://www.isfreedom.org/dossierAdnaneHiwa.htm

* Information Safety and Freedom has the objective of defending press freedom throughout the world, protecting journalists and media users. This means the defence of freedom to inform and being informed.



thanks
Martin Hadi

Message from the families

Dear Friends

We would like to thank the Italian human rights group Information, Safety & Freedom for conferring this year’s Freedom of the Press Award to Adnan Hassanpour and Hiwa Butimar.

The presentation of this award comes at a critical time, as both Adnan and Hiwa’s lives are threatened by the Iranian authorities. One week ago the Iranian Supreme Court upheld the death sentence for Adnan, and prolonged the imprisonment for Hiwa.

As families and friends of Adnan and Hiwa, we are grateful for all the support of the human right protectors of Kurdistan, Iran and the rest of the world, in particular the government and non governmental organisations whether they are in Italy, Europe or America.

We would like to take this oppportunity to intensify our efforts, as fellow humans, to demolish the death penalty all-over the world. We hope the case of Hiwa and Adnan could become the milestone for this important step of mankind.

Capital punishment does not serve the cause of peace on our planet; on the contrary, it deepens the feuds, civil unrests and creates hatred, keeping us apart while we need to pursue integration- mankind as one family. Capital punishment and torture alienates the authorities from the very people that they should represent, protect and work for their wellbeing. If this alienation is deepened, the authorities can also become the victim of these conflicts and civil unrests, as we have seen in the case of Iraq. Death and torture must not be a punishment for any crime.

We urge you to support the case of Hiwa and Adnan to be re-tried in a court that complies with international legal standards. No confession should be taken from them as evidence when it is recorded by the means of torture. While Hiwa and Adnan waiting for their final court verdict, they should be able to receive printed materials, including books and newspapers, and their families and friends should be allowed to visit them.

While we urge the Iranian authorities to review their verdict in the case of Hiwa and Adnan, we only wish peaceful coexistence for the peoples living in Iran, which assists the stability of the region and that of the international community.

Thank you,

Butimar and Hassanpour families

Comment from KHRP

Dear Participants

The Kurdish Human Rights Project would like to commend the Italian human rights group Information, Safety & Freedom for conferring this year’s Freedom of the Press award to Adnan Hassanpour and Hiwa Butimar.

The Kurdish Human Rights Project is an independent, non-political human rights organization dedicated to protecting and promoting the human rights of all persons living in the Kurdish regions of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria and elsewhere.

The presentation of this award comes at a critical time, as both Adnan and Hiwa’s life are threatened by the Iranian authorities. One week ago the Iranian Supreme Court upheld the death sentence for Adnan, and prolonged the imprisonment for Hiwa.

Despite ongoing international pressure, the Iranian government continues to restrict freedom of expression, exercises the death penalty on a mass scale, as well as torture and other forms of ill-treatment, and detention without trial. In addition, religious and ethnic minorities continue to face systematic discrimination by the state.

The right to freedom of expression in particular remains a key issue in the relationship between Iran and the international community.

KHRP has repeatedly stressed the importance of freedom of expression, calling for Iran to remove restrictions on the freedom of the media, and allow journalists, writers, human rights defenders, students, and women groups to speak freely.

Iran has constantly been under pressure by international human rights organisations with regard to its violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Iran is a party.

It is important to note that since the Iranian revolution, and particularly since Ahmadinejad came to power in 2005, further restrictions have been imposed on freedom of expression.

Despite internal and external pressure on the Iranian government, the Iranian constitution contains several articles which directly impact the exercising of free opinion and expression in the country. Article 12 of Iranian constitution, requires the press Supervisory Board to ban publications that violate Islamic code. The same article bans publications of articles ‘which might damage the foundation of Islamic Republic’, national security, insulting Islam or defending leader and religious authorities.

Under these legal provisions the Islamic Republic of Iran has imprisoned, tortured, harassed and even sentenced to death intellectuals, journalists, students, lawyers, political opponents and human rights defenders. The death sentence against Hiwa and Adnan is a recent example of this abuse of human rights in Iran.

The other issue which needs direct attention is the treatment of ethnic minorities in Iran. KHRP has continually highlighted the occurrence of Kurdish oppression in Iran to the international community. Kurds in Iran have been discriminated against throughout Iran’s history. Since the formation of Iranian state in 1924, Iranian government has placed restrictions and boundaries on Kurdish culture and language.

The arrest and subsequent death sentences against Hiwa and Adnan reaffirms this problem. Hiwa and Adnan have been subjected to such harsh treatment by the Iranian authorities due to their journalistic work, and their participation in the human rights movement in Iranian Kurdistan

The death penalty is another issue which needs to be addressed by the international community. Iran has for a long time exercised the death penalty on a mass scale. Within the Kurdish community in particular, death sentences have been widely carried out, to a large scale.

The KHRP urges participants here today to exert influence over Iran to address these and many other issues, and in particular to call for the removal of these unjust sentences for Adnan and Hiwa, as well the numerous other victims of such oppression.

The KHRP urges international human rights organisations to exert influence over Iran to guarantee the right to free speech and the independence of the media, to eliminate discrimination against the Kurds, and to eradicate the death penalty.

The KHRP has monitored and observed several cases related to freedom of expression, including those of Hiwa and Adnan. The evidence from these observations suggests that there remain major difficulties related to free expression in Iran. Therefore we urge international organisations to closely examine the application of the principles of freedom of expression in Iran, and strongly condemn Iran’s actions towards those who do speak out, including their unjustifiable use of torture and the death penalty.

