Defend International - 2 journalists facing death penalty

Defend International - 2 journalists facing death penalty: "Article Index
2 journalists facing death penalty

Journalists Adnan Hasan Poor and Abdel Wahd Butimar have allegedly been tortured and have reportedly received death penalties on July 17, 2007.According to the Iranian Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj their writings were aimed to topple the Islamic Republic of Iran."

Peyamner News Agency

Peyamner News Agency: National - Two Kurdish journalists sentenced to death 24-Jul-07 [10:39]
Rsf.org-- Reporters Without Borders voiced deep concern today on learning that journalists Adnan Hassanpour and Abdolvahed “Hiva” Botimar were sentenced to death by a revolutionary tribunal in Marivan, in Iran’s Kurdish northwestern region, on 16 July.


“These death sentences are outrageous and shameful,” the press freedom organisation said. “They show how little Iran is bothered by international humanitarian law. They also show how determined it is to use every possible means to silence the most outspoken journalists and human rights activists.”

Reporters Without Borders added: “We appeal to the international community to ask Iran to reverse this decision and to refrain from executing two men who did nothing but exercise their right to inform their fellow citizens. Iran is in the process of becoming one of the world’s biggest prison for journalists.”

Hassanpour worked for the magazine Asou, which has been banned since August 2005 as a result of a decision by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. He wrote about the very sensitive Kurdish issue.

At his trial, which was held behind closed doors, he was found guilty of “activities subverting national security” and “spying.” His interviews for foreign news media including Voice of America were cited by the prosecution. According to his family and one of his lawyers, Sirvan Hosmandi, he was transferred to Sanandaj prison on 18 July.

The charges on which Botimar, a contributor to Asou and an active member of the environmental NGO Sabzchia, was sentenced to death were not immediately known.

Three other Kurdish journalists are currently in prison in Iran. Ejlal Ghavani of Payam-e Mardom-e Kurdestan, a weekly that was suspended in 2004, was detained on 9 July of this year after being convicted by a court in Sanandaj of “inciting the population to revolt” and “activities against national security.”

Mohammad Sadegh Kabovand, Payam-e Mardom-e Kurdestan’s editor and the founder of a human rights organisation, was arrested on 1 July and transferred to Evin prison. He has not been officially charged.

Kaveh Javanmard of the weekly Karfto is currently serving a two-year prison sentence. He was not allowed access to a lawyer during his trial, which took place behind closed doors.

With a total of eight journalists currently detained, Iran continues to be the Middle East’s biggest prison for the press and one of the world’s ten most repressive countries as regards freedom of expression in the media. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is on the Reporters Without Borders list of the world’s 34 worst “press freedom predators.” Since he became president in August 2005, the authorities have cracked down hard on journalists. The situation is especially fraught in the Kurdish northwest.

Life, Liberty & The Pursuit of Happiness: Iran - Further information on fear of torture or ill treatment/ arbitrary arrest of Adnan Hassanpour & Manso

Life, Liberty & The Pursuit of Happiness: Iran - Further information on fear of torture or ill treatment/ arbitrary arrest of Adnan Hassanpour & Mansour Tayfouri: "Iran - Further information on fear of torture or ill treatment/ arbitrary arrest of Adnan Hassanpour & Mansour Tayfouri

Amnesty reports.

Adnan Hassanpour and his cousin Abdolwahed (known as Hiwa) Butimar have been sentenced to death. Adnan Hassanpour, a Kurdish journalist and advocate of cultural rights for Iranian Kurds, was detained on 25 January and environmentalist Hiwa Butimar on or around 23 December 2006, both in Marivan, Kordestan province. They were reportedly held incommunicado in a Ministry of Intelligence facility in Marivan, and transferred to Marivan prison on 26 March.

