Media Contact:
Sarah Kalloch
Outreach Director
skalloch [at] phrusa [dot] org
+1-617-301-4235

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(Cambridge, MA) – One year ago this week, Iranian authorities arrested Drs. Kamiar and Arash Alaei, internationally renowned Iranian HIV/AIDS physicians, for practicing medicine. On this somber anniversary for friends, family and colleagues of the Alaeis, Iran is witnessing increasing violence and a litany of alleged human rights abuses. As post-election violence in Iran continues, PHR urges the Iranian government to protect the human rights of everyone within its borders and to respect both international law and human rights provisions in Iran’s own constitution.

In the aftermath of Iran’s presidential elections, held June 12, 2009, hundreds of people have been detained, including Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari, a friend of the Alaeis, who directed a moving documentary in 2004 on their AIDS work, called Mohammad and the Matchmaker. Reports from Iran state that many demonstrators have been beaten, and some killed, while hundreds of others have been detained. The Iranian government has severely limited freedom of the press during this time, expelling foreign journalists and cutting off cell phone and internet access at various periods throughout the past two weeks. PHR is deeply concerned for the safety of everyone detained in Iran, including the Drs. Alaei.

On the one-year anniversary of their arrest, PHR renews our call to the Iranian government to release Arash and Kamiar Alaei so that they can continue their life-saving medical work in Iran and worldwide.

Background

After a perfunctory trial in December 2008, Kamiar and Arash were convicted of “communicating with an enemy government” and sentenced to three and six years, respectively, in Evin Prison in Tehran. The Alaeis’ crime: traveling the world and liaising with health workers across the globe to find solutions to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Said Sarah Kalloch, Director of Outreach at PHR:

Iran can not equate public health diplomacy and the quest for shared solutions to the world’s shared disease burden to treason. It is a dangerous and maddening fallacy and a danger to the people of Iran to keep science stifled and scientists in jail.

Protect the Rights of All

PHR also urges Iranian authorities to protect the human rights of all people in Iran during this post-election crisis. The Iranian authorities must respect the right to free assembly that is articulated in both International Human Rights Law and in the Iranian Constitution.

PHR is also concerned about reports of alleged violations of Medical Neutrality by the Iranian government. The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has reported that people seeking medical attention for injuries suffered during demonstrations are being arrested in hospitals, and that doctors are being forced to report to state security any injuries that appear to be related to protests.

This puts doctors in Iran in a desperate position: obey the state or care for their patients. Ms Kalloch continued:

The Iranian Government must allow health professionals to treat patients regardless of their political leanings. Doctors have an ethical duty to prevent and limit suffering of patients in their care and a duty to practice medicine in a neutral way without fear or favor.

The need for human rights protection for the Alaeis, for our colleague Mazier Bahari, and for all Iranians, has never been greater. The Iranian Government must respect the universal freedoms and rights of its people as recognized by the international community and the laws of Iran.

You may have seen reports from Iran about the detention of Newsweek journalist Maziar Bahari. According to Reporters without Borders, he is one of over 20 journalists and bloggers detained since the June 12 elections.

But what you might not have seen is this amazing 2004 documentary Maziar Bahari directed for the BBC, Mohammad and the Matchmaker.

This 3-part film describes the innovative approach Drs Arash and Kamiar Alaei brought to their HIV/AIDS patients; moving beyond the traditional role of medical provider, providing social services to their patients and even helping them find love.

Please sign the petition and ask Iran to release the Drs Alaei so they can again take up their important work against HIV/AIDS.

I’ve been involved with PHR for quite some time now; first as an intern while an undergrad, as a founding member and leader of my Medical School student chapter, and now as a member of the Board of Directors. As a Muslim medical student, I was honored to be able to speak out on behalf of the Drs Alaei at the first rally we held at the Iranian Mission to the UN in September last year. It is with a heavy heart that I am compelled to continue to advocate for their release going on one year now.

