PHR staffer Olga Khazan has a letter to the editor published in today’s Washington Post which links the recent detainment of Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi with the equally senseless jailing of the doctors Kamiar and Arash Alaei. Saberi, who was arrested in January on vague charges of spying, is yet another unfortunate casualty in Iran’s crackdown on Western collaboration.

From her letter:

In a similar case, the Iranian Revolutionary Court recently sentenced Kamiar and Arash Alaei, brothers who are world-renowned HIV/AIDS physicians, to three and six years in prison, respectively, for allegedly “communicating with enemy governments” because of their participation in global health conferences. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s regime has condemned countless Iranian journalists, activists and scientists on illegitimate charges without producing evidence to back them up. This crackdown on international exchange and academic freedom undermines the efforts of those who seek to shine a light on Iranian society and serve the Iranian people.

In closing his congratulatory letter to the newly elected President Obama, Mr. Ahmadinejad asked him “to use every chance to serve, to spread love and kindness, to eradicate oppression, [and] to do justice.”

Mr. Ahmadinejad should begin by spreading justice in his own country and releasing innocent citizens such as Ms. Saberi and the Alaeis. Whether reporting the news or treating devastating diseases, each deserves the opportunity to serve.

Iran’s crackdown on journalists, medics and human rights activists is an alarming trend that will only serve to stifle progress and cripple the work of Saberi, the Alaeis and others like them. PHR urges the government of Iran to release these and other innocent Iranian citizens so that they can continue to help and empower their countrymen.

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Media Contact:

Jonathan Hutson
jhutson [at] phrusa [dot] org
Tel: (617) 301-4210
Cell: (857) 919-5130

(Cambridge, Mass.) — In the wake of President Barack Obama’s inauguration, Iran has signaled that the espionage trial of two world-renowned AIDS doctors is a bellwether for the future of US-Iranian relations.

The Washington Post reported on Jan. 19 that an unnamed Iranian senior counter-intelligence official warned the new Obama administration that the case of Dr. Kamiar Alaei and Dr. Arash Alaei exemplifies a “full fledged intelligence war” between Iran and the US.

“If Kamiar and Arash are engaged in any war, it’s the battle against HIV/AIDS,” said Sarah Kalloch, Director of Outreach for Physicians for Human Rights (PHR). “They traveled the world to share the Iranian model of HIV prevention, and to learn from other countries about innovations in infectious disease treatment. Treating AIDS is not a crime — it is good medicine.”

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PHR learned today that the charges against the Alaei brothers include “communications with an enemy government” and seeking to overthrow the Iranian government under article 508 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code. Speaking at a press conference, Iranian Judiciary spokesperson Ali-Reza Jamshidi claimed:

“They were linked to the CIA, backed by the US government and State Department… They recruited and trained people to work with different espionage networks to launch a velvet overthrow of the Iranian government”.

Jamshidi added that further details of the case would be forthcoming in the next two days.

Over the last week, more than 2,000 people from around the globe have contacted the Iranian Mission to the UN in New York City, demanding the Alaeis’ release. In addition 3,100 doctors, nurses and public health workers from 85 countries have signed the online petition demanding their release.

PHR, Human Rights Watch, and the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran have joined together in a press release calling on the Iranian Government to recognize the importance of the work the Drs. Alaei do in HIV/AIDS and release them to continue it.

It’s still possible to call the Iranian Mission and let their Government know it’s time to acquit and free the Alaeis. Call the mission today: +1-212-687-2020. You can have a huge impact just by saying that you want the Alaei brothers to be released: that treating AIDS is not a crime, and the world is watching.

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Media Contact:
Jonathan Hutson
jhutson [at] phrusa [dot] org
Cell: +1 857-919-5130 (English)

The Iranian government’s December 31 trial of Dr. Arash Alaei and Dr. Kamiar Alaei – Iranian brothers who are known worldwide for their work as HIV/AIDS physicians – denied fundamental requirements of due process because, according to reports received by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), the prosecutor refused to disclose all the charges against the accused and denied their right to confront and defend themselves against their accusers. The trial today also sends an ominous signal regarding the Iranian Government’s crackdown on international scientific exchange.