Following his arrest Hiwa Butimar‘s home was searched by members of the Intelligence Service, who are said to have confiscated items including Kurdish flags, videos in Kurdish and family pictures of a trip to Iraqi Kurdistan. The confiscated items were also reportedly used as evidence against the cousins, who reportedly appeared before a Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj on 12 June, in the presence of their lawyer.

Adnan Hassanpour and Hiwa Butimar were reportedly returned from Marivan prison to an unconfirmed place of detention, possibly the detention facility run by the Ministry of Intelligence in Sanandaj, the capital of Kordestan province, early in the morning of 15 July. On 17 July the men were told that they had been sentenced to death on charges of espionage and Moharebeh (being at enmity with God). If confirmed on appeal, the sentences would then have to be further confirmed by the Supreme Court.

In an interview carried by the online publication Rooz, the two men's lawyer, Saleh Nikbakht, said that Adnan Hassanpour’s charges related to "a phone conversation he had with a staff member of Radio Voice of America". He also said that Hiwa Butimar had been charged with carrying lethal weapons, although he denied his client had ever done so, and stressed he had not been in contact with any armed group (see: http://www.roozonline.com/english/archives/2007/07/006302.php).

By Noggr the Bloggr at 18:13

The Daily Star - Politics - NGO seeks to stop execution of 2 journalists in Iran

The Daily Star - Politics - NGO seeks to stop execution of 2 journalists in Iran: "NGO seeks to stop execution of 2 journalists in Iran
By Agence France Presse (AFP)

Thursday, July 26, 2007

PARIS: A global press freedoms watchdog urged the international community Wednesday to intervene to stop the execution of two Kurdish journalists sentenced to death in Iran. According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Adnan Hassanpur and Abdolvahed 'Hiva' Botimar were sentenced to death on July 16 by a revolutionary court in Marivan, in Iran's eastern Kurdistan region. Both wrote for the magazine Aso (Horizons), before it was banned in August 2005. Hassanpur, who published several articles on the sensitive issue of Kurdistan and gave interviews to foreign media including Voice of America, was found guilty of espionage and 'subverting national security.' His colleague Botimar is also a member of the environmental NGO Sabzchia, according to RSF, which urged the 'international community to demand that Iran review its decision and not execute these two men.' - AFP

http://www.dailystar.com.lb"

condemning the death sentences Petition

Condemning the death sentences Petition: To: Amnesty International,Reporters without Frontiers,Human Rights Watch,European Union

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

This is the second petition in support of Adnan Hassanpour and Hiwar Boutimar. The Text has been amended in an effort to improve the ease of read in English. We would like to thank all of you who signed the original and ask you to kindly revisit the petition and continue your support by signing this amended text.


URGENT ACTION


Join us to in condemning the death sentences for two civil and human rights activist in Iran

This petition is in protest to the death sentences issued to Adnan Hassanpour and Abdolvahed (Hiwa) Boutimar on 17 July 2007 by the Revolutionary Courts in Iran.

Adnan Hassanpour, an Iranian Kurdish journalist and a member of the editorial board for the banned weekly magazine Assu (banned in August 2005), was arrested and detained on 25 January 2007 without charge. He was held incommunicado and subjected to ill treatment and torture.

Hiwa Boutimar, an Iranian Kurdish civil rights activist and a founding member of an environmental NGO in Mariwan, was arrested on 17 December 2006. He, too, was held incommunicado and subjected to ill treatment and torture.

Both men were sentenced to death on 17 July 2007 on trumped up charge of Moharebeh (Enmity with God).

The Islamic Republic remains signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and bound by its articles. As such, it is legally bound to protect freedom of expression, assembly and equality before the law, and prohibit arbitrary detention, such as detention resulting from the exercise of one of these rights. It must also guarantee due process and humane treatment to those in detention. Therefore, the death sentences are in direct violations of Islamic Republic's international obligations.

Join us in condemning these outrageous sentences and demanding the immediate and unconditional release of these two men.

