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.

The Czech Presidency of the European Union denounced Iran’s detention of the Drs. Alaei in a statement released today, the 33rd Anniversary of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Describing a trend of “increasing constraints on Iranian citizens’ freedom of expression and association,” the EU urged Iran to end human rights violations against students, journalists and human rights advocates.

Human rights defenders, journalists, students, trade unionists and others peacefully expressing their views or opinions are often charged under the vague auspices of public security….

In this respect, the European Union urgently calls on Iran to revoke the sentences against two HIV specialists, brothers Arash and Kamiar Alaei, sentenced to prison for six and three years respectively.

The statement also urged the dropping of legal charges against journalists, bloggers and students, as well as the reopening of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, which was shuttered by Tehran authorities in December.

The EU also commended the positive achievements of Iranian citizens in the fields of medicine, culture and human rights, but it “expresses concern about the Iranian government’s violations of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which it is a signatory.”

For the Alaeis, today’s ICCPR anniversary marks another day in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison. As the doctors have committed no internationally-recogized crime, PHR continues to call on Iran to uphold its international commitments and release them.

Doctors Kamiar and Arash Alaei are prisoners of conscience who have been unfairly tried and jailed for their global AIDS prevention work, according to World Medical Association president Dr. Yoram Blachar. The WMA sent letters today to President Ahmadinejad, the Iranian judiciary and the ministry of information petitioning them to release the two doctors.

Dr. Blachar expressed concern that the Alaeis’s secretive trial did not allow them to refute government charges that their international AIDS work amounted to communication with an enemy government.

Like Amnesty International, we consider them prisoners of conscience, as they appear to havebeen imprisoned solely in relation to their work with international and specifically US institutions in the field of HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment.

We are deeply concerned that Dr Arash Alaei and Dr Kamiar Alaei were tried on 31 December in proceedings that fell far short of international standards for fair trial, as the evidence against them was not fully disclosed to the two men and their defence, and they did not have the right to call and examine witnesses.

In addition, Dr. Blachar urges Iranian authorities to respect the human dignity of the doctors until their release is secured.

We are therefore asking for the immediate release of Arash and Kamiar Alaei, as their imprisonment appears to be politically motivated and related to their international contacts in the context of their work on HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment.

We are also calling on the authorities to ensure that Dr Arash Alaei and Dr Kamiar Alaei are not tortured or otherwise ill‐treated. WMA condemns strongly torture as a flagrant violation of human dignity and human rights that cannot be justified under any political, military, religious or other cause.

Drs. Kamiar and Arash Alaei have been detained since June 2008 in Tehran’s Evin prison. On Dec. 31, they were sentenced to six and three years’ imprisonment respectively, for “cooperating with an enemy government.” Prior to their arrest, they orchestrated Iran’s first harm reduction programs,  spoke at health conferences globally and trained doctors in their region.

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Media Contact:

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

(Cambridge, Mass.) — Physicians for Human Rights is deeply concerned that purported ‘confessions’ that have been used by Iranian authorities to convict and sentence Dr. Kamiar Alaei and Dr. Arash Alaei may have been forcibly extracted.

Sources close to the trial have told PHR that one of the brothers had agreed under duress to make a videotaped statement prepared by Iranian authorities, who had promised that if he read the statement, both brothers would be set free.

Said Jonathan Hutson, J.D., Chief Communications Officer for PHR, “Given the isolation, months without charge and perfunctory trial, and the interrogation techniques and duress known to exist in other cases like this one in Iran, any purported ‘confession’ in the trial of the Alaei brothers must be viewed as tainted and unreliable.” The brothers have been held in Evin prison since late June 2008.

Continue Reading »

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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.”

Continue Reading »

Updated to include: New Wikipedia article on Kamiar Alaei and his brother Arash now posted.

One of the most widely read progressive blogs in the U.S., The Daily Kos, launched its new Health Care Friday Series with a lead story on Kamiar and Arash Alaei. Progressive bloggers have been key allies in this case as well as in PHR’s previous successful work to free five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor who faced the death penalty in Libya.

Blogger DemFromCT quoted yesterday’s Boston Globe article in the DailyKos post, including a message to:

Please take a moment today to call the Iranian Mission to the UN, +1-212-687-2020, to express your support for the release of the Doctors Alaei. Tell them Treating AIDS is NOT a Crime!

In addition, Philip Nasca, Dean of the School of Public Health at the University at Albany, where Dr. Kamiar Alaei is a doctoral student, released a statement today expressing concern for the Drs. Alaei. Dean Nasca writes:

“The students and faculty of our School are deeply distressed. They recognize the outstanding humanitarian public health work accomplished by Kamiar and Arash, who have been hailed by AIDS specialists throughout the world for the model they created in Iran. Public health is a global science, one that requires medical and public health professionals to collaborate and share best practices; it cannot thrive if there is not cooperation between and among experts in all countries facing similar problems. Kamiar’s enthusiasm and extraordinary energy inspired those of us at this School and in the New York State Health Department.

