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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.

• 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!

Physicians for Human Rights has been working with a phenomenal coalition of organization, friends and colleagues to free Kamiar and Arash since their imprisonment last June. It’s amazing to see so many of you here—and to know how many more are joining us in spirit, and at an online virtual vigil, to which we are being live streamed right now; everyone say hello to the world!

Today, AIDS and human rights groups are contacting Iranian embassies in 20 counties. Thousands of people from 130 countries have signed petitions calling for the Alaeis’ release. The Thai Treatment Action Group has already staged a rally in Bangkok. The Minister of Health in Guyana is liaising with The Iranian Embassy in Venezuela to demand their release. The Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network is involving their parliament in this case. MEDU in Italy are talking to the press in Rome. The Turkish Medical Association is alerting its members.

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. Dr. Julio Frenk, Former Minister of Health of Mexico, Dean of Harvard School of Public Health and one of the world leaders who rushed to solve swine flu, has called their conviction a danger to the free exchange of knowledge need to improve global health and fight pandemic, from AIDS to the flu.

Arash and Kamiar were arrested in June 2008. The Iranian government accused the brothers of using trips to AIDS conferences in the US and around the world to “foment a velvet revolution.” We say treating AIDS in not a crime. 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.

As you all may know, the Alaeis were tried in a ½ day sham trial December 31, 2008. In January 2009, Arash and Kamiar were convicted of communicating with an enemy government and sentenced to 6 and 3 years in prison, respectively. Their first appeal was opened March 18 and denied March 19; their lawyer was told of the appeal denial April 6 and had one month to stage a final appeal under Article 18 of the constitution. This is their final appeal. They are innocent of these charges. Iran is creating political theatre that is endangering the lives of people living with AIDS across the world. This must stop, and it must stop now.

Iran just released Iranian-America Journalist Roxana Saberi as a demonstration of Iralmic Kindness. It is time Iran extend that concept of kindness to the Alaeis—and the thousands of people living with AIDS in Iran who depend on people like the Alaeis to find prevention, treatment and care innovations that save lives.

Today we’re going to hear from Hadi Ghamnei, an expert on human rights in Iran and coordinator of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, as well as Dr. Sharon Stancliff, Medical Director of the Harm Reduction Coalition and a friend and colleague of Kamiar and Arash. We’ll then open the floor to anyone else who’d like to say something—anything—about the Alaeis, about HIV/AIDS, about human rights, about freedom, about saving lives, about friendship, about dancing and foosball—anything the brothers love and care about.

Thank you for standing up for human rights, as do the Alaeis every day. Kamiar and Arash have not let their imprisonment stop them from defending the health and human rights of Iranians. We’ve heard from colleagues that the brothers are volunteering at the Evin Prison health clinic, illustrating their love of medicine, of science, of the people of Iran.

They won’t stop practicing medicine, and we will not stop until Kamiar and Arash are free.

Sr. Encargado de Negocios

de la Embajada de la República Islámica de Irán en Argentina

S. E. Dr. Mohsen Baharvand

Apreciado Dr. Mohsen Baharvand:

Nos dirigimos a usted con motivo de nuestra profunda preocupación por los hermanos iraníes, Dr. Kamiar Alaei y Dr. Arash Alaei. Los Drs. Alaei son líderes internacionales en la prevención y el tratamiento del SIDA y están detenidos en la prisión de Evin en Irán desde junio de 2008. Fueron juzgados y condenados por el cargo de “comunicación con los gobiernos del enemigo” en enero de 2009. Estos cargos son injustos y carecen de fundamento, y las organizaciones abajo firmantes instan al Gobierno iraní a liberar a los hermanos Alaeis inmediatamente. Cada día en que los Alaeis están entre rejas es otro día en que sufre la salud pública iraní.

Arash y Kamiar supieron el 20 de enero de 2009 que habían sido declarados culpables y condenados a penas de tres y seis años respectivamente, en la prisión de Evin. Su abogado presentó un recurso de apelación el 9 de febrero de 2009. El Tribunal de Primera Instancia en Irán abrió el recurso de casación el 18 de marzo de 2009 y a los hermanos les fue negado el recurso un día más tarde, el 19 de marzo de 2009. Su abogado fue informado de la decisión del tribunal el 6 de abril de 2009. Él tuvo un mes, a partir de esa fecha, para recurrir a esta sentencia en virtud del artículo 18 de la Constitución de Irán.

Los Drs. Alaei ayudaron a desarrollar el primer programa de reducción de daños en Irán, que ganó el reconocimiento por ser uno de los programas modelos de las mejores prácticas de la Organización Mundial de la Salud. En el último decenio, han apoyado una red de clínicas en 67 ciudades y 57 centros penitenciarios para proporcionar tratamiento para las infecciones de transmisión sexual y las drogadicciones. Los hermanos Alaei han trabajado con los líderes religiosos de Irán para garantizar el apoyo a campañas de educación sobre la transmisión del VIH. También desarrollaron el programa de capacitación “Salud Global en el Oriente Medio y Asia central” para médicos en Afganistán, Turkmenistán y otros países vecinos con el fin de mejorar el tratamiento del VIH / SIDA en la región.

