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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.

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.

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.

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.

According to a press release issued today from the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, the mother of Arash and Kamiar Alaei recently broke her silence in an interview with Iranian news media. The press release stated that the mother told Rooz Online that her sons had been held for 63 days in solitary confinement and that she feared that they might be tortured to coerce false confessions on camera.

The brothers have been charged with communicating with an enemy government — charges which PHR has labeled illegitimate and politically motivated — as well as with secret charges which have not yet been made public. Kamiar and Arash have been sentenced to terms of three and six years respectively. They will serve their sentences in Evin prison. Their attorney plans to file an appeal; he has 20 days from January 20 to do so. According to their attorney, the brothers categorically deny the charges against them.

“If due process means anything, it means the right to know the charges, hear the evidence, and face the accuser,” said Hutson. “The Alaei brothers’ secret summary trial was marked by violations of due process rules outlined in the Iranian constitution and penal code, as well as those in international human rights law.”

Leading physicians, public health specialists and numerous medical and scientific organizations have publicly called for the brothers’ release. These include HIV/AIDS and health experts 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.

“PHR and the thousands of medical and public health practitioners from across the globe who support Kamiar and Arash are devastated, dismayed and disgusted by these sentences,” said Sarah Kalloch, PHR’s Director of Outreach. “You cannot combat infectious disease without working in a global network. Iranian scientists need to be free to share ideas and best practices with colleagues around the world without fear of persecution, or the health of the Iranian people will suffer.”

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.”

PHR has learned that despite leaks from Iranian officials over the weekend to the media, the doctors only learned on Jan. 20 that they had been convicted. Kamiar and Arash are sentenced to terms of three and six years respectively. They will serve their sentences in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison.

“The doctors’ trial did not meet standards of due process under international human rights law or even under the Iranian penal code,” said Jonathan Hutson, JD, Chief Communications Officer at PHR. “The brothers still have not been fully informed of all charges against them. Their attorney did not have the opportunity to examine the accuracy or relevance of certain undisclosed evidence and thus had no opportunity to rebut the case. PHR is concerned that the doctors may have been subjected to coercion during their intensive, six-month interrogation.”

Their attorney plans to file an appeal; he has 20 days to do so. The brothers had been charged with communicating with an enemy government – charges which PHR has labeled illegitimate and politically motivated – as well as with secret charges which have not yet been made public.

Over the past two weeks, more than 2,000 people around the world contacted the Iranian Mission to the United Nations demanding the Alaeis’ release. In addition, more than 3,100 health professionals from 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. These include HIV/AIDS and health experts 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.

“PHR and the thousands of medical and public health practitioners from across the globe who support Kamiar and Arash are devastated, dismayed and disgusted by these sentences,” said Kalloch. “Persecuting these doctors for their exemplary public health outreach will put a chilling effect on medical research, science, and public health in Iran, which will ultimately harm the Iranian 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 last fall. In 2007, he received a Master’s 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.

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.

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.”

“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.

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.

(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

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.