Sentencing and ongoing arbitrary detention of Mr. Farhad Mayssami

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 sentencing and ongoing arbitrary detention ofMr. Farhad Mayssami (a.k.a Meysami), a medical doctor who has campaignedfor women’s rights, including supporting a campaign against the imposition ofthe hijab on women and girls, and defending the right of women to choose theirown clothing.

According to the information received, on January 22, 2019, Mr.Mayssami’s lawyer was notified that Branch 15 of the Islamic Revolution Courtin Tehran sentenced his client to six years of imprisonment - five years for “gathering andcollusion with intent to commit crimes against national security” (Article 610of the Islamic Penal Code) and one year for “spreading propaganda against thesystem” (Article 500 of the Islamic Penal Code). He was also banned from“membership in social and political groups and parties, undertaking activitiesin cyberspace, the media and the press” and from travelling abroad for twoyears. Mr. Mayssami will appeal the court’s decision.

Mr.Mayssami has been arbitrarily detained since July 31, 2018 in Tehran’s Evinprison, where he ended a five-month hunger strike on December 23, 2018 (seebackground information).

The Observatory expresses its deepest concernregarding Mr. Farhad Mayssami’ physical integrity and psychological well-beingand condemns his sentencing and continuing arbitrary detention, which seem onlyaimed at punishing him for his legitimate human rights activities.

The Observatory urges the Iranian authorities toimmediately and unconditionally release Mr.Farhad Mayssami, and to put an end to all acts of harassment, including at the judicial level,against him and all human rights defenders in the country.

Background information:

On July 31, 2018, Mr. Farhad Mayssami wasarrested at his office in Tehran following an order of the Prosecutor’s OfficeBranch 2. He was taken to the Ministry of Intelligence-run Ward 209 withinTehran’s Evin prison. A friend of the prominent human rights lawyer Ms. NasrinSotoudeh, Mr. Farhad Mayssami was arrested for being in possession ofcopies of two books - “Small Acts of Resistance” by Steve Crawshaw and JohnJackson, and a book on human rights translated by Mohammad Jafar Pouyandeh, atranslator and writer assassinated by Ministry of Intelligence agents in 1998 -and a number of badges reading “I am opposed to forced hijab”.

He was detained on charges of “gathering andcolluding against national security” (Article 610 of the Islamic Penal Code),“spreading propaganda against the system” (Article 500) and “spreadingprostitution” (Article 286).

Mr. Mayssami was denied access to a lawyerof his choosing, namely Mr. Arash Kaykhosravi (who was laterarrested in front of the Parliament on August 18, 2018)[1].

On August 1, Mr. Mayssami started a hungerstrike to protest against his detention and called for the unconditionalrelease of fellow human rights defenders Ms. Nasrin Sotoudeh[2] and Mr. Reza Khandan[3]. He was placed in solitary confinement for 20days before being transferred to a dormitory ward in Section 4 of Evin prison. Hishealth rapidly deteriorated and he lost 34 kg.

OnSeptember 26, 2018, he was forcibly transferred to the Evin prison clinic, andsubsequently placed in solitary confinement and administeredintravenous fluids against his will. Following Mr. Reza Khandan’s releaseon bail on December 23, 2018, Mr. Farhad Mayssami ended his hunger strike.

OnNovember 29, 2018, five United Nations Special Procedures’ mandate holderscalled on Iran to “guarantee the rights of human rights defenders and lawyerswho have been jailed for publicly supporting protests against the mandatorywearing of the hijab”and expressed their particular concern over the critical health of Mr. FarhadMayssami[4].

Actions requested:

Please write to the authorities of Iran asking them to:

i.Guarantee in all circumstances the physical integrity and psychologicalwell-being of Mr. Farhad Mayssami and all human rights defenders in Iran;

ii.Immediately and unconditionally release Mr. Farhad Mayssami and put an end toall acts of harassment, including at the judicial level, against him as well asall human rights defenders in the country;

iii.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, and 12;

iv.Ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedomsin accordance 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 25, 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 Urgent Appeal IRN 003 / 0818/ OBS 106, August 23, 2018.

[2] See Observatory Press Release, September 21,2018; and Urgent Appeal IRN 001 / 0618 / OBS 085, June 15, 2018.

[3] SeeObservatory Urgent Appeal IRN 001 / 0119 / OBS002, January 7, 2019.

[4] See Joint Statement by UN Special Rapporteur on theSituation of Human Rights Defenders; Special Rapporteur on theIndependence of Judges and Lawyers; Chair-Rapporteur of the WorkingGroup on Arbitrary Detention; Chair of the Working Group onthe issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice; and SpecialRapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran. https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=23947&LangID=E