The doctors have been held in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison since late June 2008. They were indicted in December on charges of communicating with an “enemy government” according to their attorney, Masoud Shafie.

On December 31, the Iranian prosecutor tried the brothers in Tehran’s Revolutionary Court on these charges, and also informed the court of additional, secret charges which the brothers’ attorney had no opportunity to refute, because the prosecutor did not disclose either the charges or the evidence on which they are based.

“Iran’s failure to reveal the nature of the secret charges against the doctors makes it impossible to determine if the charges have any factual basis,” stated PHR’s CEO Frank Donaghue. He added, “To all appearances, the arrest and now the trial of these two prominent and widely-traveled AIDS doctors seem to be an effort to shut the door on medical and public health collaboration on global health crises…a policy that is dangerous for the well-being of the Iranian people and for global health.”

PHR stated that the publicly announced charges are illegitimate and without credible foundation. PHR noted that there are clear violations of due process in this case. In order to have a fair trial according to the standards of international human rights law, Iran must safeguard the doctors’ right to know the evidence against them and their right to confront and cross-examine their accusers. A defendant’s right to hear and confront witnesses against him is a fundamental guarantee of life and liberty. Without knowing the evidence or even the charges against him, an accused person has no opportunity to help his attorney make his defense or challenge the evidence’s relevance or reliability.

“Iran should free these brothers immediately, so that they can continue their life-saving public health work for the benefit of the people of Iran and the world,” stated Donaghue.

The brothers have already been detained two months longer than Iranian penal code allows, Shafie said earlier this month, in an exclusive interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. According to Shafie, Articles 30-34 of the Code of Penal Procedure of the Islamic Republic of Iran allow for detentions but require that the investigating judge issue such detention orders for one month at a time and for no longer than four months.

The brothers are also legally eligible for bail, but the judge in the case has not issued bail nor held a bail hearing.

Over 3,100 doctors, nurses and public health workers from more than 85 countries have signed an online petition demanding their release, which can be viewed at IranFreeTheDocs.org. Leading physicians and public health specialists and numerous medical and scientific organizations have publicly called for the brothers’ release.

Dr. Kamiar Alaei is a doctoral candidate at the SUNY Albany School of Public Health in Albany, New York and was expected to resume his studies there this fall. In 2007, he received a master of science degree in Population and International Health from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.

Dr. Arash Alaei is the former director of the International Education and Research Cooperation of the Iranian National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. Since 1998, the Drs. Alaei have been carrying out HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention programs, particularly focused on harm reduction for injecting drug users.

In addition to their work in Iran, the Alaei brothers have held training courses for Afghan and Tajik medical workers and have worked to encourage regional cooperation among 12 Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries. Their efforts expanded the expertise of doctors in the region, advanced the progress of medical science, and earned Iran recognition as a model of best practice by the World Health Organization.

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(Cambridge, MA: December 22, 2008)–On the sixth-month anniversary of Iran’s detention of Dr. Arash Alaei and Dr. Kamiar Alaei—Iranian brothers who are known worldwide as HIV/AIDS physicians—international NGOs, academic institutions, and medical leaders from across the globe are asking Iran to free them immediately.

The doctors have been held in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison since late June 2008. They were indicted this month on charges of communicating with an “enemy government” according to their attorney, Masoud Shafie. Iran should drop these illegitimate and politically motivated charges, the groups and leaders said.

In an exclusive interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Shafie said that the brothers have been indicted under article 508 of the Islamic Penal Code, which states that anyone found guilty of communicating with an “enemy government” shall be sentenced one-to-ten years in prison.