Dean Nasca also mentions that Dr. Kamiar Alaei had never expressed a desire to subvert the Iranian government, as alleged by Tehran prosecutors in the Alaeis’ Dec. 31 trial.

He always spoke respectfully of his country’s support for the clinics he and his brother established to serve those infected with HIV and suffering from AIDS. Any misunderstanding of their scientific activities must be clarified so they can return to the work they were so successfully doing and so that Kamiar can return to his studies here in Albany. We send our fervent wishes for a positive outcome to Kamiar, Arash, their family members, those striving on their behalf, and all those served by their excellent work.”

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.

Ohio State University College of Public Health Dean Stanley Lemeshow became the latest in an ever-broadening coalition of public health leaders speaking out for Drs. Kamiar and Arash Alaei, according to a statement released by the College this week.

Dean Lemeshow expressed concern over the situation of the doctors, who remain imprisoned in Tehran without charge. Lemeshow joins Philip Nasca, PhD, dean of the University at Albany School of Public Health (SUNY Albany), in denouncing the detention of Dr. Kamiar Alaei, a School of Public Health doctoral student.

“I am concerned not only for the safety of Kamiar Alaei,” Lemeshow said, “but for the welfare of those who he’s helped through his work in the field of public health.”

Kamiar and Arash Alaei are two respected Iranian AIDS doctors who were arrested in Tehran four months ago and jailed without charge. The brothers established some of the country’s first clinics treating AIDS patients and injecting drug users. Their work has been highlighted in a BBC documentary and commended by international organizations, including the WHO.

Physicians for Human Rights has spearheaded a coalition of activists, medics, academics and Nobel Laureates in calling for the Alaei doctors’ immediate release.

The vigil in New York City yesterday was amazing and moving and powerful. More than 30 doctors, medical and public health students, harm reduction experts, and friends and colleagues of Drs. Kamiar and Arash Alaei gathered outside the Iranian mission to the UN. People held photos of their detained friends and spoke eloquently about their work and their life – and their ability to bridge cultural divides and move medicine to new places. We know President Ahmadinejad heard our message: at private events in New York this week, he was in fact handed the petition, translated into Farsi and listing the names of the more than 3200 people from 85 countries who have signed on so far.

Below are Ali Khan’s remarks from yesterday. Ali is a medical student at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical School, is getting his MPP at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, and is on PHR’s Board.

As a physician in training, I believe it is imperative for health professionals to speak out in defense of the human rights of our colleagues at risk.

As an American Muslim, I am morally compelled to battle social injustice and inequality wherever it exists.

As a human being, I know a raw deal when I see it.

We convene here today, in the shadow of the Iranian delegation to the UN, to honor the work of two courageous Iranian colleagues. Drs. Kamiar and Arash Alaei, Iranian physicians and international leaders in HIV/AIDS care, should be standing alongside us – as they have so often in the struggle against HIV/AIDS. Dr. Kamiar Alaei should be in Albany now, continuing his second year of doctoral studies at the SUNY-Albany School of Public Health. Dr. Arash Alaei should be preventing and treating HIV/AIDS at a clinic in his home region of Kermanshah in northwest Iran. For the past three months, however, the Alaei brothers have been detained by the Iranian government in the notorious Section 209 of its Evin prison – detained without formal charge and without regard to their basic human rights.

The reason for that detention? Suspicion that their work in the international AIDS arena could inspire a “velvet revolution” – that is, their work in advocating for improved HIV/AIDS care in Iran, in collaborating with international non-governmental organizations and in teaching and recruiting others to careers in public health.

That’s not a crime – that’s good medicine.

I urge the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran to release the Drs. Alaei so that they can continue their vital medical and public health work for the betterment of the people of Iran and the world. During this holy month of Ramadan, each day that the Alaei brothers are detained is a mockery of the Islamic tenets of equality, social justice and law – and represents a violation of their basic human rights.

Dare to act on this critically important issue. Visit IranFreeTheDocs.org.

I will continue to post the speeches from yesterday so that everyone can read about Kamiar and Arash, and who they are, and what the world is missing while they are languishing in Evin Prison, so keep reading, and feel free to share your thoughts and stories about the brothers here.

Ali Khan speaks at the vigil.

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) and a coalition of health and human rights groups held a silent vigil and press conference today at noon in front of the Iranian Mission to the United Nations (622 3rd Avenue, NYC) to call for the release of the Doctors Alaei. It is now known that they are being held, still without charge, in the notorious section 209 of Iran’s Evin prison. To date, the brothers have been allowed only one meeting with their attorney and family.

The vigil and press conference was timed to coincide with Iranian President Ahmadinejad’s visit to New York City for the UN General Assembly.

PHR Board member and VCU med student Ali Khan calls for the release of imprisoned Iranian colleagues at a vigil in front of Iran's UN Mission.

(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.