Sincerely,

Iran: Wife of Kurdish journalist Hiwa Botimar on death-row speaks

Iran: Wife of Kurdish journalist Hiwa Botimar on death-row speaks: "Iran: Wife of Kurdish journalist Hiwa Botimar on death-row speaks: "Free men cannot accept that in the 21st Century intellectuals and journalists are hanged for speaking about freedom or asking for democracy", she said. 26.7.2007




July 26, 2007

Mariwan, Iranian Kurdistan, -- The wife of Hiwa Boutimarthe, a dissident Kurdish journalist sentenced to death in Iran, has pleaded for her husband's life saying the court's ruling was 'an error'.

Hiro, 19, spoke to AKI by phone from Mariwan, a city in Iran's Kurdistan region.

'I want to believe that the judge has made an error since in the death sentence Hiwa is described as being single when in fact we got married three years ago', Hiro said.

Hiro, a university mathematics student, described the sentence as 'against every humane principle' and as having 'trampled on the penal code of the Islamic Republic'.
Kurdish journalists Adnan Hassanpur (L) and Hiwa Botimar sentenced to death by the Iranian Islamic regime

She said she last saw her husband when she visited him in a Mariwan prison some 10 days ago. At that stage the death sentence had not yet been delivered.

Hiro, said that like her husband, she was proud of her Kurdish heritage.

'Kurdistan has for centuries suffered central government injustice and repression. Every family here has at least one member who was shot for no reason other than being proud of belonging to the"

Petition

Campaign to Stop the Execution of Iranian Kurdish Journalist “Adnan Hassanpour” and Civil Activist, “Hiva Boutimar”
http://www.petitiononline.com/hamyaree/petition.html

Freedom Loving People of the World!
UN Security Council!
US State Department!
European Union!
Amnesty International!
Union of Journalists!
Reporters without Frontiers!
PEN!
Human Rights Watch!
Human Rights Organisations!

On 17th July, Iranian media announced the execution sentence to be carried out on Iranian Kurdish journalist, Adnan Hassanpour, member of the editorial board for the banned weekly, Assu and civil activist, Abdolvahed (Hiva) Boutimar.

The execution sentence against these two individuals is in contravention of the human rights convention to which the Islamic Republic of Iran is a signatory of.

Along with a number of other civil activists, journalists, intellectuals, cultural, student, women, human rights and political activists and Adnan’s sister, Leyla, we condemn these sentences and ask for a fair trial of these two individuals.

We also ask other institutions across the globe to join us and speak out in support of these two Iranian Kurds.

[ Death penalty sanctions expression of opinion - WWW.FIDH.ORG ]

[ Death penalty sanctions expression of opinion - WWW.FIDH.ORG ]: "23/07/2007
Iran/Death Penalty/Freedom of Expression
Death penalty sanctions expression of opinion

Following the sentencing to death of two journalists belonging to the Kurdish minority, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Iranian League for the Defence of Human Rights (LDDHI) express their deep concern regarding the serious violations of freedom of expression and the conditions of administration of justice in Iran.

Mr. Adnan Hassanpour and Mr. Abdoulvahed (also known as Hiwa) Boutimar, two Kurdish journalists and active members of Iranian civil society were sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Tribunal in Marivan, on 17 July 2007. The two men were convicted on grounds of espionage, attacks upon national security, the diffusion of separatist propaganda, treason and collaboration with Kurdish political opposition parties.

FIDH and LDDHI condemn these sanctions and calls for the journalists’ fair trial when appealing their sentences, and subsequent release:
- Indeed, FIDH and LDDHI have strong reasons to believe that the charges held against the two journalists are baseless but rather prove the authorities' aim to silence any critical voice or defendant of the Kurdish minority in Iran. Over the past months, Iranian authorities have persecuted and arrested over 150 members of Iranian-Kurdistan civil society. Many of these individuals have been subjected to inordinate judicial punishment. Mr. Hassanpour is a member of the Iranian Kurdistan Journalist Association as well as a reporter for the Aso newspaper, a publication banned by Iranian authorities. Iran's Kurdish population, numbering approximately 10 million, have previously been labeled as "enemies" of Iran and "children of Satan" by the leadership's most senior figures.

