Nowruz Action
The Persian holiday Nowruz ("new day") is an ancient holiday celebrated on the first day of spring to welcome in the new year. On this Nowruz we want to remember three courageous prisoners of conscience in Iran with Nowruz greetings. We ask you to send cards with simple Nowruz greetings such as "Nowruz mobarak."
You can say "thinking of you at Nowruz time" or "hoping you are well." You may send a greeting in either English or Farsi (Persian) but please do not mention Amnesty International or specifics of the recipient's case. Please also refrain from mentioning the political situation, human rights or U.S.-Iran relations. We suggest sending cards with pictures of landscapes, spring flowers or the like, in keeping with the spirit of the holiday and the message of hope and renewal. Please do not choose cards that have pictures of people unless they are very conservatively dressed, and please do not use cards that depict bottles of wine or other alcoholic beverages.
These three prisoners of conscience have been identified by Amnesty International as "individuals at risk" and are therefore targeted for intensified campaigning. Two have been sentenced to long prison terms for their peaceful activism and are in poor health. The third awaits the outcome of judicial proceedings.
Mansour Ossanlu
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Mansour Ossanlu is the leader of the Union of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company. He is currently serving a five-year prison sentence for "acts against national security." The charges stem from his peaceful work to obtain better conditions for workers in Iran and to end discriminatory laws and practices that curtail workers' rights in Iran. He had been arrested and detained several times and severely beaten in custody.
He had originally been held in Tehran's Evin Prison but in August 2008 he was transferred to Rajaei prison in the city of Karaj which houses criminals convicted of violent crimes. Rajaei prison is far from his wife and family who have not been able to visit him very often.
He has suffered from serious medical problems, including retinal damage resulting from beatings he received during a previous detention. Although he was permitted to undergo emergency eye surgery in October 2007, his health condition is still a concern. He has not been allowed to receive the medical care he needs. Amnesty International considers him a prisoner of conscience who is being detained on vaguely worded charges in order to halt his efforts to build strong trades unions capable of defending the human rights of workers.
Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand
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Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand, an Iranian Kurdish journalist and founder and Chair of the Human Rights Organization of Kurdistan (HROK), has been detained in Section 209 of Evin Prison since his arrest on 1 July 2007. In May 2008 he was sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment by Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran. He was accused of "acting against state security," "propaganda against the system," and "cooperating with groups opposed to the system." Amnesty International is concerned that he is being held solely for the peaceful expression of his ideas.
Until 2004, he was the editor of a weekly newspaper Payam-e Mardom-e Kordestan, which carried articles promoting the cultural, social and political rights of Iran's Kurdish minority. Payam-e Mardom-e Kordestan was issued with a three-year ban by Iran's judiciary on 27 June 2004 for "disseminating separatist ideas and publishing false reports" and has not re-opened since. He was arrested on the day the publication ban on his newspaper expired.
Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand has suffered from poor health and medical neglect since his detention. He apparently suffered a heart attack on 17 December 2008 and was not provided with adequate treatment. In May 2008, he collapsed in prison and was unconscious for about 30 minutes.
Ronak Safarzadeh
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Ronak Safarzadeh, an Iranian Kurdish graphic artist and women's rights activist, has been detained in Sanandaj, NW Iran, since 9 October 2007, She is an active member of the Campaign for Equality, which is seeking an end to legalized discrimination against women in Iran, and of the NGO Azar Mehr Women's Organization of Sanandaj, which is affiliated to the Campaign for Equality.
On 8 Oct 2007, Ronak Safarzadeh attended a meeting in Sanandaj to mark the International Day of the Child and collected signatures in support of the Campaign for Equality. The following morning, Ministry of Intelligence officials reportedly came to her house, confiscated her computer, copies of the Campaign's petition and a booklet it produced, and arrested her. Her trial began in March 2008 in the presence of her lawyer, where the charges against her were set out. She is accused of being mohareb (at enmity with God), which can carry the death penalty. No further court dates have been announced. The charges may stem from accusations of membership of or activities for PJAK, a Kurdish opposition group, and taking part in attacks in Saandaj, which Ronak Safarzadeh, her family and friends, strenuously deny. Her lawyer is reported to have said that Sarafzadeh's "confessions" were taken under duress and are not admissible in court.
In January 2009, Ronak Safarzadeh was summoned to court and charged with participating in a hunger strike along with other prisoners in October 2008. Her lawyer is worried about her situation as her temporary detention order has been renewed eight times, due to the fact that there has still not been the verdict in her trial.
