HAMBASTEGI NUMBER 75

NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 1997

THE DUTCH GOVERNMENT BACKS DOWN

On October 20, 1997 a five-member delegation representing the International Federation of Iranian Refugees (IFIR) Netherlands Branch was invited to speak at a parliamentary hearing about the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ (MFA) June 5, 1997 report on Iran. The IFIR delegates were Martin Brekelaar, Maryam Namazie, Mohammad Reza Pooya, Behzad Sami and Saleh Sardari. Namazie, responsible for IFIR’s International Relations, spoke on behalf of the delegation.

At the hearing, IFIR stated that the MFA report was biased and racist, that it effectively deemed Iran a "safe" country, and that the situation in Iran necessitated the granting of asylum to Iranian asylum seekers and prohibited deportations to Iran.

IFIR began its statement by challenging the validity of the report and exposing its bias in favor of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The MFA report hardly or never quotes from the sources it states it has used including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the U.S. State Department since they contradict the MFA report’s premise that the human rights situation in Iran has improved. The report twice quotes the Iranian press without explicitly stating the Islamic regime as one of its sources. The reports which most support the Ministry’s position are those by Maurice Copithorne, the UN Special Representative for Iran, and sources within Iran. Reports obtained from within Iran are unreliable. Furthermore, Copithorne’s reports contrast sharply with those written by his predecessor, Reynaldo Galindo Pohl. Galindo Pohl resigned as the Commission’s Special Representative after being denied permission to visit Iran for several years due to his candid reporting of the human rights situation.

IFIR further stated that the MFA report had deemed Iran a safe country though the Dutch government had not invoked the safe country of origin principle. The criteria adopted by the Council of Ministers responsible for immigration on countries in which the principle is invoked include democratic institutions, observance of human rights, and stability. The MFA report clearly indicates that the Islamic regime has met or is working towards meeting these criteria. By stating that "recent years have seen a limited dose of democracy," that "the situation in Iran has stabilized since the early years of the Islamic revolution," and that "repression has in general declined," the report legitimizes the Islamic Republic, denies ongoing and fundamental violations of human rights and obscures the fact that all participating in the government are reactionary, religious and committed to the maintenance of the Islamic regime.

IFIR firmly stated that Iran is not safe by any standards. The Islamic regime continues to unabatedly violate human rights for maintenance of state power. Countless reports from a wide range of sources indicate that no significant changes have occurred or can occur under the rule of the Islamic regime. IFIR refused to submit 1,000 pages of documentation, stating that the Dutch government knew full well the abysmal situation in Iran where every aspect of peoples’ lives is controlled by the government and where even supporters of the Iranian regime face repercussions.

IFIR added that the MFA report was blatantly racist, denying a universal standard of human rights for those living in Iran. Though a parliamentarian preferred the term "culturally relativist," IFIR stated that cultural relativism is racism. When the report states that the hygiene conditions in Iranian prisons are "reasonable," though not reaching western standards "as almost everywhere in the third world;" that three main schools of thought exist in Iran, though there are "no political parties in the western sense;" or that "the presence of women is more visible on the streets and at places of entertainment than in surrounding Islamic countries;" it clearly states that conditions in Iran are acceptable for Iranians. A similar situation in the Netherlands would be intolerable.

IFIR concluded that applying for asylum is a political act against the Islamic Republic of Iran and that Iranians applying for asylum must be granted refugee status. Furthermore, IFIR stated that no Iranian asylum seeker can be deported to Iran. It is well known that the Islamic regime has harassed, detained, imprisoned, tortured, and killed Iranians who were forcibly returned. Though the MFA report states that "monitoring" has shown that "none of the expelled Iranians experienced any difficulties," it was revealed that no such monitoring had occurred. The Islamic Republic had prohibited monitoring calling it an interference in Iran’s domestic affairs. Obviously, monitoring in Iran is impossible especially in light of the fact that the regime controls individuals for years. At any time that the regime deems necessary, released political prisoners or deported asylum seekers can be used as scapegoats to maintain an environment of fear.

Namazie and Sami then gave a report of IFIR’s statements to the nearly 1,000 asylum seekers demonstrating outside parliament. Other representatives of IFIR, Mohammad Reza Pooya and Siavash Modaressi also spoke at the demonstration. After the demonstration, a meeting of sit-in participants announced the end of the August 23, 1997 sit-in and the beginning of a new phase of direct actions and protests.

