8 Mars 2006

Press Release

A Delegation of Iranian Youths Is to Visit the UN seeking support

For Human Rights and

Freedom of All Political Prisoners in Iran

Through the initiative of Iranian Organizations in Sweden, a group consisting of Zoya Zarafshan, Sohrab Mokhtari, Bahman Abdullahi, Maral Tohidi and Samin Sadeghi will be traveling to New York to gain international support for the release of Nasser Zarafshan, Akbar Ganji and other political Prisoners in Iran. During this trip they will meet with the UN representative for Human Rights on April 12 and with Mr. Jan Eliasson, the current head of the United Nations General Assembly on April 17 to bring to public attention the suffering and aspirations of Iranian youths.

Let us first introduce the delegation:

 

 

 

 

Z. Zarafshani: Student at Berlin University.  The daughter of Nasser Zarafshan, a well-known Iranian attorney, who has been in prison for the last 5 years because of his knowledge of details regarding serial murders of dissident cultural and political celebrities, committed by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence in 1998.

Sohrab Mokhtari: Student at Berlin University, the son of Mohammad Mokhtari, a prominent Iranian writer murdered in the serial killings of 1998 by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence.

Bahman Abdullahi: Distinguished Stockholm University student. The son of Behzad Abdullahi, a political prisoner, who was executed along with thousands of others in secret mass murders while serving their prison sentences in the summer 1998.

Maral Tohidi: Student at Uppsala University, Sweden.

Samin Sadeghi: Student at Linköping University, Sweden.

The members of the delegation were selected via a draw carried out among the participants of a pop concert in support of peace, friendship and human rights, held in Sweden in summer 2005. They are to seek support for all Prisoners of Conscience in Iran. This trip, at the same time, is for peace and friendship. Sponsor Organizations would like to send a message to the world by saying:

"The majority of the Iranian Youths hates to hate others and loves to love others.  They do not scorn other religions and they do not discriminate between ‘Moslems’ and ‘non-Moslems’. It is regrettable to separate people on the basis of race, religion and creed. Fear mongering among nations is as horrible as terrorism or war.

We wish for every single human being to enjoy more of his or her own life. We wish to see less hunger and sickness and more smiles on the face of girls and boys who live on this planet. The generation of Iranian youths does not love guns, death rows or war.  Instead, they wish to live in a world free of weapons of mass killings. The rising nuclear crisis in Iran worries Iranians. For the majority of Iranians, nuclear power is NOT dearer than peace.

We are so happy not to see a world war over the last 60 years. Such a precious gift to humanity is given by the United Nations. And this is the simplest reason that we decided to sponsor the delegate of Iranian youths hoping to air our wishes and concerns to the people who are sharing this soil with us and to ask for help to stop human rights abuses in Iran."

We, the Iranian Cultural and Social organizations of Sweden, seek help from all friends of peace, freedom and human rights.  Please lend your support and publicize the demands of our delegation.

BEST REGARDS

Mr. Davoud Navaian

Coordinator of The Project

Mobil:   0046 707 85 66 49

Email:  navaian@telia.com

 

Contacts:

Dispatchers of the sponsor committee:

In Sweden:

Mr. Reza Talebi      

Mobile: 0046 705 74 31 39

Email: reza.talebi@abf.se

In USA:

Mr. Hesam Emam   

Tfn: 001 212 669 74 92 

Email:  HHENG01@aol.com or HHEN01@aol.com

 

Sponsor Organizations: 

•          EUCN; The EU:s Cultural Network - Iranian: www.eucn.org

•          IRIS; Society of Iranians in Sweden (umbrella organization): www.ettehadieh.org/

•          IKFC; Iranian Cultural Research Society, Gutenberg: www.eucn.org/ikfc/

•          UCI; Iranian Educational Centre, Gutenberg

•          Society for Defense of Human Rights and Democracy in Iran, Gutenberg

•          Organization of Iranian Social Democrats in Sweden,  Gutenberg

•          MNF; Multi-cultural Society and local radio broadcasters in Gutenberg: www.mnf.se/

•          Iran-Sweden Society, Malmö

•          With collaboration ABF: www.abf.se/

Direct contacts of the members of the delegation