The anniversary of Arash’s and Kamiar’s initial arrests and detention is coming up next week and it will be important for us to gain some attention on this unfortunate milepost. To do that we are in the process of collecting signatures from Muslim health professionals and organizations, as well as health professionals in predominantly Muslim countries, on a letter to the Head of the Iranian Judiciary. We will send a copy of this letter translated into Farsi on the Anniversary of Kamiar’s and Arash’s arrests next week. You can download a copy of the letter including signers to date in Arabic and English.

To make a powerful statement, we need many signatures on the letter, and I could use your help getting them.

Can you reach out to your network to contact Muslim health professionals and organizations and/or health professionals and organizations in predominantly Muslim countries?

I’ve written an email you can feel free to adapt to send to folks asking for their signatures. (English or Arabic) Ask your contacts to sign by emailing me at alikhan [at] phrusa [dot] org. You can sign the letter yourself by doing the same.

If you are on Facebook, please put a link to this post on your page to help us get the word out.

With your help, Drs Kamiar and Arash Alaei will soon be able to resume their lifesaving HIV/AIDS work.

We are hearing disturbing allegations that the Iranian about the government is violating the principles of medical neutrality. A message received by the Huffington Post’s Nico Pitney, who is live blogging Iran’s post-election crisis (scroll to post at 6:03 PM), from a courageous Iranian medical student suggests terrible brutality by government forces towards injured demonstrators.

Hello,

It’s painful to watch what’s happening.

I don’t want anything to do with what has been said this far, as I neither have the strength nor the resilience to face all these unfathomable events.

I only want to speak about what I have witnessed. I am a medical student. There was chaos last night at the trauma section in one of our main hospitals. Although by decree, all riot-related injuries were supposed to be sent to military hospitals, all other hospitals were filled to the rim. Last night, nine people died at our hospital and another 28 had gunshot wounds. All hospital employees were crying till dawn. They (government) removed the dead bodies on back of trucks, before we were even able to get their names or other information. What can you even say to the people who don’t even respect the dead. No one was allowed to speak to the wounded or get any information from them. This morning the faculty and the students protested by gathering at the lobby of the hospital where they were confronted by plain cloths anti-riot militia, who in turn closed off the hospital and imprisoned the staff. The extent of injuries are so grave, that despite being one of the most staffed emergency rooms, they’ve asked everyone to stay and help–I’m sure it will even be worst tonight.

What can anyone say in face of all these atrocities? What can you say to the family of the 13 year old boy who died from gunshots and whose dead body then disappeared?

The Iranian Government must allow health professionals to treat patients regardless of their political leanings. Doctors have an ethical duty to prevent and limit suffering of patients in their care and a duty to practice medicine in a neutral way without fear or favor.  Over the years PHR has helped develop the legal and medical frameworks for this principle of medical neutrality.

Of course, this is not the first time the Iranian Government has interfered with the treatment and care of patients. The Drs. Alaei are victims of the present regime’s crackdown on public health diplomacy.  As Iran confronts horrific post-election violence and an upswing in arrests, we hope that all those unfairly detained, including the Alaeis, will be released and find justice.

On Friday, June 12, over thirty million Iranians went to the polls to vote in the country’s presidential election. Although the current president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, claims victory by a significant margin, leading opposition candidate Mir Houssein Mousavi is challenging the results. The Ayatollah Ali Kahmenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader,  is calling for an investigation into election results and administration.

Protesters from both candidates’ camps have filled the streets of Tehran and other Iranian cities since early election results were released. Post-election violence has brought increased attention from the media, Iranian authorities, and international leaders to election results. Human rights supporters are concerned about violence in Iran and hope that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s proposed inquiry into the election results is thorough and yields a just resolution.

It is of course unknown how these highly contested election results might affect the case of Doctors Arash and Kamiar Alaei, but supporters of the Alaeis are continuing to advocate for the brothers’ release, and are examining strategies for effectively targeting future action.

Read election updates and analysis from the New York Times or the Guardian (UK) to learn more.

