Release on bail of Mr. Reza Khandan

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a jointpartnership of FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), hasreceived new information and requests your urgent intervention in the followingsituation in Iran.

New information:

The Observatory has been informed by the League for the Defence of HumanRights in Iran (LDDHI) about the release on bail of Mr. Reza Khandan, a human rights defender known for having raisedconcerns on Facebook about human rights violations in Iran, including theimprisonment of human rights defenders and the prosecution of women who havecampaigned against the imposition of the hijab. Mr. Khandan also campaigned forthe release of his wife, Ms. NasrinSotoudeh, one of Iran’s most prominent human rights lawyers, who wasarrested on June 13, 2018[1].

According to the information received, on December 23, 2018, Mr. Reza Khandanwas provisionally released on a ‘personal guarantee’[2].

This followed a court hearing thatwas attended by Mr. Reza Khandan on December 19, 2018, at Branch 15 of theIslamic Revolution Court in Tehran. During the hearing, the Court agreed tochange Mr. Khandan’s financial bail to a personal guarantee. Mr. Khandan isstill facing charges of “gathering andcolluding against national security” (Article 610 of the Islamic Penal Code),“spreading propaganda against the system” (Article 500 of the Islamic PenalCode), and propagating and promoting disregard for hijab in the society.

Following Mr. Khandan’s release,medical doctor and human rights defender Mr. Farhad Mayssami and Ms.Nasrin Sotoudeh, who remain detained in Tehran’s Evin prison, ended theirhunger strike. Mr. Farhad Mayssami had been on hunger strike since August 1,2018 and received intravenous fluid against his will[3].Ms. Nasrin Sotoudeh had been on hunger strike since November 26, 2018, toexpress solidarity with Mr. Mayssami.

The Observatory welcomes the releaseon bail of Mr. Reza Khandan, but recalls that he should never have beenincarcerated in the first place. The Observatory calls on Iranian authoritiesto end all acts of harassment, including at the judicial level, against Mr. RezaKhandan and all human rights defenders in the country.

The Observatory also recallsthat several other human rights lawyers and human rights defenders remain inarbitrary detention, including Ms. Nasrin Sotoudeh, Ms. Rezvaneh Mohammadi, Ms. Maryam Azad[4], Mr. Mostafa Daneshju, and Mr. Farhad Mayssami.

Background information[5]:

Mr. Reza Khandan was arrested by agents of the Ministry ofIntelligence on September 4, 2018, at his home in Tehran and subsequently takento Branch 7 of the Prosecutor’s Office in the capital’s Evin prison. He wasdetained on charges of “gathering and colluding against national security”,“spreading propaganda against the system”, and propagating and promotingdisregard for hijab in the society. The Prosecutor’s Office ordered him todeposit bail to the amount of 7,000 million Iranian rial (approximately 55,000Euros). Mr. Reza Khandan refused to pay the bail, arguing that he had notcommitted any offences, and remained detained in Evin prison.

Actions requested:

Please write to the authorities of Iran asking them to:

i.Immediately and unconditionally release Ms. Nasrin Sotoudeh, Ms.Rezvaneh Mohammadi, Ms. Maryam Azad, Mr. Mostafa Daneshju, Mr. Farhad Mayssami as wellasall human rights defenders arbitrarily detained in Iran;

ii.Guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of Ms. Nasrin Sotoudeh, Ms.Rezvaneh Mohammadi, Ms. Maryam Azad, Mr. Mostafa Daneshju, Mr. Farhad Mayssami, Mr. RezaKhandan and all human rights defenders in Iran;

iii. Put anend to all acts of harassment, including at the judicial level, against Mr.Reza Khandan, Ms. Nasrin Sotoudeh, Ms. Rezvaneh Mohammadi, Ms.Maryam Azad, Mr. Mostafa Daneshju, Mr. Farhad Mayssami as wellas all human rights defenders arbitrarily detained in the country;

iv.Comply with all the provisions of the United Nations Declaration on HumanRights Defenders adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 9, 1998, inparticular its Articles 1, 6, 9, 11 and 12;

v. Ensurein all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms inaccordance with international human rights standards and internationalinstruments ratified by Iran.

Addresses:

• Leader of the Islamic Republic, H.E. Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei, Fax: + 9821 441 2030, Email: info_leader@leader.ir; Twitter: @khamenei_ir
• President Hassan Rouhani, Islamic Republic of Iran, Fax: + 98 21 644 54811;Email: media@rouhani.ir; Twitter: @HassanRouhani (English) and @Rouhani_ir(Persian).
• Head of the Judiciary, H.E. Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani, Islamic Republic ofIran, Fax: +98 21 879 6671 / +98 21 3 311 6567, Email: info@dadiran.ir /info@dadgostary-tehran.ir / info@bia-judiciary.ir
• Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Islamic Republic of Iran,Fax: +98-21-66743149; matbuat@mfa.gov.ir
• Secretary General, High Council for Human Rights, Mr. Mohammed JavadLarijani, Islamic Republic of Iran. Email: info@humanrights-iran.ir
• H.E. Mr. Javad Amin-Mansour, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of theIslamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Fax: +4122 7330203, Email: mission.iran@ties.itu.int
• H.E. Mr. Peiman Seadat, Ambassador, Embassy of Iran in Brussels,Belgium, Fax: + 32 2 762 39 15. Email: secreteriat@iranembassy.be

Pleasealso write to the diplomatic representations of Iran in your respectivecountries.

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Paris-Geneva, January 7, 2019

Kindly inform us of any action undertakenquoting the code of this appeal in your reply.

The Observatory for theProtection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 byFIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). The objective of thisprogramme is to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rightsdefenders. FIDH and OMCT are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented byinternational civil society.

[1] See Observatory UrgentAppeal IRN001 / 0618 / OBS 085, published on June 15, 2018.

[2] This is a type of bailunder which a person guarantees to bring the defendant to the court, whenasked.

[3] See Observatory UrgentAppeal IRN 005 / 1118 / OBS 138, published on November 30, 2018.

[4] See Observatory Open Letter to President Hassan Rouhani, published on September28, 2018.

[5] SeeObservatory Open Letter to President Hassan Rouhani, September 28, 2018.