Bringing this charge against the Alaeis is likely to have a chilling effect on the Iranian medical community’s ability to share their work and learn from global experts, which could undermine the health of the Iranian people.

The brothers have already been detained two months longer than Iranian penal code allows. According to Shafie, Articles 30-34 of the Code of Penal Procedure of the Islamic Republic of Iran allow for detentions but require that the investigating judge issue such detention orders for one month at a time and for no longer than four months.

The brothers are also legally eligible for bail, but the judge in the case has not issued bail nor held a bail hearing.

Over 3,100 people from more than 85 countries have signed an online petition demanding their release, which can be viewed at IranFreeTheDocs.org.

Several of the world’s most accomplished HIV/AIDS and health experts—including the Global Fund executive director, Professor Michel Kazatchkine; the Partners in Health co-founder, Dr. Paul Farmer; Wafaa El-Sadr, MD, 2008 MacArthur Foundation Fellow MPH; Hossam E. Fadel, MD, of the Islamic Medical Association of North America; a 1993 Nobel laureate in medicine, Sir Richard Roberts PhD, FRS; and the Ugandan AIDS pioneer Dr. Peter Mugyenyi—have signed a letter urging the Alaei brothers’ release (PDF).

Dr. Kamiar Alaei is a doctoral candidate at the SUNY Albany School of Public Health in Albany, New York and was expected to resume his studies there this fall. In 2007, he received a master of science degree in Population and International Health from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.

Dr. Arash Alaei is the former director of the International Education and Research Cooperation of the Iranian National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. Since 1998, the Drs. Alaei have been carrying out HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention programs, particularly focused on harm reduction for injecting drug users.

In addition to their work in Iran, the Alaei brothers have held training courses for Afghan and Tajik medical workers and have worked to encourage regional cooperation among 12 Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries. Their efforts expanded the expertise of doctors in the region, advanced the progress of medical science, and earned Iran recognition as a model of best practice by the World Health Organization.

Media Contacts:

• In Cambridge, Massachusetts, for Physicians for Human Rights, Jonathan Hutson (English): +1-857-919-5130 (mobile), jhutson [at] phrusa [dot] org
• In New York, for Human Rights Watch, Joe Amon (English): +1-212-216-1286; or +1-917-519-8930 (mobile) and Rebecca Schleifer (English): +1-212-216-1273; + 1-646-331 0324 (mobile)
• Hadi Ghaemi, International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran: +1-917-669-5996 (mobile), hadighaemi [at] iranhumanrights [dot] org
• Margaret Salmon, MD/MPH, The Harvard Friends of Alaeis:  +1-617-460-4084, msalmon [at] llu [dot] edu, skype: msalmonmd

On December 1, 2008—the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day—Physicians for Human Rights and international medical leaders call on the Iranian government (pdf) to release detained Iranian HIV/AIDS leaders Drs. Arash and Kamiar Alaei.

Some of the world’s most accomplished HIV/AIDS and health experts—including luminaries such as Global Fund Executive Director Professor Michel Kazatchkine; Partners in Health co-founder Dr. Paul Farmer; 2008 MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant recipient Wafaa El-Sadr, MD, MPH; Hossam E. Fadel, MD, of the Islamic Medical Association of North America; 1993 Nobel Laureate in Medicine Sir Richard Roberts PhD, FRS; and Ugandan AIDS pioneer Dr. Peter Mugyenyi, have signed a letter (pdf) urging the Alaei brothers’ release:

“We are writing out of deep concern for the well-being of two internationally respected Iranian physicians, Drs. Arash Alaei and Kamiar Alaei, who have been detained without charge following their arrest by Iranian authorities in June. The Alaei doctors’ work on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment has saved lives and has earned Iran international recognition as a model of best-practice.

“As international medical leaders and policy makers, we appeal to your government to release these doctors immediately. As the globe celebrates World AIDS Day, it is crucial that these two pioneers from the field of HIV/AIDS prevention be free to practice life saving medicine in Iran.”