- Moreover, since their arrest the two men would have been severely tortured. They were held incommunicado, without access to a lawyer. The trial is thus marred by arbitrariness, in violation of Iran's international obligations.

- In this context, FIDH and LDDHI specially condemn the imposition of death penalty, sanctioning the exercise of the human right to freedom of opinion and expression. Iran violates its obligations under the international covenant for civil and political rights (ICCPR) according to which freedom of expression and opinion should not be unduly limited, and according to which countries which have not abolished death penalty should only impose the death sentence for the most serious crimes.

FIDH and LDDHI call upon the Iranian authorities to duly respect their country's international obligations, and implement the recommendations addressed by the UN Special rapporteur on Freedom of expression as well as the UN Working group on Arbitrary Detention.

Norway: Iranian Kurd Ata Hassanpour says my cousin is to be hanged in Iran

Norway: Iranian Kurd Ata Hassanpour says my cousin is to be hanged in Iran: "Norway, -- Ata Hassanpour received the shocking news on Wednesday: his cousin is to be hanged back home in Iran.

'I just talked with the Adnan’s mother on the phone. She cried all the time and she wants to commit suicide if he is hanged', says Ata Hassanpour quietly.

He sits in the living room in Fyllingsdalen and smokes while staring into the air. In his hand he holds a paper napkin. Less than 24 hours ago he received an email which shocked the family in Norway. Ata’s cousin, 25 year old Kurdish journalist and author Adnan Hassanpour had been sentenced to death by a so-called Revolutionary Tribunal in Iran.

Wrote about Kurdish history
According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Adnan Hassanpour was convicted together with a well known Kurdish activist, Hiwa Botimar. Both were sentenced to death for crimes against the national security of Iran.

'It is not true. All Adnan has ever done is write articles about the repression of Kurds in Iran. He wrote a book about Kurdish history. That is why the soldiers came and arrested him', Ata Hassanpour says.

Together with his sister Serweh he has lived in Norway since 2003. They had to flee from Iran because they were advocating the plight of the Kurds. Other members of the family have moved to Kurdistan, Iraq. Adnan Hassanpour stayed in his hometown of Mariwan, where he worked as a journalist at the weekly magazine ‘Aso’. The magazine was closed by the Iranian authorities in August 2005. On 25th January this year, Adnan was arrested by six agents from the Iranian Intelligence Agency.

In isolation for two months
Ata Hassanpour, my cousin is to be hanged in Iran


Kurdish journalists Adnan Hassanpur and Hiwa Botimar sentenced to death by the Iranian Islamic regime

"They called and asked him to come outside the house. They arrested him without telling him what his alleged crime was. For two months he had no contact with his mother", Ata and Serweh say.

"Neither Adnan’s lawyer have been informed about the case. They were never told about his death sentence. In Iran lawyers have no real power. They cannot influence the case", Ata says.

He has no faith in the Iranian judiciary. That his cousin received the death penalty nevertheless came as a shock.
"We thought he would get 2-3 years imprisonment. Not that he would be hanged for telling the truth and helping people", Ata and Serweh say.

International PEN writes on their web-site that the arrest of Adnan might have been motivated by an interview he gave to the radio station Voice of America. The arrest has attracted some international attention. Both PEN, who works for freedom of speech globally, and Amnesty International have become involved in a campaign to free Adnan Hassanpour.

Ask for help from Norway

After she received news of the death sentence, Adnan’s sister Leila, who lives in Kurdistan, Iraq, has started an e-mail campaign in order to engage countries and international organisations so that they can put international pressure on the Iranian authorities. Ata hopes that the Norwegian authorities will help in this campaign, and call for the death sentence to be revoked.