The opposition candidates in the Iranian Presidential Election are using Facebook as a primary organizing tool to get elected.

We can use that fact to call on them to free Kamiar and Arash if either is elected. Take Action Now!

Post a message to their Facebook Pages asking them to release Kamiar and Arash. It’s really easy, here’s how:

• Go to the Facebook pages of:
  • Mir-Hossein Mousavi
  • Mehdi Karroubi

• Below the candidate’s photo on the left column, click the link that says “become a supporter”

• Click tab on top of page to go to their “Wall”
• Paste this message in the text box, just below where it says “Write Something…”

سرور گرامی،

من از شما می خواهم تادر مبارزات انتخاباتی خودبه مسئله پزشکان ایرانی،کامیاروآرش علایی توجه کنید.این دو پزشک از بزرگترین محققان بین المللی در زمینه پیشگیری و درمان بیماری ایدز می باشندودرژانویه سال2009،آنهابه جرم”ارتباط با دولت متخاصم” محکوم شدند.این اتهام بیپایه و نشانگر تلفیق ناعادلانه دیپلماسی بهداشت عمومی با خیانت به کشوراست.من از شما میخواهم تادر صورت انتخاب شدن به ریاست جمهوری،بلافاصله این پزشکان راآزادنمایید.اقدام به آزادی آنهارئوفت وشفقت اسلامی شمارابرای مردم ایران وجامعه جهانی نمایان خواهد کرد.

http://IranFreetheDocs.org

• Click the blue box labeled “Share”

• Once you are done, forward this message to all of your friends and colleagues on Facebook and ask them to take action too.

As June 22, the one-year anniversary of the Alaeis’ arrests, approaches, continued advocacy for their freedom becomes increasingly important. Take action today!

For more information on the Iranian Elections, check out this NYTimes article.

Here is the English translation of the letter to the Iranian Presidential Candidates.

Your Excellency,

As you campaign for the Iranian Presidency, I urge you to consider the case of Dr. Kamiar Alaei and Dr. Arash Alaei, international leaders in AIDS prevention and treatment who were tried and convicted on charges of “communicating with enemy governments” in January 2009. These charges are unfounded, and reflect an unjust conflation of public health diplomacy with treason. If elected, I urge you to immediately free the doctors. Working for the Alaeis’ freedom would allow you to demonstrate Islamic kindness and mercy to the people of Iran and to the international community.

In February, the American Medical Association sent a letter to Secretary of State Clinton regarding the Alaeis case:

The American Medical Association has become aware of a disturbing situation regarding two Iranian physicians, and we wish to bring your attention to this matter.

The AMA gave Secretary Clinton background on the case then went on to say:

We strongly urge that discussions of human rights, justice and respect for the medical profession (and the Alaei brothers specifically) must be part of any opening dialogue with Iran.

Jeffrey Feltman, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Near East Affairs at the State Department, sent a response, writing:

The Department of State has been closely following the doctors’ cases and coordinating with human rights organizations who are actively working to advance their cause. The Department released a press statement in December marking the six month anniversary of their detainment. In February, the Department published the Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Iran, which discusses the case of the Alaei brothers in detail. In addition, the United States highlighted concerns about the lack of due process in Iran at the Human Rights Council’s Tenth Session in Geneva. I assure you that we will continue to monitor the welfare of the Alaei brothers and advocate on their behalf, both publicly and privately, until their release is secured, as we do in the cases of other prisoners of conscience in Iran and elsewhere.

The American Medical Association continued to advocate on behalf of the Alaeis. The group sent another letter to Secretary Clinton on June 2:

We appreciate the actions the Department of State has taken on behalf of Kamiar and Arash Alaei. We remain deeply troubled, however, by subsequent developments in the case and ongoing uncertainty about the welfare of these dedicated physicians who have worked to reduce the spread of HIV in their country.

The AMA asked Secretary Clinton to continue to push for the brothers’ release and reiterated its commitment to helping in any way possible.

