Prominent Iranian Academics and Intellectuals Condemn Executions’ Tsunami
In a letter to the UN Secretary General, a group of prominent Iranian academics and intellectuals living abroad strongly condemned the wave of recent executions in Iran (Note that the figures for executions quoted in the letter are those of mid-January. Since then, the available information indicates that in 2010 at least 542 and in January 2011 alone at least 83 executions have taken place):
Open Letter: Condemnation of Executions’ Tsunami in the Islamic Republic of Iran
To:Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Members of the UN General Assembly
CC: Supreme Leader Mr. Ali Khamenehi
Date: 13 February 2011
New York, London, Paris, Berlin
Your Excellency;
An Iranian prisoner has been executed every eight hours in recent months. There is every indication that Iran will again rank top in the world for its execution’s record. There have been 47 executions since January the 1st 2011. An alarming figure of 300 executions has been reported by various human rights organizations in the past year alone. In most cases, the execution of political prisoners is carried out without proper trials and Habeas corpus, not even in a kangaroo court setting prevalent in Iran since the early days of the 1979’s Islamic revolution. In fact, it is estimated that tens of Iranian prisoners of conscience are awaiting executions in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Given the recent removal of subsidies resulting in the astronomical rise of the cost of gasoline and essential life commodities, and the revolt in Tunisia, Egypt, and other Arab countries, the IRI is exploiting the increased and rapid executions as a means of circumventing any possible notion of uprising.
Resolution–
On the 32nd anniversary of the Islamic Republic and with the rapid development of the people’s legitimate demands for socio-economic and political reforms in the region, as exemplified in post election Iran and currently in some Arab countries, we abhor any violation of human rights in Iran and demand unequivocally for the complete halting of the chain of the executions and human rights abuses. We further demand the removal of all restrictions on freedom of press, expression, and political participation so that people can openly and freely exercise their civic and political rights.
Signed:
Abghari Siavash,
Professor of Finance & Director, Morehouse College, Atlanta, USA
Abghari Shahla
Professor of Microbiology ,Life University, Atlanta, USA
Afshar Haleh OBE
Professor the Baroness AcSS, Department of Politics, University of York, UK
Afshari Reza
Professor of History, Pace University, New York, USA
Ashouri Daryoush
Scholar, Writer
Alamdari Kazem
Professor of Sociology, California State University, Northridge, USA
Baghi Heibatollah
Professor of Biostatistics, George Mason University, VA, USA
Barati Mehran
Free University Berlin-Germany, Research Unit Globalization and Int’l Politics,
Darvishpour Mehrdad
PH.D in sociology and lectur at Mälardalens University, Sweden
Dastmalchi Parviz
Scholar, Writer
Farhang Jahanpour
Associate Fellow, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford
Farhang Mansour
Professor of Political Science, Bennington College, USA
Farhi Farideh
Department of Political Science ;University of Hawai’i at Manoa, USA
Ganjbakhsh Amir Hossein
Senior Investigator, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD ,USA
Gregory Julian
Professor of Political Sciences, Pace University New York
Haghighatjoo Fatemeh
President Nonviolence Initiative for democracy;University of Massachusetts, Boston , USA
Hashemi Nader
Assistant Professor, University of Denver, CO, USA
Jahanbegloo Ramin
Scholar, Writer
Kangarlu, Alayar
Professor of Medical Physics, Columbia University and New York , USA
Karimi-Hakkak Ahmad
Professor The Roshan Center for Persian Studies University of Maryland College Park, MD USA
Karimi-Hakak Mahmood
Professor, Siena College, New York, Artistic Director, Mahak International Artists Inc, NY, USA
Keshavarz Fatemeh,
Professor, Washington University in St. Louis USA
Keddie Nikki ;Professor Emerita of History, UCLA ;Santa Monica, CA, USA
Khosrokhavar Farhad
Professor at Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris
LAHIDJI Abdol-Karim
Président de la LDDHI; Vice-Président de la FIDH Paris, France
Mahdi Akbar
Professor of Sociology, Ohio Wesleyan university, OH, USA
Moaddel Mansoor
Professor of Sociology, Eastern Michigan University, MI, USA
Mohammadi Majid
Visiting Scholar in Stony Brook Institute for Global Studies, NY, USA
Monshipouri Mahmood
Associate Professor, Dept. of Int’l Relations, San Francisco State University, CA, USA
Mousoli Reza
Senior Lecturer in Computing, Canterbury Christ Church University, Kent, United Kingdom
Navab Mohamad
Professor, Project Leader, Cardiology, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
Niroomand-Rad Azam
Professor Emeritus, Past President, International Organization for Medical Physics, USA
Ottinger Richard L.
Dean Emeritus, Pace Law School, 78 North Broadway, NY USA
Parsa Misagh
Professor of Sociology, Dartmouth College, NH, USA
Paivandi saeed
Professor; University Paris 8; Paris, France
Rakei Ali
Theoretical Physicist, Mitre Corporation, Washington DC, USA
Rahni Davood
Professor of Chemistry, Pace University New York, NY, USA
Rahnema Saeed
Professor, York University, Atkinson Toronto, Canada
Sabetian Manoucher
Consultant surgeon. FRCS, Ex-President Iranian PEN in Exile, United Kingdom
Talattof Kamran
Professor; Dept. of Near Eastern Studies; Affiliated The University of Arizona, USA
Tohidi Nayereh
Professor & Chair, California State University, Northridge, CA, USA
Vahdat Farzin
Sociologist, Asian Studies Program, Vassar College
Ziai Hossein
Amuzegar Chair in Iranian Studies, Director of Iranian Studies, , UCLA, CA, USA