Como parte de su trabajo, los Drs. Arash y Kamiar Alaei expusieron en conferencias internacionales sobre la salud mundial y el VIH / SIDA, y fueron reconocidos por la BBC y otras organizaciones internacionales de prensa, por su trabajo en la salud pública y el SIDA. El 19 de enero, los Dres. Kamiar y Arash Alaei fueron condenados a tres y seis años, respectivamente, por “las comunicaciones con un gobierno enemigo” y por tratar de derrocar al gobierno iraní según el artículo 508 de Irán del Código Penal Islámico. El gobierno fundamentó los cargos en sus viajes a los mencionados eventos internacionales de salud. Tales acusaciones hieren el futuro de la salud pública y los tratamientos del SIDA, la innovación depende de la colaboración.

Si los médicos presos participan de alguna guerra, esta guerra es la batalla contra el VIH / SIDA. Colaborar con colegas a través de las fronteras para encontrar mejores tratamientos para enfermedades complejas no es un crimen – es una buena medicina. Revistas científicas de renombre mundial entre ellas las revistas The Lancet, Nature y el British Medical Journal, han hecho hincapié en la necesidad crítica de abrir el diálogo científico y médico, y han condenado la detención de los Drs. Alaei por socavar la salud pública en todo el mundo.

Miles de líderes médicos, premios Nobel y ciudadanos de todo el mundo ya han pedido la liberación de los Alaei. Con esta carta, las organizaciones abajo firmantes se suman al llamamiento internacional para su liberación. Es imperativo que se les permita regresar a su trabajo por el bien de los avances de la medicina mundial y por el bienestar de la población de Irán.

Esperamos oír de la Embajada iraní sobre este caso. Por cualquier información, por favor póngase en contacto con Intercambios Asociación Civil al 4954 7272 o al correo electrónico intercambios@intercambios.org.ar.

Lo saludamos con distinguida consideración,

1. Graciela Touzé, Presidenta Intercambios Asociación Civil, Ciudad de Buenos Aires gratouze@intercambios.org.ar
2. Kurt Frieder, Director Ejecutivo Fundación Huésped, Ciudad de Buenos Aires kurt.frieder@huesped.org.ar
3. Juan Carlos Purriños, Presidente Fondo Ayuda Toxicológica, Ciudad de Buenos Aires fat@sinectis.com.ar
4. Sergio Gustavo Sensini, Presidente Juntos por la Vida, Rosario (Santa Fe) sergiosensini@yahoo.com.ar
5. Esther Gladys González,Presidenta O.F.E.S. (Organización Familiares Enfrentando al Sida), Rosario (Santa Fe) ofes@arnet.com.ar
6. Marcela Pomerantz, Directora “Prevenir es Cuidar”, Rosario (Santa Fe) pomerantzmarce@yahoo.com.ar
7. Nelson Feldman, Médico Asociado Service d’Addictologie HUG-Hôpitaux universitaires, Ginebra (Suiza) Nelson.Feldman@hcuge.ch
8. Eugenia Aravena, Secretaria General AMMAR CORDOBA, Córdoba  cordoba@ammar.org.ar
9. Graciela Biagini, Prof. Titular Cátedra Sociología de la Salud, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad de Buenos Aires -Directora de la línea de investigación Actores Sociales y Sida, Ciudad de Buenos Aires gbsalud@yahoo.com.mx
10. Alicia Gillone, Coordinadora del área Salud de la Asamblea Permanente por los Derechos Humanos, Ciuidad de Buenos Aires agillone@fibertel.com.ar

Comunicado de Prensa

Día Mundial de Acción por los hermanos Alaei

Hoy 12 de mayo se lleva adelante una campaña mundial por la liberación de los hermanos Alaei.

Diversos grupos e instituciones de la Argentina que trabajan en la lucha contra el VIH/SIDA, enviaron hoy una carta a la Embajada de Irán en Argentina en apoyo a los hermanos iraníes, Dr. Kamiar Alaei y Dr. Arash Alaei*. Los Drs. Alaei son líderes internacionales en la prevención y el tratamiento del SIDA y están detenidos en la prisión de Evin en Irán desde junio de 2008. Fueron juzgados y condenados por el cargo de “comunicación con los gobiernos del enemigo” en enero de 2009.

