Her Excellency Louise Arbour,
 The High Commissioner for Human Rights

In regards to your upcoming trip to Iran to gain a firsthand perspective of the Human Rights situation there, we the Iranian Human Rights activists Groups of the European Union EU and of North America (IHRAG) and the Canadian based International Coalition Against Torture (InCAT) would like to draw your attention to the widespread, planned and systematic violation of Human Rights in Iran, during the first 8 months of 2007.

The summary of the violations are as follows:

 

Total number of death sentences handed out

 

181

Total number of executions performed

153

Death sentence carried out by stoning                                                                             

1

Women awaiting execution by stoning                       

8

Youth under 18, currently on death row awaiting execution                                                       

1

Amputation sentences carried out                                                                                               

5

Journalists, arrested, interrogated and tried

190

Women’s rights activists, arrested, interrogated and tried

45

Students’  movement activists, arrested, interrogated and tried

227

Number of Labour Union movement activists’ rights have been violated                                                           

307

Political, social and cultural activists arrested, interrogated and tried

270

 

This is only the tip of the iceberg, there is much more below the surface. Due to the lack of free news and information circulation, censors, and the absence of security for the social and NGOs activities, our report contains an insignificant view of Human Rights violation in Iran.

Hereby we must implore that you visit the victims and involved families affected by these severe Human Right violations to better understand the gravity of their situations. Merely allowing the Iranian government to censor your visit and instead show you their facade of a democratic society would be a horrible blow to creating public awareness of the injustices occurring daily in Iran.  Please do not allow them to use your visit as a sign of approval of a regime which systematically violates basic Human Rights, the people’s lives which have been, are being, and will be destroyed by it deserve more from their fellow mankind.

The Iranian Human Rights Activist Groups of the EU and North America (IHRAG) &

 The International Coalition Against Torture (InCAT)

 

Iranian Human Rights Activist Groups in EU and North America (IHRAG) 
E-mail: hriran@hriran.org
Phone: 1 - 514 - 365 9212 (
Canada) or 46 -704-124-500 (Sweden)
Address:
BOX 5047, 165 10 Hässelby, Sweden
Human Rights News from
Iran: www.hriran.org