Drs. Kamiar Alaei and Arash Alaei—two brothers known throughout the world for their work on HIV/AIDS—were detained without charge by Iranian security forces in late June 2008. They are being held in Tehran’s Evin Prison. To date, no formal charges have been filed. News reports have quoted deputy Tehran prosecutor Hassan Haddad as saying the two used conferences on AIDS to “recruit individuals” to topple Iran’s government through a “velvet revolution”.

Said PHR CEO A. Frank Donaghue, “Sharing knowledge across borders for better treatment of AIDS is not a crime, it is good medicine. The Iranian government must release the Alaeis so they can continue their life-saving public health work. Releasing the Alaeis on World AIDS Day would send an important message to the world that Iran cares about the fight against AIDS and the health and well-being of its people.”

Dr. Kamiar Alaei is a doctoral candidate at the SUNY Albany School of Public Health in Albany, New York and was expected to resume his studies there this fall. In 2007, he received Master of Science in Population and International Health from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.

Dr. Arash Alaei is the former Director of the International Education and Research Cooperation of the Iranian National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. Since 1998, the Drs. Alaei have been carrying out HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention programs, particularly focused on harm reduction for injecting drug users.

In addition to their work in Iran, the Alaei brothers have held training courses for Afghan and Tajik medical workers and have worked to encourage regional cooperation among 12 Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries. Their efforts expanded the expertise of doctors in the region, advanced the progress of medical science, and earned Iran recognition as a model of best practice by the World Health Organization.

Since its founding in 1986, PHR’s Colleagues at Risk Program has defended the rights of our colleagues whose rights are threatened due to their medical, humanitarian and human rights work.

There have been rumors circulating that the Iranian government has released Doctors Arash and Kamiar Alaei. These rumors have not been confirmed. Physicians for Human Rights does not credit current rumors that the Alaei brothers have been set free.

There was a Persian language report on the Iranian news site, news.gooya.com, stating that Arash and Kamiar Alaei had been released. PHR has not obtained any confirmation of this report, and we have multiple sources discrediting the claim of the Alaei brothers’ release.

For example, Maziar Behari is the Iranian documentary filmmaker who directed a documentary on the Alaei brothers for the BBC in 2004, and he is Newsweek’s correspondent in Teheran. Behari has just posted a note on the Wall of a Facebook group for the Alaei brothers, stating:

There are false news on Iranian websites that Arash and Kamiar were freed yesterday. I just talked to the family and they’re still in prison.

Also, BBC World Service and its Persian News have also communicated to PHR that these rumors of the Alaei brothers’ release are NOT confirmed.

Likewise Voice of America has told PHR that they have not confirmed the rumors either.

The amfAR statement supporting the release of Kamiar and Arash Alaei mentions Dr. Adeeba Kamarulzaman’s remarks during her presentation at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City. Dr. Adeeba Kamarulzaman is chair of the steering committee for amfAR’s TREAT Asia initiative, who established the Infectious Diseases Unit at the University of Malaya Medical Centre. Here is the full text of what Dr. Kamarulzaman said in support of the Alaei brothers.

At this point I would like to take a minute of my presentation to appeal to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to release Arash and Kamiar Alaei from custody and the charges that have been brought upon them.

I have met the brothers on many occasions and had the opportunity to visit your beautiful country as a Faculty member of the HIV/TB training course for the region that they organized.

It was through the inspiration that was gained by the visit to your country that the Malaysian Prison Department has implemented opiate substitution therapy in the Malaysian prison system.

As a fellow Muslim I appeal to the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the name of Allah the Most Merciful and Compassionate to release these brothers immediately.

amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, has issued a statement in support of Kamiar and Aresh Alaei.

NEW YORK, August 5, 2008—Kevin Robert Frost, CEO of amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, expressed deep concern today over the reported detention by the Iranian government of two Iranian doctors known for their pioneering work on HIV/AIDS.