"It is terribly difficult to be sitting here in Norway without being able to do anything. I beg of Norway, as a democratic country, to raise this case with Iran. It is important that someone protest against this case", he says.

Nobody knows when the death sentence will be carried out. Ata thinks it will be a date during next week. He has not thought of anything else, since he heard about the sentence.

"My thoughts are in Mariwan. I grew up in the same street as Adnan. We are as brothers", he says.

This article appears in Norwegian (translated by Khalid Khedri)

www.bt no | adnanhiwa blogspot.com

Shiro-Khorshid-Forever, Iran News Update& Articles: Adnan Hassanpour,Mansour Tayfouri, Abdolwahed Butimar

Shiro-Khorshid-Forever, Iran News Update& Articles: Adnan Hassanpour,Mansour Tayfouri, Abdolwahed Butimar: "Adnan Hassanpour,Mansour Tayfouri, Abdolwahed Butimar
Fear of torture or ill-treatment/Arbitrary arrest and

NEW CONCERN: Death penalty, IRAN

Adnan Hassanpour (m), Kurdish journalist and cultural rights activist

Mansour Tayfouri (m), Kurdish journalist and translator

New name: Abdolwahed Butimar, known as Hiwa (m), Kurdish activist, Adnan Hassanpour's cousin

Adnan Hassanpour and his cousin Abdolwahed (known as Hiwa) Butimar have been sentenced to death. Adnan Hassanpour, a Kurdish journalist and advocate of cultural rights for Iranian Kurds, was detained on 25 January and environmentalist Hiwa Butimar on or around 23 December 2006, both in Marivan, Kordestan province. They were reportedly held incommunicado in a Ministry of Intelligence facility in Marivan, and transferred to Marivan prison on 26 March.

Following his arrest Hiwa Butimar‘s home was searched by members of the Intelligence Service, who are said to have confiscated items including Kurdish flags, videos in Kurdish and family pictures of a trip to Iraqi Kurdistan. The confiscated items were also reportedly used as evidence against the cousins, who reportedly appeared before a Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj on 12 June, in the presence of their lawyer.

Adnan Hassanpour and Hiwa Butimar were reportedly returned from Marivan prison to an unconfirmed place of detention, possibly the detention facility run by the Ministry of Intelligence in Sanandaj, the capital of Kordestan province, early in the morning of 15 July. On 17 July the men were told that they had been sentenced to death on charges of espionage and Moharebeh (being at enmity with God). If confirmed on appeal, the sentences would then have to be further confirmed by the Supreme Court.

In an interview carried by the online publication Rooz, the two men's lawyer, Saleh Nikbakht, said that Adnan Hassanpour’s charges related to “a phone conversation he had with a staff member of Radio Voice of America”. He also said that Hiwa Butimar had been charged with carrying lethal weapons, although he denied his client had ever done so, and stressed he had not been in contact with any armed group (see: http://www.roozonline.com/english/archives/2007/07/006302.php).

In April, the Mehr News Agency, which is said to have close links with Iran’s judiciary, apparently alleged that Adnan Hassanpour had been in contact with Kurdish opposition groups and had helped two people from Khuzestan province, who were wanted by the authorities, to flee from Iran.

Adnan Hassanpour is a former member of the editorial board of the Kurdish-Persian weekly journal Aso (Horizon), which the authorities closed down in August 2005 following widespread unrest in Kurdish areas. Adnan Hassanpour had reportedly been tried for offences supposedly arising from articles published in the journal. Hiwa Butimar heads an environmental organisation called The Green Mountain Society.

Amnesty International has no information about Mansour Tayfouri.


BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Proceedings before Revolutionary Courts in Iran do not meet international standards for fair trial. The Penal Code contains a number of vaguely-worded provisions relating to association and "national security" which prohibit a range of activities, including those connected with journalism or public discourse which are permitted under international human rights law.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Using your own words, please choose a few of the suggestions below to create a personal appeal and send it as quickly as possible


- expressing concern that Adnan Hassanpour and Abdolwahed Botimar have been sentenced to death;

- urging the authorities to commute these death sentences immediately;

- acknowledging that governments have a responsibility to bring to justice those suspected of criminal offences, but stating your unconditional opposition to the death penalty, as the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and violation of the right to life;

- asking for full details of the charges and evidence against Adnan Hassanpour and Abdolwahed Botimar and expressing concern that their trial may not have met international standards for fair trial, which are especially important in capital cases;

- asking for details of why Mansour Tayfouri was arrested, including any charges and evidence brought against him and of any trial proceedings, and calling for him to be released unless he is to be charged with a recognisably criminal offence and given a prompt and fair trial;

- calling on the authorities to ensure that none of the three men is tortured or ill-treated;

- calling for Adnan Hassanpour, Abdolwahed Botimar and Mansour Tayfouri to be allowed immediate and regular access to their families, lawyers of their own choosing and any medical treatment they may require.

Protectionline.org/Adnan Hassanpour : Detention

Protectionline.org/Adnan Hassanpour : Detention: "Iran: Fear of torture or ill treatment/ arbitrary arrest: Adnan Hassanpour - UA 39/07 Fear of torture or ill treatment/ arbitrary arrest

Email
Enregistrer au format PDF Version PDF
Amnesty International

PUBLIC AI Index: MDE 13/017/2007 16 February 2007

Adnan Hassanpour (m), journalist

Adnan Hassanpour, journalist and advocate of cultural rights for Iranian Kurds, was reportedly detained on 25 January in Marivan, a small city in the northwestern province of Kurdistan. He is believed to be held incommunicado in the provincial capital Sanandaj, where he is at risk of torture or ill-treatment.

Up to six people, reportedly from the Ministry of Intelligence, are said to have telephoned Adnan Hassanpour’s mobile telephone on 25 January and told him to go to a certain place. When he followed their instructions, he was arrested. Security forces personnel reportedly took him back to his home where they removed his computer, notebooks and other personal effects prior to detaining him. It is believed that he was transferred the same day to a detention centre in the provincial capital, Sanandaj, around two hours away, where he is believed to be held incommunicado.

Adnan Hassanpour has reportedly been denied access to his family and his lawyer. His mother is said to have made several requests to Ministry of Intelligence officials to visit him, after travelling for more than two hours in cold winter weather to reach Sanandaj, which have all been denied. The officials have reportedly indicated that he will be detained for several more weeks, although he is not known to have been charged with any offence.

Adnan Hassanpour is a former member of the editorial board of the Kurdish-Persian weekly journal, Aso (Horizon), which was closed by the Iranian authorities in August 2005. Adnan Hassanpour had previously reportedly been tried in connection with articles published in the journal.

On 13 February 2007, over 20 Kurdish writers, journalists and artists issued a petition against the manner of his arrest.

Kurdish human rights defender and journalist Sherko Jihani, who was arrested on 27 November 2006, is believed to have been tortured, including by being beaten severely, while held incommunicado at an unknown location, believed to be a detention facility belonging to the Ministry of Intelligence in Iranian Kurdistan. (See further information on UA 331/06, MDE 13/009/2007, 26 January 2007).

Reporters sans frontières - Adnan Hassanpour

Reporters sans frontières - Adnan Hassanpour: "Adnan Hassanpour, Asou
Journalist Adnan Hassanpour, who was arrested in front of his home on 25 January, works for the weekly Asou. Publication has been suspended since 2005 on the orders of the Culture and Islamic Orientation Ministry, because it carried articles about the very tense situation in Iranian Kurdistan."

Stop KILLING!

