To: Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein
United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights
CC: Ahmed Shaheed, Special Rapporteur on
the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran; Rita Izsák, UN
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Your Excellency,
We request that your office investigate
the ongoing harassment of the family of Younes Asakerah, an Ahwazi Arab man who
died after an act of self-immolation in apparent protest against the confiscation
of his produce stall.
According to sources close to the case,
local authorities in the southwestern Iranian city of Khorramshahr [Mohammareh
in Arabic] had repeated confiscated produce stall belong to Asakerah, a street
vendor and father of two children. The last confiscation took place on 13 March
as the municipality was reportedly clearing unlicensed stalls in preparation
for state-organized tours to the city.
On 14 March 2015, Asakerah went to the
Municipal Office to request a permit as the relevant authorities had directed.
Once there, municipal officials allegedly denied his request and told him to
leave. A source says that Asakerah threatened that he would commit suicide by
setting himself on fire but officials ignored him. That same day he went to a
petrol station where he purchased a can of petrol. He returned to the Municipal
Office and burnt himself in front of the building. Asakerah suffered burns on
92 percent of his body and died eight days later on 22 March in Motahhari
Hospital in Tehran.
Sources close to the case claim that the
authorities failed to properly react to Asakerah’s condition. Hospitals in
Khorramshahr and Ahvaz [Ahwaz in Arabic], where he was initially transferred,
were unable to help. The family was reportedly forced to collect donations in
order to hire an ambulance to transfer him to Motahhari hospital in Tehran for
special care at an advanced burn unit. Sources believe Asakerah‘s medical care
in Tehran did not come not quickly enough.
Asakerah’s death quickly gained attention
on social media and in Arabic language media and triggered larger protests in
several Arab-majority cities in the province, included Ahvaz and Khorramshahr.
Protestors who took to the streets chanted anti-government slogans and in some
cases clashed with security forces. In Ahwaz, according to media reports,
authorities arrested approximately 1000 people during a protest that ensued on
17 March after a football match in which a banner was displayed in the crowd
that read in Arabic, “We are all Younis.” A police spokesman announced via news
media that most protesters have been released after signing pledges, but did
not specify the content of the pledges.
However, local sources claim that some of those arrested are still being
detained and are facing criminal charges.
In the weeks after Asakerah’s death,
members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), intelligence officers,
and municipal officials visited Asakerah’s family and wife on several
occasions, a source reported. It is alleged that these officials harassed and
threatened the family, demanding they not speak publicly about Asakerah’s
death. The most recent confirmed visit to Asakerah’s family by the authorities
occurred on 3 April. The source adds that Motahhari Hospital initially refused
to hand over Asakerah’s body to his family, claiming they had received orders
from intelligence services not to release the body. The body was only released
after the authorities detained his father, brother and a tribal leader for
eight hours on 22 March and reportedly forced them to sign a document promising
to hold quiet mourning and funeral services outside of the city. Family members
and friends also had to collect money to pay for the transfer of his body back
to Khorramshahr and for funeral services.
Khuzestan Province, where Khorramshahr is
located, has a sizable Arab population. The province suffers from high
unemployment, underdevelopment, inadequate housing, poor access to healthcare
services, and air and water pollution. Ahwazi Arabs in Iran also face broad
discrimination, particularly with regard to economic and social rights. Local
human rights activists are routinely imprisoned under vaguely-worded national
security laws. Since 2005, the province has seen dozens of large-scale anti-government
protests.
Our organizations are concerned that
Younes Asakerah’s family is under constant risk of harassment and detention by
Iranian authorities and that that risk will continue as long as Asakerah’s case
is a rallying point for members of the province’s Arab community. As such we
request that your offices look into this matter and call on the Iranian
government to account for treatment Asakerah’s family and ensure that no
harassment is taking place. The freedom of expression, association, and
assembly of the family should be respected and the government should safeguard
their right to mourn their loved one’s death and air grievances with local
officials. We ask that the OHCHR urge the Iranian government to take
appropriate action against any agents of the state found to have abused the
rights of Asakerah’s family.
We thank you for addressing this matter.
Sincerely,
Roya Boroumand, Executive Director
Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation
Karim Abdian, Executive Director
Ahwaz Human Rights Organization
Kamran
Ashtary, Executive Director
Arseh Sevom
Alirza Quluncu, Representative
The Association for Defence of
Azerbaijani Political Prisoners in Iran
Duman Radmehr, Executive Director
Association for Human Rights of the
Azerbaijani People in Iran
Taimoor Aliassi, UN Representative
Association pour les Droits Humains au
Kurdistan d'Iran-‐Genève (KMMK-‐G)
Mansoor Bibak, Co-‐Director
Balochistan Human Rights Group
Yousef
Azizi Banitorof, Secretary
Center for Combating Racism and Discrimination
Against Arabs in Iran
Dr.
Shirin Ebadi,
Founder and President Center for Supporters of
Human Rights
Raphaël Chenuil-‐Hazan,
Executive Director Ensemble Contre La
Peine de Mort (ECPM)
Ibrahim Al Arabi, Executive Director
European Ahwazi Human Rights Organisation
Keyvan Rafiee, Executive Director
Human Rights Activists in Iran
Mani
Mostofi,
Director Impact Iran
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, Executive
Director
Iran Human Rights
Rod Sanjabi,
Executive Director Iran Human Rights
Documentation Center
Tara
Fatehi,
Spokesperson Kurdistan Human Rights Network
Hassan
Nayeb Hashem,
Representative to the Human Rights Council in
Geneva Südwind: All Human Rights for All in Iran
Firuzeh Mahmoudi, Executive Director
United
for Iran
No comments :
Post a Comment