Frost called the detainment of the two brothers Arash and Kamiar Alaei, “extremely troubling,” and called for the release of the two men, who were apparently arrested at the end of June.

“What we are talking about here are two prominent, apolitical HIV/AIDS physicians who are internationally recognized for their humanitarian efforts and work to improve public health,” Frost said. “It is of special concern that these two doctors, whose whereabouts remain unknown, disappeared prior to the International AIDS Conference (IAC) in Mexico City, where they were scheduled to speak about Iran’s HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs.”

Frost said he is appealing to the Iranian government to disclose the whereabouts of Arash and Kamiar Alaei and to release them immediately so they can return to their lifesaving work. “Arash and Kamiar were sorely missed at the International AIDS Conference, and their absence is a striking reminder of the ongoing difficulties faced by people who are actively fighting HIV/AIDS in many parts of the world,” Frost said.

Dr. Adeeba Kamarulzaman, chair of the steering committee for amfAR’s TREAT Asia initiative, who established the Infectious Diseases Unit at the University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), also called for the release of the two doctors while speaking this morning at the IAC.

“As a Muslim woman, I call on the Iranian government to release these brothers and allow them to continue their vital work,” Dr. Kamarulzaman said.

The International AIDS Conference, held every two years, is considered by many to be the most valuable opportunity for the presentation of important new scientific research and for productive, structured dialogue on the major challenges facing the global response to AIDS.

Today the Dean of the Harvard School of Public Health issued the following statement:

Boston, MA — Barry R. Bloom, Dean of the Harvard School of Public Health, today expressed “deep concern regarding the detention by Iranian authorities of Dr. Kamiar Alaei, a 2007 Masters of Science graduate of our School, and of his brother, Dr. Arash Alaei. The brothers are Iranian physicians working on the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, an important public health problem in their country.”

“There is concern for their welfare, as their whereabouts are unknown, and there has been no communication from them since they were detained in June. I join with other public health professionals, organizations and institutions in expressing concern for their safety and well-being.”

Former PHR student chapter leader Pooja Mehta, from Mt Sinai School of Medicine, helps gather petition signatures for PHR’s campaign to free the Alaei brothers at the AIDS Conference in Mexico City. (Sarah Kalloch, PHR)

You can sign the petition, too.

In today’s Washington Post, columnist David Ignatius comments on the arrest and detention of Kamiar and Arash Alaei.

In a column that appeared Sept. 6, 2006, I highlighted the work of Dr. Arash Alaei, an Iranian who created an HIV-AIDS program that the World Health Organization called a “best-practice model” for the Middle East. Now, inexplicably, he and his brother Kamiar, also a physician, have been arrested and charged with fomenting a “velvet revolution.” Having visited Alaei at his headquarters in North Tehran, I have seen firsthand the good he and his brother were accomplishing. Shame on the Iranian government.

In other coverage, Reuters has picked up the EU’s call on Iran to immediately release the Drs. Alaei.

PARIS (Reuters) – European Union president France called on Iran on Wednesday to release immediately two Iranian doctors who have been detained by Tehran for more than a month.

In a separate statement the bloc’s presidency said it was very concerned by violations of the rights of the Kurdish minority in Iran and by death sentences passed on five members of the ethnic group.

Both statements were published as the United States and Britain said major powers had agreed on Wednesday to consider more U.N. sanctions on Iran after Tehran gave no concrete reply to their demand that it freeze its nuclear activities.

Arash and Kamiar Alaei are brothers who specialize in the treatment of HIV/AIDS and were arrested on June 21 and 22.

The U.S. State Department has expressed its concern, and rights groups Amnesty International and Physicians for Human Rights have called for the pair’s release.

“The Presidency of the Council of the European Union calls on the Iranian government to immediately release Arash and Kamiar Alaei and to drop all charges that might be brought against them,” France, which holds the EU’s rotating six-month presidency, said in a statement.