Having the support of the AMA in our advocacy will bolster our message with US policy makers who sucessfully pressured Iran to release Roxana Saberi.  We are continuing our call for Drs Kamiar and Arash Alaei to be released under the same principles of Islamic kindness and mercy.  If you have not already, please sign our petition and forward it to 6 friends and colleagues.  Please also consider sending a letter to the Iranian Embassy in your country calling for their release.  With a united global movement, the Drs Alaei will be able to resume thier lifesaving HIV/AIDS work soon.

Amnesty International highlighted the imprisonment of the Alaei brothers in its annual report on the state of the world’s human rights. In a section on human rights in Iran, Amnesty International notes:

Brothers Arash and Kamiar Alaei, both medical doctors specializing in HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment, were arrested in June and detained without charge possibly because of their links with US-based NGOs and their criticism of government policy towards HIV and AIDs programmes. They faced an unfair trial on 31 December [2008], accused of having “co-operated” with an “enemy government” and seeking to overthrow the Iranian government. During the trial, the prosecutor told the court of additional, secret evidence which the brothers’ attorney had no opportunity to refute because the prosecutor did not disclose it.

This criticism of the Iranian government from a leading human rights research and advocacy organization puts additional pressure on Iranian authorities to free the Alaeis.

Amnesty International’s report emphasizes the toll the global economic crisis is taking on human rights. Financial Times included an interview Amnesty International’s Secretary General Irene Khan in an article on the recent release of the report:

“Underlying the economic crisis is an explosive human rights crisis. The economic downturn has aggravated abuses, distracted attention from them and created new problems,” Ms Khan said yesterday. “In the name of security, human rights were trampled on. Now, in the name of economic recovery, they are being relegated to the back seat.

“The world needs a new global deal on human rights – not paper promises but commitment and concrete action from governments to defuse the human rights time-bomb,” she said.

Don’t let the Alaeis’ freedom and the wellbeing of AIDS patients in Iran and around the world be forgotten in the midst of economic crisis. Take action today by signing the petition and/or writing a letter (sample letter) to the Iranian Embassy in your country calling for the release of the doctors.

Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, Minister of Health from Guyana and the President of the 61st World Health Assembly, called for the Alaeis’ freedom in a speech given on May 18 at the 62nd World Health Assembly in Geneva. The World Health Assembly brings together health ministers from World Health Organization member states to act as the governing body for the WHO. Dr. Ramsammy told the assembled crowd:

In doing our work, we are blessed with having a make-up for compassion and mercy. Before I close I would like to extend an appeal for compassion and mercy. And I would like to urge we all join in this appeal. Two of my colleagues, our public health colleagues, are presently in prison. I appeal to the authorities in Iran to show mercy and justice to these two young public health professionals.

A few days later, on May 21, Dr. Ramsammy gave a keynote address at Collaborating Across Borders II, a conference devoted to furthering interprofessional education and collaboration between the U.S. and Canada. Dr. Ramsammy repeated his call for the Alaeis’ freedom before the health scholars, educators and practitioners gathered in Halifax:

Before I close, health is about compassion and justice. Health professionals have responded to a call for justice and compassion. Two of our brothers are in prison in Iran. I do not know the reason for their imprisonment. I do know they served their sisters and brothers and were dedicated health care professionals. I have joined a group called Physicians for Human Rights which is trying to lobby support for freedom for the Alaei Brothers. Join us in raising your voices so that the Government of Iran may examine this case and perhaps grant mercy so that these brothers could continue their work in public health.

Ramsammy used these two speeches to highlight the importance of equal healthcare for all during this time of global economic crisis. The Alaeis’ freedom would improve quality and availability of healthcare for countless Iranian AIDS patients.

As the one-year anniversary of the Alaeis’ arrest draws closer, continued advocacy for their release becomes increasingly important. Please sign our petition or send a letter (sample letter) to the Iranian embassy in your country calling for their freedom. Arash and Kamiar Alaei need your help to continue their live-saving work for patients in Iran and around the world.

