Who Cares about Lotfollahi’s Death
In the meanwhile the attention of the international community was focusing on the third round of UN sanctions on Iran and the disqualification of reformist candidates from the next March parliamentary elections in Iran, the IRI apparently committed another crime by killing a dissident under suspicious circumstances.
Mr. Ebrahimi Lotfallahi, an Iranian law student of Kurdish descent detained by the Ministry of Intelligence on January 6”, died in the prison of Sanandaj, in Iran’s Kurdish north-western region, on January 15th.2008.
According to the local authorities, Mr. Lotfollahi committed suicide in prison. He was buried without the authorisation from his family who had requested in vain for an autopsy to be conducted. The family suspects his suicide and request an official investigation over the reasons of his death.
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Iranian League for the Defence of Human Rights (LDDHI), Ligue de Droits de l’Homes en Iran, also urge the regime to investigate the Ebrahim Lotfollahi’s death.
Mr. Ebrahim Lotfollahi’s death recalls the other cases of suspicious death committed in IRI’s prisons:
–Ms. Zahra Bani-Ameri, a physician, died in prison in the city of Hamedan, on October 13th, 2007 in what was also claimed to be a suicide. Ms. Bani-Ameri was arrested, with her fiancé, on October 12th, 2007, for having an « illegal relationship »–according to Islamic law, Sharia, relationships between men and women out of marriage are subject to criminal punishment.
–the other case is that of Mrs. Zahra Kazemi, an Iranian-Canadian photojournalist who was raped and killed by Islamic authorities in July 11, 2003, almost three weeks after she was arrested for taking pictures outside evin prison during a student protest in Tehran. Her death was severely condemned by Canada.
In the case of Mr. Loftollahi’s death, no government in the West has already condemned the crime or at least requested an official investigation over the circumstances of his death.
FIDH and LDDHI have recently urged the IRI to put an immediate end to the current increasing repression against civil society and political activists, especially the student and the women’s right movement, in conformity with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
FIDH and LDDHI’s requests have been usually ignored by the IRI. The fact is that the IRI’s human rights records are not the decisive factors for the West in its détente or standoff with the IRI. The IRI knows and uses this western apathy as a carte blanche to further repress the civil society and opposition in Iran.
While bargaining with the West over its nuclear programme, the IRI knows that no government in the West cares about Mr. Lofftollahi’s death or such crimes.
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The criticisms of the Islamic Republic government should be focused on it’s poor human rights and authoritarian ways, not just the unlikely “nuclear threat”.
City boy
Thanks for the point, this is exactly what I try to develop in my writings.
Human rights records of a totalitarian regime like the IRI is its best Achill’s heel.
The abuse of human rights is an Achilles heal because it points to the fact that a government’s hold on power is based on intimidation and fear, and not on the legitimate support of its citizenry, on the basis of a generalized respect for the rule of law.
Western governments often decry human rights abuses, but usually do not do anyting about it, and focus instead on strategic threats to themselves, like nuclear proliferation, or threats to the oil supply, etc. In many instances, this is short sighted, because a committment to human rights, along with the creation of economic opportunities, are probably the best ways to win hearts and minds, which in turn could bring about the right conditions for internal change.
Jahanshah,
Iranians care, Kurds, Middle Easterns, and people of the world, the ones who believe in human rights and human dignity, hiuman values…
We Iranians care, but as million s of distant individuals who are perhaps scared of being more than dissociated entities.. and I do not know for how long…
Somebody I read the other day said something about “Nazis in Kahffiya”. Maybe “Nazis in black robes” is appropriate here. Every abuse, every murder, every unjust imprisonment brings them one step closer to their downfall. I have to believe that. They are crazed with power. They must fall.
R E
No one can even save them, cannot save the ones among them who are relatively more moderate as well, because we are too much out of balance, and a blanace needs to be perserved
Funny how Iran keeps talking about an Israeli wall, while they are building their own wall against Kurds themselves and are oppressing minorities, just like the Israeli’s and every other Middle-Eastern country.
Dear Elinor,
85% of our population are having serious mannutrition and are under the poverty line.
85% of our youth, 20-24, have no job or a chance to get a job.
2 millions are addicted, the list can go further all according to the official statistics.
This is all “divine” gifs of “God’s state” to our oppressed people.
Under such a regime with such a balance sheet, and a human rights record of few hundred thousands of executions, imprisonments, torured and humiliated victims, a few millions of brainwash children and teenagers,…Iranians are deprived from the most basic democratic rightd.
This regime has neither legitimacy to rule under any form or tricky reform nor affection for their victims, the Iranian people.
Dear Jahanshah,
Are they investing in rockets and nulcear plants instead of feeding their nation? What will be the outcome in your opinion?
2 million addicted… I didn’t know that.