“In their latest statements, the Iranian authorities have without any foundation accused the Alaei brothers, who are internationally recognized for their work in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS in Iran, of participating in activities to destabilize the Islamic Republic,” the Foreign Ministry said.

It did not elaborate on the substance of the accusations.

Western diplomats and human rights group say Iran has cracked down on dissenting voices since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to power in 2005 on a pledge to revive values of the Islamic revolution launched almost three decades ago.

The diplomats and rights groups say pro-reform students, women’s rights activists and labor activists are among those targeted in the clampdown, which they say could be in response to Western pressure on Iran over its nuclear program.

Today, the Presidency of the Council of the European Union issued the following statement:

Statement by the Presidency of the Council of the European Union on the situation of Arash and Kamiar Alaei

The Presidency of the Council of the European Union is deeply concerned by the situation of Arash and Kamiar Alaei in Iran, two doctors who were arbitrarily arrested on 21 and 22 June 2008.

In their latest statements, the Iranian authorities have without any foundation accused the Alaei brothers, who are internationally recognised for their work in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS in Iran, of participating in activities to destabilise the Islamic Republic.

The Presidency of the Council of the European Union calls on the Iranian government to immediately release Arash and Kamiar Alaei and to drop all charges that might be brought against them.

(Mexico City) A coalition of AIDS and human rights organizations that includes Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) and Human Rights Watch (HRW) has launched a campaign to free two Iranian physicians, Drs. Arash Alaei and Kamiar Alaei. The doctors, who are brothers, are active in HIV/AIDS education, prevention and treatment in Iran.

According to international news reports, Iranian security forces detained the Drs. Alaei in late June, 2008 and are holding them incommunicado. The doctors’ whereabouts remain unknown. On Sunday, the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse cited Iranian news reports stating that the brothers have been charged with participating in “a velvet revolution,” partly due to their activities at international AIDS conferences, such as the one currently taking place in Mexico City. Dr. Arash Alaei had been slated to speak here Thursday.

“If international media reports are accurate, then the allegations made against the Drs. Alaei are illegitimate and politically motivated,” stated PHR’s CEO Frank Donaghue.

“The Iranian government must provide the Alaei brothers with immediate access to legal counsel and to their families,” said Joe Amon, Director of the Health and Human Rights division at HRW.

PHR has launched a web site, IranFreeTheDocs.org, which is collecting signatures on a petition to the government of Iran, urging it to respect and uphold the doctors’ basic human rights. And in conjunction with PHR and the HIV Medical Association, sixteen of the top infectious disease doctors in the world have written a letter to the Minister of Health and Medical Education in Iran on behalf of the doctors. This and other supporting documents are available at IranFreeTheDocs.org.

“These charges stifle the country’s efforts to address AIDS effectively and to serve as a model for the region,” added Donaghue. “We urge the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to release them immediately so that they can continue their important medical and public health work for the betterment of the people of Iran and the world.”

Human Rights Watch (www.hrw.org) is a nongovernmental organization based in New York that monitors and reports on international human rights, refugee, and humanitarian law issues in more than 70 countries around the world.

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) mobilizes the health professions to advance the health and dignity of all people by protecting human rights. As a founding member of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, PHR shared the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize.

Yesterday, the AP reported:

TEHRAN, Iran: Iran’s semiofficial ISNA news agency says that two brothers – physicians known for their work on AIDS – have been charged with violating national security.

The report Saturday quotes deputy Tehran prosecutor Hassan Haddad as saying the two used conferences on AIDS to “recruit individuals” to topple Iran’s government.

Haddad did not name the suspects, but accused them of plotting a “velvet revolution” in Iran and said Washington supported the brothers.

ISNA is not an official agency, but authorities sometimes use it to leak sensitive information.

(Read the ISNA report in Farsi.)

Physicians for Human Rights urges the government of Iran to immediately disclose information on the brothers’ whereabouts and any charges which may be filed against them, and give them access to lawyers—or release them immediately.