Según fuentes iraníes, estos cargos se han basado, en parte, en el extenso viaje que Arash y Kamiar hicieron a diversas conferencias de salud pública en los EE.UU. y otras partes del mundo. “Physicians for Human Rights” (Médicos por los Derechos Humanos) consideran que tratar el SIDA no es un delito, es buena medicina. Los hermanos fueron mantenidos incomunicados durante dos meses antes de que se les diera acceso a un abogado y a la familia a finales de agosto de 2008.

Desde la detención de los dos médicos, miles de profesionales de la salud en más de 85 países han pedido al Gobierno iraní que libere a los hermanos, y los principales médicos y expertos en salud pública y asociaciones han emitido un llamamiento para su liberación. Para obtener más información sobre este caso, consulte www.iranfreethedocs.org

Prensa: Intercambios Asociación Civil

(54 11) 4954 7272

intercambios [at] intercambios [dot] org [dot] ar

Doctors Arash and Kamiar Alaei came to New York over 5 years ago to learn from our drug treatment, harm reduction and HIV services. They tirelessly visited numerous clinics and services engaging the physicians and other service providers in discussions about patient care.

They came here to learn but they taught us as well.  The triangle model of harm reduction, drug treatment and HIV treatment is unique; it is recognized as a best practice by the World Health Organization and the brothers were surprised to learn that we have no similar services in New York.  They made strong impressions on all who came into contact with them, as their thoughtfulness and dedication to their patients was so apparent. These men have helped to bridge the gulf between Iran and the United States in developing professional relationships and friendships.

Kamiar enrolled in the doctoral program at Albany State University and we had planned to work together on an overdose prevention project so that he could bring this service back to Iran.

In addition to continuing their work in Iran they have been able to bring an Islamic perspective on HIV and substance use to other countries such as Tajikistan and Afghanistan where they have offered courses and symposia. They are world leaders in this area and I still hope someday to work with them in Islamic communities in East Africa where drug use has added to the burden of HIV.

But for now, all of this has been halted since Kamiar and Arash have been imprisoned on charges that have no bearing on the reality of their work. They have worked transparently to better the lives of people with HIV and substance use- people who are stigmatized and marginalized all over the world. Because of their work the world is a better place. We are calling on the Iranian government to free Arash and Kamiar Alaei so that they may return to their families and to their work. Colleagues and friends in 125 countries around the world join us in this call. Arash and Kamiar are our colleagues but for many of us they are our friends. It is unthinkable that they are imprisoned; it brings many of us pain daily. Please continue to speak out for Kamiar and Arash Alaei. We need these brilliant and caring physicians back among the ranks of those providing humanitarian and innovative care for people with HIV and substance abuse. They are irreplaceable.

The vigils in New York and in D.C. drew broadcast media attention from the BBC, Washington TV, NPR; a number of media outlets also covered the efforts of PHR and our allies after the fact.

The Albany Times-Union’s Paul Grondahl quoted PHR’s Jonathan Hutson connecting the case of the recently-released journalist Roxana Saberi and the Drs. Alaei, who remain detained despite being arrested on similarly false charges.

“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,” said Jonathan Hutson, spokesman for Physicians for Human Rights, the group leading the campaign for the Alaei brothers’ release.
“We are asking Iran to show Islamic kindness and to free these doctors,” Hutson said.

A blog post in Nature magazine also highlighted the similarities between the two cases. The Alaeis were charged with cooperating with a hostile state for their participation in U.S. health conferences.

Saberi’s conviction for “cooperating with a hostile state” was overthrown on the grounds that the United States is not hostile to Iran, according to an editorial in the Boston Globe. The reversal has diplomatic overtones, writes the Globe, which should also apply to the doctors.

An article in the Inter-Press Service describes how the Alaeis were jailed for no cause other than working with international colleagues while expanding AIDS treatment in Iran, a feat for which they were once recognized by the World Health Organization.

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), which organised the protest, says that the doctors are only guilty of sharing their knowledge and expertise as HIV physicians. “The Alaei brothers were arrested for doing good medicine,” Peter Witzler from PHR told IPS.

Even behind bars, Arash and Kamiar Alaei are continuing their work. They have volunteered to work as physicians in Tehran’s Evin Prison hospital, and are assisting local staff in treating patients with HIV and tuberculosis.

Washington TV interviewed PHR Washington Director John Bradshaw at the scene of the D.C. vigil at the Iranian Interests Section for a video report.

John Bradshaw, director of PHR, said that the Alaeis were arrested only for their work with the international medical community.

“Just for doing that, for having contact with outsiders, the regime arrested them and said they were trying to overthrow the government – and it’s really an illegitimate charge,” he told Washington TV.

The doctors’ first appeal was denied, and last week their lawyer filed their final appeal. We hope that our combined global efforts yesterday have made an impact on Iranian policymakers as they evaluate the Alaeis’ case for the final time. Thank you to everyone who took part at Iranian Embassies around the world or online at our virtual vigil, for making Global Alaei Day a huge success.