Thank you

C.H.A.K. document

http://www.chak.be/pages/Amnesty%20I..Adnan.pdf

Anyone translate?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/iran/story/2007/11/071109_mf_kurds.shtml

Tragic News - Hiwa's father has died

Mr. Ali Butimar, Hiwa Butimar’s father, passed away on Friday morning 12/10/07 due to the pause in a verse in the age of 85. Hiwa Butimar, a journalist and environmental activist has already been sentenced to death by the Iranian revolutionary supreme court and he is anticipating his verdict execution in Sanandaj prison (Capital of Kurdistan Province).

Hiwa’s father, Mr. Ali Butimar, has left this world with great regret after seeing his imprisoned son for the last time. The Iranian Intelligence Service has forbidden any visiting of the family members for their imprisoned son since his capture last winter. Ultimately, due to the pressure of human rights organisations and international demonstrations, the Iranian Intelligence Service agreed with visiting of family members for their son.

Mr. Ali Butimar, was visited his son for a short time, in Sanandaj prison a month ago, but the prison commissioners did not let them to speak directly and face to face. They managed father and Son to speak through a phone line on opposite sides of a thick glass wall, where officers on both sides watched on and tracked their conversation.

This situation had fatal effects on Mr. Ali Butimar, since he was an old man and emotionally destroyed from his son's death sentence, and also the way the jail’s commissioners have treated his imprisoned son. These were coinciding with Hiwa’s hunger strike as a protest against his unfair death sentence and his condition in Jail.

In addition to all these horrendous circumstances for Mr. Ali Butimar, his older son Mr. Hadi Butimar, had to leave Iran as a result of his political activities against the Iranian government, to save his life nearly 6 years ago. He was not able to see his father and be with him in his final moments.

All these difficulties and unpleasant and unbearable events on Mr. Ali Butimar’s family from of Iranian Government, led him to having a stroke and then finally closing his eyes for ever from all these unevenness and injustice which have dominated the Kurdistan area. He was hopeful to see freedom one day and to live in liberty and autonomy.

We are all, as sons of Mr. Ali Butimar, hopeful to live in liberty and autonomy one day, and we are doing our best to achieve this. One day...

Medical attention urgent

According to the Binar News, since Adnan and Hiwa had been transferred to the Sannandaj Central prison 9 days ago, they are still in a bad situation.

It is stated by their families last Wednesday although adnan and hiwa had been transferred to the central prison, they still have no access to medical treatment and they have been locked in a cell which is full of criminals. They also stated that, despite the existence of a health clinic inside the prison Adnan and Hiwa, unlike other prisoners, are deprived from medical help. Thus, as families of Adnan and Hiwa, we ask the human rights organizations and Red Cross to do their best in order to provide our sons proper medical treatment.

With our regards.

Adnan and Hiwa`s families.

Progress

Some good news from the brother of Hiwa. A transfer to another jail was something we have been requesting urgently.

"On Sunday 23rd September Adnan and Hiwa were transferred from the intelligence service jail in Sanandaj to a normal jail in same city. They had been on hunger strike for 48 days."

Message from the families

"As Adnan and Hiwa`s families, we appreciate the sympathy and the support of all those people who joined our campaign against the death penalty of adnan and hiwa. Also we would like to certify that your vote and support have delayed the execution. Although their appeal has been accepted by the Iranian Minstry of Justice, Adnan and Hiwa are still in a bad situation due to their very poor health. They were on a hunger strike for almost 42 days with no access to doctors, and they still have no access to doctors. As a result of the hunger strike their health situation is deteriorating therefore we think that Iranian regime is attempting to implement the death penalty in a different way by not letting Adnan and Hiwa to be seen by a professional health care.

Your sincerely,

Families of Adnan and Hiwa "

European Parliament

Dear Mr Stovell,

Thank you very much for your email regarding the death sentences of Adnan Hasanpur and Hiwa Butimar.

As a member of the European Parliament's Human Rights and Foreign Affairs Committees, the human rights situation in Iran is of great importance to me.
I have repeatedly voiced my serious concern over the deterioration of the human rights situation in Iran since President Ahmedinejad took office in June 2005, and voted in favour of the Joint resolution on Iran, RC\64011, which calls upon Iran to grant all persons the right to exercise their civil rights and political freedoms. Iranian authorities are expected to fulfil their commitments to promote universal values, which they are also obliged to do by international conventions that it has ratified.

My colleagues and I reminded the Government of Iran of these obligations to safeguard freedom of opinion, and called for the release of all imprisoned journalists and webloggers. We also demanded for the abolition of stoning, strongly condemned the death penalty, and urged
Iran to respect internationally recognised legal safeguards.

In terms of action, we called on Iran to recommence the EU-Iran Human Rights Dialogue with the European Union. The European Council and the European Commission also have a role to play in the human rights situation in Iran, and so the resolution asks of these institutions a
close monitoring of developments in Iran. In doing so, we called upon them to raise concrete cases of human rights abuses as the basic condition for progress in EU-Iran economic and trade relations.

I urged the Commission to make effective use of the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights, the $200m per year fund which I founded, by for example supporting uncensored media.

I would like to thank you for bringing to my attention these two cases of Adnan Hasanpur and Hiwa Butimar- two more cases amongst, unfortunately, far too many.

Thank you once again for contacting me.

Yours sincerely,

Edward McMillan-Scott.

Vice-President of the European Parliament