Petition to United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, European Parliament and Iranian Authorities:

Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Ministry of Justice, Park-e Shahr,
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email via website:
www.iranjudiciary.org/feedback_en.html

Her Excellency Louise Arbour
High Commissioner for Human Rights
United Nations Office at Geneva
1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Fax: + 41 22 917 9022
E-mail: tb-petitions@ohchr.org

His Excellency Josep Fontelles Borrell
President of the European Parliament
Division for Correspondence with Citizens
L-2929 LUXEMBOURG
Fax: (352) 4300 27072

We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned about the continuing detention of Dr. Abdolfattah Soltani, a defense attorney who has been imprisoned without formal charge in Tehran's Evin prison since July 30th 2005. He is allegedly detained in connection with disclosing information in a nuclear espionage case in which he was acting as defense counsel.

As Amnesty International declared in a recent press release (MDE 13/009/2006 February 1st, 2006) it is widely believed that “the continued detention of Abdolfattah Soltani is politically motivated and designed to discourage other Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) from pursuing cases against those responsible for committing human rights abuses, or defending people being prosecuted for political reasons. If so, he should be released immediately and unconditionally. At the very least, he must be given the earliest opportunity to defend himself against any charges the Iranian authorities intend to bring against him.”

Mr Soltani was denied access to his lawyer for more than five months and was just recently allowed to visit his wife. Last month he was given an option of being freed on bail, but the amount of bail was so unreasonably high ($870,000) that no one could afford to put.

We demand that authorities offer him the due process of law as prescribed by Iranian constitution and universal declaration of human rights to which Iran is a signatory. Mr. Soltani as a prisoner of conscience and a Human Rights Defender should have the right to regular visits with his family and defense attorneys.

Furthermore, we urge the Iranian judicial authorities to develop national plans of action to implement the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders (HRD) as an important first step to ensure that HRDs are able safely to carry out their legitimate activities for the promotion and protection of human rights free from harassment, fear or retaliation.

We demand that Dr. Abdolfattah Soltani be released immediately and unconditionally.

1. Afrasiabi Ladan, Scotsdale, AZ
2. Afshar, Haleh, University of York, UK
3. Ahmadi Ramin Yale university USA
4. Ahmadian, Mohammad Senior Research Scientist WA, USA
5. Alamdari, Kazem, California State University Los Angeles, USA
6. Amirahmadi, Hooshang, Rutgers University, USA
7. Ansari. Nazanin. Journalist Kayhan-London, UK
8. Ardalan Ashkan Canada
9. Ashkan Canada
10. Ashouri, Daryoush Writer, former lecturer at University of Tehran Creteil, France
11. Atri, Kia, UK
12. Baghai Fariborz MD, Frankfurt Germany
13. Bahadori, Atefeh, Holland
14. Bardshiri Esfandiar U.K
15. Bayat, Asef, Leiden University, Netherland
16. Behmanesh Ramin, Malaysia
17. Behrooz Maziar San Francisco State University USA
18. Bijnen, Lucy, Human Rights Advocate, Netherland
19. Bonakdarian, Mansour, Hofstra University, USA
20. Boroujerdi, Mehrzad, Syracuse University, USA
21. Chomsky, Noam, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
22. Cobra Ghassemi Holland
23. Dadvar, Faramarz, Center in Defense of Freedom & Democracy in Iran-Chicago
24. Darabi, Firouzeh, USA
25. Darvishi france
26. Davari Nouredin Iran
27. Dehghan, Mohammad, Germany
28. Ebadi, Shirin, Nobel Peace Laureate, 2003.
29. Ebrahimi Amir Tehran
30. Eghtedari, Goudarz, Voices of the Middle East, USA
31. Ehsani, Kaveh, Middle East Research and Information Project, USA
32. Entessar, Nader, Spring Hill College, USA
33. Eskandari, Mohammad, Clark University, USA
34. Etebari David Tarzana
35. Fani Yazdi Reza Berkeley, California
36. Farhang, Mansour, Bennington College, USA
37. Farhi, Farideh, University of Hawai’I, USA
38. Ganjbakhche, Amir Hossein, Natiopnal Institute of Health, USA
39. Ghaffari Mahmoud Devry University USA
40. Ghahari, Keivandokht, Journalist, Germany
41. Habibi Ray USA
42. Hashemi S. University of Washington United States
43. Hashemi, Nader, Northwestern University, USA
44. Hassanpour Binesh University of Toronto Canada
45. Homayoonfar Hossein Los angeles, CA
46. Hosseini, Reza, France
47. Jahanfard Ali Iceland
48. Javid Jahanshah Publisher, iranian.com California
49. Joodaki, Saideh, Iran
50. Kamel, Ossama, Egypt
51. Kar, Mehrangiz, Harvard University, USA
52. Karimi-Hakkak Ahmad University of Maryland USA
53. katouli enayat free all political prisoners in Iran USA
54. Keshtkar, Fazel, University of Ottawa, Canada
55. khodadad usa
56. Kian-Thiébaut, Azadeh, University of Paris VIII, France
57. Lavaei, Mehrdad, Iran Future Foundation, Netherlands
58. Mary SWEDEN
59. Mashayekhi, Mehrdad, Georgetown University, USA
60. Massod Medical Doctor Austin -Texas-USA
61. McDougall, James, Princeton University and MERIP, USA
62. Moeini, Mohammad R., University of Massachusetts, USA
63. Mohammadi Monireh Toronto, Canada
64. Mohammadi, Monireh, Canada
65. Mojtahedi Hamid Attorney-at-Law Canada
66. Montassori, Arthur, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON Canada
67. Moshaver, Bijan, Iran Future Foundation, Netherlands
68. Moussavi Seyed Information Technologist USA
69. N. Rahni David, University Professor and Scholar New York
70. Naguib, Rim, Northwestern University, USA
71. Nakisa, Australia
72. Nikfar Mohammad Reza Germany
73. Osanloo Arzoo University Washington U.S.A.
74. Pakroo Bahman, Iran
75. Palmer, Michelle, UK
76. Parsa, Misagh, Dartmouth College, USA
77. Partyka, Joanna, USA
78. Pashapour Mahasty Usa
79. Perkovich, Michael J., USA
80. Peykar Neil, Los Angeles
81. Pirzad Katayoon, Germany
82. Postel Danny openDemocracy.net Chicago
83. Roshandel, Jalil, Duke University, USA
84. Saberi Hengameh Harvard University Cambridge, MA USA
85. Sadri, Mahmoud, Texas Woman’s University, USA
86. Sadrpour Haleh CA - USA
87. Shabani, Omid, University of Guelph, Canada
88. Sheybani, Lida, London
89. Shokouhi Alireza Long Beach/US
90. Siassi, Jilla, University of Applied Sciences Berlin, Germany
91. Soltani, Maede, Germany
92. Taati, Poopak, Professor and Journalist, USA
93. Taborosi, Danko, Hokkaido University, Japan
94. Toensing, Chris, Middle East Research and Information Project, USA
95. Tohidi, Nayereh, University of California Los Angeles, USA
96. Vahdati Soheila USA
97. Vossoughi Siamak San Francisco, CA
98. Vossoughi Majid, kirkland,washington,USA
99. Wiesmueller Beate Cologene, Germany
100. Zangeneh, Suzanne, USA