Freedom-to-Write Committee
Letters Campaign
Iranian Journalist and Film Critic Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison
PEN is gravely concerned for the health of veteran journalist and film critic Siamak Pourzand, who is reported to have suffered a heart attack in prison. Pourzand, age 72, was sentenced on May 3, 2002 by the Tehran Press Court to eight years in prison on charges of "undermining state security through his links with monarchists and counter-revolutionaries." It is widely believed that the charges against him are based on confessions that are thought to have been exacted under duress. It is likewise thought that Siamak Pourzand's arrest may be connected to his position as manager of the Majmue-ye Farrhangi-ye Honari-ye Tehran, a cultural center for writers, artists, and intellectuals. Pourzand has also written a number of articles critical of the Islamic regime, and is said to have been working with foreign-based Farsi language media prior to his detention.
PEN believes that Pourzand has been denied necessary medication for a heart complaint since his incommunicado detention began on November 24, 2001. It has issued emergency appeals and enlisted the help of the international community in pressing the Iranian authorities to ensure that he receives all necessary medical care as a matter of urgency.
PEN is seriously concerned that Pourzand has been sentenced in violation of his right to freedom of expression, and that his trial has not been conducted in accordance with accepted standards of fairness, and is therefore calling for his immediate and unconditional release in accordance with Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a signatory, and on humanitarian grounds.
HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO: Copy and paste this letter into your word processor and customize it as necessary, then mail it to the address(es) provided.
[Date]
His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed 'Ali Khamenei
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran
c/o The Presidency
Palestine Avenue
Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran
Islamic Republic of Iran
Your Excellency,
I am writing to express my grave and urgent concern about the imprisonment of journalist and film critic Siamak Pourzand. As you know, on May 3, 2002 the Tehran Press Court reportedly sentenced Pourzand to eight years' imprisonment on charges of "undermining state security through his links with monarchists and counter-revolutionaries." I understand Mr. Pourzand was tried in a closed proceeding, that your government has offered no explanation of the charges or case against him, and that he may in fact have been convicted on the basis of statements made under duress while in incommunicado detention.
I am particularly concerned for Mr. Pourzand's well-being, as I understand he is of an advanced age, is in poor physical condition, and has not received adequate medical attention since his arrest. I fear Mr. Pourzand is being detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression as guaranteed by Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which your country has ratified. Please reconsider Mr. Pourzand's case and, in a spirit of humanity, facilitate his immediate release.
Sincerely,
[Your name and signature]
Cc: Iranian Interests Section
c/o Embassy of Pakistan to the United States
2209 Wisconsin Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20007
Urgent Actions on behalf of Burmese Poet Aung Myint, and Uighur Historian Tohti Tunyaz, Recipients of the 2002 PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom-to-Write Awards
The winners of the 2002 PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Awards, which this year carry a stipend of $20,000, are Burmese poet and journalist Aung Myint and Uighur historian Tohti Tunyaz. The award's sponsor, PEN member Barbara Goldsmith, presented the prizes at this year's PEN Literary Gala.
Aung Myint, an information officer for the National League for Democracy (NLD), was arrested on September 14, 2000, by members of Myanmar's Military Intelligence Service for distributing information about persecution of NLD figures to international press agencies and Western diplomats based in Rangoon. The charges related specifically to a press release he and his assistant issued a few hours after NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested by security forces as she was trying to leave the city earlier that month. Aung Myint was charged with violating the State Protection and Emergency Provision Acts and, on December 20, 2000, he was sentenced by a military court to twenty-one years' imprisonment.
Historian and writer Tohti Tunyaz was arrested on February 6, 1998, while on a research trip to Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region in northwest China. Tunyaz, an ethnic Uighur who grew up in the region, was studying for a Ph.D at Tokyo University's School of Humanities at the time, specializing in the history of China's policy toward minorities in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. His only proven "crime" appears to be copying part of a fifty-year-old document obtained for him by an official librarian. Chinese authorities charged Tunyaz with "stealing state secrets for foreign persons" and "inciting national disunity," and on February 15, 2000 condemned him to 11 years in prison with an additional two years' deprivation of political rights.
HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO: Please write a polite letter on your personal or institutional letterhead requesting that Aung Myint be released—or copy the one below—and mail to Lieutenant General Khin Nyunt and to Ambassador-designate U Linn Myaing. Please write a polite letter on your personal or institutional letterhead requesting that Tohti Tunyaz be released—or copy the one below—and mail to President Jiang Zemin and to Ambassador-designate Yang Jiechi.
[Date]
Lieutenant General Khin Nyunt,
Secretary 1 State Peace and Development Council
c/o Director of Defense Services Intelligence (DDSI)
Ministry of Defense Signal Pagoda Road
Dagon Post Office
Yangon
Union of Myanmar
Your Excellency,
As one of the 2,700 writers who are members of PEN American Center, I am writing to request your immediate intervention in the case of poet Aung Myint. As you know, Mr. Aung has been selected as one of two recipients of our 2002 PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Awards. He is serving a 21-year sentence for a press release he issued regarding the arrest of NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi. I believe his imprisonment to be a clear violation of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I ask that you please reconsider Mr. Aung's case and in a spirit of humanity order his immediate and unconditional release.
Sincerely,
[Your name and signature]
Cc: Ambassador-designate U Linn Myaing
Embassy of the Union of Myanmar to the United States
2300 S Street NW
Washington, DC 20008
[Date]
His Excellency Jiang Zemin
State Council
Beijing 100032
People's Republic of China
Your Excellency,
As one of the 2,700 writers who are members of PEN American Center, I am writing to request your immediate intervention in the case of historian Tohti Tunyaz. As you know, Mr. Tunyaz has been selected as one of two recipients of our 2002 PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Awards. He is serving an 11-year sentence for his legitimate activities as a researcher and writer. I believe his imprisonment to be a clear violation of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I ask that you please reconsider Mr. Tunyaz's case and in a spirit of humanity order his immediate and unconditional release.
Sincerely,
[Your name and signature]
Cc: Ambassador-designate Yang Jiechi
Embassy of the People's Republic of China to the United States
2300 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20008