In the face of such strong opposition, the Deputy Minister of Justice was forced to apologize for the misinformation provided parliament regarding the fate of Iranian asylum seekers forcibly returned, only 10 days after the parliamentary hearing. The Ministry called for an end to deportations until further investigations are made into the situation in Iran.

IFIR’s intensive international campaign against the Dutch government’s inhumane policy as well as its branch’s two-month sit-in helped bring about that government’s retreat. IFIR congratulates Iranian asylum seekers in Holland and all those who supported their struggle. Clearly, the struggle does not end here. The Dutch government must be held accountable for the well-being, lives and security of those who lived under constant fear, committed suicide or were deported to Iran. Closed casefiles must be reopened. The government must not deport another asylum seeker back to Iran and must recognize the right to asylum. IFIR calls upon all individuals and groups to continue their protests and actions until refugee rights is respected in Holland.

IFIR’S SEVENTH CONGRESS

The International Federation of Iranian Refugees and Immigrants Councils (IFIRIC) held its Seventh Congress in Sweden during November 1 to 2, 1997. Over seventy people from Canada, Denmark, England, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United States participated. The jubilant news of victory in the struggle of Iranian asylum seekers in Holland coincided with the Congress’ commencement. The Seventh Congress, therefore, opened with congratulations to asylum seekers in Holland and IFIRIC activists who played an effective and important role in obtaining the victory.

Soraya Shahabi, IFIRIC’s Director, presented a report and evaluation of past activities and a future plan of action. The main discussions at this Congress surrounded the future modus operandi of IFIRIC and the importance of transforming IFIRIC from a traditional organization into a campaign. Given the global assault on asylum and attempts to legitimize the Islamic regime, a campaign-like organization will be better equipped to defend and expand refugee rights and expose the Islamic regime. In lieu of the changes, several resolutions were passed including a name modification from IFIRIC to the International Federation of Iranian Refugees (IFIR) and approval for the director to guide the organization’s transformation. Soraya Shahabi was unanimously re-elected as IFIR’s Director. Following her re-election, Shahabi introduced the members of IFIR’s Secretariat: Mahmoud Ahmadi, Public Relations and Finances; Masood Arjang, Special Projects; Keyvan Javid, Secretary; Behruz Milani, Executive Manager, Hambastegi; and Maryam Namazie, Deputy Director and International Relations.

IFIR PUBLISHES REPORT CRITIQUING THE DUTCH GOVERNMENT’S REPORT ON IRAN

IFIR has recently published a fifteen-page critique of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs report on Iran. The critique challenges the validity of the report, exposes its inaccuracies and bias in favor of the Islamic Republic of Iran using documents and first-hand information, and reveals the actual situation in Iran. The critique makes obvious the fact that economic and political interests, racism (also known as cultural relativism), and the maintenance of a diminished asylum policy have prompted the Dutch government’s fallacies.

SIX MORE ARE STONED TO DEATH BY THE IRANIAN REGIME

In October 1997, three men and three women charged with prostitution and engaging in sexual relations outside marriage were sentenced to death by stoning in Khazar Abad, near the city of Sari in Northern Iran. The victims of this barbaric act were Masomeh Aynee, Fataneh Danesh, Marziyeh Fallah, Parviz Hasanzadeh, Kheyrollah Javanmard, and Ali Mokhtarpoor. Two months earlier, in August, Zoleykhah Kadkhoda was stoned for engaging in sexual relations outside marriage. Due to mass protests by enraged residents, she survived though she was severely wounded. She may still be at risk of a second stoning.

Stoning is a particularly cruel form of punishment, but is just one example of gross human rights violations in Iran. The Iranian government has established, and the new president, Khatami, violently maintains a legal, social, and economic system of gender-apartheid.

Stoning must be condemned outright. Silence around the Iranian government’s acts of repression in the name of religion reflects economic and political self-interests. Only united and collective protest can end the barbarism of the Islamic regime of Iran. The International Campaign in Defense of Women’s Rights in Iran, IFIR, and the Committee for Humanitarian Assistance to Iranian Refugees (CHAIR) call upon groups and individuals to continue demanding an end to stonings and executions in Iran.