Nasrin Mohammadi's Plea for Help for Her Imprisoned Brother

Nasrin Mohammadi, sister of Manouchehr Mohammadi, one of the imprisoned and tortured leaders of Iranian students, appeals in a letter for her protest to be heard by the leaders of the free world and human rights organizations, so that the Islamic Republic can no longer keep thousands like Manouchehr in its medieval chains. Dear Friends and Compatriots, I am appealing to you today on behalf of my imprisoned and tortured brother Manouchehr Mohammadi, leader of the National Association of Students of Iran, who has disappeared from prison. I urge you to spread my letter wide and far to the Leaders of the Free World and human rights organisations. I ask you to solicit their support to free my brother and thousands like him from the shackles of medieval treatment at the hands of the brutal regime's thugs. My brother, who suffers from kidney disease and the excruciating effects of persistent torture, was first arrested and sentenced to 13 years in prison on July 18, 1999. Few days ago upon presenting himself to section 3 of Evin political prison in Tehran following a temporary leave he was swiftly handed over to the Agents of the Intelligence Ministry. He was then forcefully questioned and severely beaten for talking to the international media and inviting Iranians to take part in recent protests. In particular the Agents demanded the following from Manouchehr: 1. To disband the National Association of Students of Iran. 2. To take part in a television interview and announce the dissolution of the Association and his retirement from politics. Since he refused to accept these demands, he was taken to the Solitary Confinement in the Section 209 of the Ministry of Information. He was planning to start a hunger strike in the next few days. However since yesterday we have received no news about his whereabouts. He has simply disappeared. My Friends and Compatriots, there are no weapons at our disposal but the power of our spirit and the strength of our determination to awaken the moral force of world public opinion. It is vital that we mobilize support to free not only Manouchehr and my younger brother Akbar, but also thousands of their fellow prisoners of conscience. I urge you to write (sample letter at the end) to the following dignitaries and authorities: President George Bush The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Tel: 202-456-1414 FAX: 202-456-2461 [email protected] The Rt. Hon. Tony Blair 10 Downing Street London SW1A 2AA Fax: Drewery Dyke Amnesty International 1 Easton Street London WC1X 0DW, UK Tel: 20-74135500 Fax: 20-79561 157 Hanny Megally, Executive Director and Elah Sharifpour-Hicks, Researcher 2nd Floor, 2-12 Pentonville Road London N1 9HF, UK Tel: 44 20 7713 1995, Fax: 44 20 7713 1800 [email protected] 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor New York, NY 10118-3299 USA Tel: 1-(212) 290-4700, Fax: 1-(212) 736-1300 [email protected] Yours respectfully, Nasrin Mohammadi