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has uncovered the documents of the perfunctory court proceeding that convicted Drs Kamiar and Arash Alaei.  The ICHRI website includes the original Farsi copy and an English translation. The documents cite as so-called evidence of their alleged wrongdoing against Iran, Kamiar’s and Arash’s participation in international HIV/AIDS conferences and sharing their expertise in harm reduction with the international scientific community. As we all  know, treating AIDS is NOT a crime, it’s good medicine.

The documents also reference confessions of Kamiar and Arash obtained during their detention in the notorious section 209 of Evin Prison. Given the history of interrogation techniques in section 209,  these confessions must be viewed as tainted and inadmissible in a court of law.

Also troubling in these court documents is the specious claim that Dr Kamiar Alaei’s affiliation with Harvard School of Public Health constitutes evidence of his communication with an enemy state. A pandemic like HIV/AIDS that knows no geographical, social or political boundaries demands a coordinated international response. The conviction of Drs Kamiar and Arash Alaei will have a chilling effect on international scientific collaboration.

One ray of hope for the Alaeis is the similarities between this case and that of recently released Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi. She was given a suspended sentence by the appeals court under the principle of Islamic kindness and mercy. We hope that Drs Kamiar and Arash Alaei’s lifesaving HIV/AIDS work for the people of Iran will motivate that same Islamic kindness and mercy.

I came across a Knight Ridder article from 2006 today describing how Drs Kamiar and Arash got their start working on HIV/AIDS in Iran. (thanks to Icha for posting).

In 1997, the government tested for the virus among high-risk populations such as prisoners, truck drivers and patients with other infectious diseases. The highest rate of infection was in Iran’s prisons, one of which was in [Arash] Alaei’s hometown of Kermanshah, northwest of Tehran. Alaei was startled to learn that 400 cases had been detected there.

In 1999 he and his brother, Kamiar, had just finished their medical studies. They persuaded the nervous director of a local medical school to give them space for research.

“We had one room, the files of 400 infected prisoners and one office worker. We couldn’t even have a sign on the door,” Alaei recalled. “It was top secret.”

The article goes on to describe the compassion of the Drs Alaei when meeting AIDS patients, mostly recently released prisoners, for the first time:

“If they were released, their families had disowned them. In jail, other prisoners avoided them and prison workers who didn’t know about transmission just kept them in one room and rolled in a food cart for their meals,” Alaei said. “When we shook hands with them, they cried. Before that, everyone had rejected them.”

One of the most perplexing issues involving the unjust arrest, detention and conviction of the Doctors Alaei has been the fact that they operated their HIV/AIDS programs with the blessings of the Iran’s spiritual leaders from the very beginning.

It took 30 meetings just to create a slim AIDS-awareness handbook for Iran’s conservative high schools. A drawing of a condom disappeared early on; a photo of a syringe survived. A mention of sexual transmission was approved, but only with a reminder that sex before marriage is forbidden.

Even after the government’s wordsmiths were satisfied, AIDS workers in Tehran had to take the book south to the holy city of Qom, the spiritual center of Iran’s all-powerful clergy. To everyone’s surprise, the clerics endorsed it.

As the anniversary of the arrests of Drs Kamiar and Arash Alaei draws near next month, we continue to advocate for their release.  Please sign our petition and/or send a letter(sample letter here) to the Iranian Embassy in your country to call for their release. With your help, Kamiar and Arash will be able to continue their lifesaving work for the people of Iran and the world.

Margaret Salmon, MD, was a worked with Dr Kamiar Alaei while he studied at HArvard School of Public Health.  She was a co-presenter and co-author of the research Dr Kamiar Alaei was scheduled to present at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico in August of 2008.  At the time of the conference, Kamiar was believed to still be held in solitary confinement in the notorious section 209 of Evin Prison.

Clint Trout was a classmate of Dr Kamiar Alaei while a student at Harvard School of Public Health.  Clint describes Kamiar as a true cultural ambassador who shared his love of Iran and Persian culture with fellow students.