Campaign to Stop the Execution of Iranian Kurdish Journalist “Adnan Hassanpour” and Civil Activist, “Hiva Boutimar”
http://www.petitiononline.com/hamyaree/petition.html

Freedom Loving People of the World!
UN Security Council!
US State Department!
European Union!
Amnesty International!
Union of Journalists!
Reporters without Frontiers!
PEN!
Human Rights Watch!
Human Rights Organisations!

On 17th July, Iranian media announced the execution sentence to be carried out on Iranian Kurdish journalist, Adnan Hassanpour, member of the editorial board for the banned weekly, Assu and civil activist, Abdolvahed (Hiva) Boutimar.

The execution sentence against these two individuals is in contravention of the human rights convention to which the Islamic Republic of Iran is a signatory of.

Along with a number of other civil activists, journalists, intellectuals, cultural, student, women, human rights and political activists and Adnan’s sister, Leyla, we condemn these sentences and ask for a fair trial of these two individuals.

We also ask other institutions across the globe to join us and speak out in support of these two Iranian Kurds.

Amnesty International - Journalist arrestert: "19.02.2007
URGENT Iran:
Journalist arrestert

Journalist og forkjemper for kurdernes kulturelle rettigheter, Adnan Hassanpour, ble anholdt den 25. januar i Marivan, en liten by i den nordvestlige provinsen av Kurdistan. Han holdes uten kontakt med omverdenen og risikerer å bli utsatt for tortur og mishandling.

Status: Aktiv



© www.rojhelat.info
Adnan Hassanpour, journalist and advocate of cultural rights for Iranian Kurds, was reportedly detained on 25 January in Marivan, a small city in the northwestern province of Kurdistan. He is believed to be held incommunicado in the provincial capital Sanandaj, where he is at risk of torture or ill-treatment.

Up to six people, reportedly from the Ministry of Intelligence, are said to have telephoned Adnan Hassanpour’s mobile telephone on 25 January and told him to go to a certain place. When he followed their instructions, he was arrested. Security forces personnel reportedly took him back to his home where they removed his computer, notebooks and other personal effects prior to detaining him. It is believed that he was transferred the same day to a detention centre in the provincial capital, Sanandaj, around two hours away, where he is believed to be held incommunicado.

Adnan Hassanpour has reportedly been denied access to his family and his lawyer. His mother is said to have made several requests to Ministry of Intelligence officials to visit him, after travelling for more than two hours in cold winter weather to reach Sanandaj, which have all been denied. The officials have reportedly indicated that he will be detained for several more weeks, although he is not known to have been charged with any offence.

Adnan Hassanpour is a former member of the editorial board of the Kurdish-Persian weekly journal, Aso (Horizon), which was closed by the Iranian authorities in August 2005. Adnan Hassanpour had previously reportedly been tried in connection with articles published in the journal.

On 13 February 2007, over 20 Kurdish writers, journalists and artists issued a petition against the manner of his arrest.

Kurdish human rights defender and journalist Sherko Jihani, who was arrested on 27 November 2006, is believed to have been tortured, including by being beaten severely, while held incommunicado at an unknown location, believed to be a detention facility belonging to the Ministry of Intelligence in Iranian Kurdistan. (See further information on UA 331/06, MDE 13/009/2007, 26 January 2007: http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE130092007?open&of=ENG-IRN).

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in English, French, Persian and Kurdish (for authorities in Kurdistan) or your own language:
.- asking to be informed in detail about the reasons for Adnan Hassanpour’s arrest, including any charges and evidence brought against him and of any trial which may be held;
- calling on the authorities to ensure that he is not tortured or ill-treated;
- calling for him to be allowed immediate and regular access to his family, a lawyer of his own choosing, and to any medical treatment he may require;
- stating that if Adnan Hassanpour has been detained in connection with his peaceful activities on behalf of Iran’s Kurdish community, or with his peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression or association, Amnesty International would consider him to be a prisoner of conscience, who should be released immediately and unconditionally; otherwise he should be released unless he is to be charged with a recognizably criminal offence and brought to trial promptly and fairly.