If you are a friend or colleague of Drs Kamiar or Arash Alaei and would like to post a video please contact us.

We have slideshows of photos from the vigils at the UN in NYC and in Washington, DC. As we collect photos from other events around the world we will add them here. If you have photos from an event you attended, please send them to us by clicking the green “Add Files” button below.

[Note: Photo submissions are moderated, and there may be some delay before submissions appear in the slideshow. By uploading your photo, you give Physicians for Human Rights all rights to publish it on the World Wide Web and in print. We also reserve the right not to publish every submission we receive.]

The overwhelming show of support by hundreds of concerned individuals who rallied at Iranian embassies on Tuesday and called for the release of the Drs. Kamiar and Arash Alaei continues to captivate media attention.

Vigils for the Global Day of Action on behalf of the Drs. Kamiar and Arash Alaei were held Tuesday at the Iranian Interests Section in DC, the United Nations in New York and locations in 20 other countries. Radio Free Europe reports:

Vigils were held in such far-flung locations as Kabul and Rome, Bangkok and Buenos Aires, and Nairobi and New York City… Participants demanded the release of the doctors, saying that “treating AIDS is not a crime.” According to PHR, more than 5,000 people from 130 countries have so far signed an online petition demanding the release of the Alaei brothers.

The Kaiser Foundation’s Daily HIV/AIDS report quoted PHR’s Jonathan Hutson as he mentioned the similarities between the cases of the Drs. Alaei and that of Roxana Saberi, the Iranian-American journalist who was recently released:

Jonathan Hutson—a spokesperson for Physicians for Human Rights, which is leading a campaign for the brothers’ release—said, “The release of Ms. Saberi has shifted the world’s attention to the plight of others who are likewise jailed in Iran on trumped-up charges.”

The Alaeis were jailed in June 2008 on false charges of conspiracy to overthrow the Iranian government, allegations that stem from their collaboration with international health groups. Allafrica.com also quotes Hutson as saying:

This is not an issue of politics, but of global health. The only battle they were engaged in is the public health battle to prevent and treat the deadly epidemic of AIDS. They need to be allowed to return to their lifesaving work.

AIDS, health and human rights groups in 20 countries—the US, Mexico, Argentina, Guyana, Thailand, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, Russia, Malaysia, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Germany, Bulgaria, Netherlands, Switzerland, and Turkey–took action Tuesday to free the Alaeis.

• Thailand: The Thai Treatment Action Group met with the Iranian Ambassador to Thailand in Bangkok.
• Guyana: Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, the Minister of Health in Guyana and President of the World Medical Assembly, liaised with The Iranian Embassy in Venezuela to demand their release and garnered significant media coverage on the case in the Caribbean.
• Kenya: A PLWA group in Kenya sent a letter to the Iranian Embassy in Nairobi.
• Canada: The Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network sent a letter to the Iranian Embassy in Ottawa and will involve their parliament in this case.
• Italy: MEDU in Italy talked to press in Rome and sent a statement to the Iranian Embassy in Italy.
• Turkey: The Turkish Medical Association alerted its members to the case.
• Netherlands: The International Federation of Health and Human Rights Organizations mobilized its members to sign the petition and sent a letter to the Iranian Embassy in the Netherlands
• Argentina: 10 leading health and human rights groups sent a letter tot he Iranian Ambassador in Buenos Aires demanding the Alaeis be released.
• Geneva: The Health Workforce Advocacy Initiative sent a statement urging the Alaeis’ release to the Iranian Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva

The World Medical Association, The EU, and The International AIDS Society have all called for the Alaeis release. Indeed, the scientific and medical community is rallying around Kamiar and Arash: Nature Magazine and the Lancet and the British Medical Journal have all condemned their conviction as a violation of scientific freedom.

The world is watching. Iran, Free the Docs!

We’ll continue to post statements and photos from events around the world; stay tuned!