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Iran: Amnesty Int. condemns the arrest
Kurdish singer Hamid Sa’edi
2.5.2007
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Iran: Incommunicado detention/ fear of torture or
ill-treatment: Hamid Sa’edi (m)
May 2, 2007
URGENT ACTION : IRAN Hamid Sa’edi (m), 35,
Kurdish teacher
Hamid Sa’edi, a teacher, singer and poet from Iran's
Kurdish minority, was reportedly arrested on 22
April by plain clothed officials of the Ministry of
Intelligence, in the city of Sanandaj, in Kurdistan
province, northwestern
Iran.
He was reportedly summoned by officials to a court,
possibly for questioning, where he was arrested. He
is currently held incommunicado in a Ministry of
Intelligence detention facility in Sanandaj. Amnesty
International
is concerned that he may be at risk of torture and
ill-treatment.
The reasons for Hamid Sa’edi’s arrest are not clear
to Amnesty International. However, Hamid Sa’edi
reportedly participated in a peaceful demonstration
held by about 200 teachers in Sanandaj in mid-March,
and in a strike by teachers on 17 and 18 March, both
of which were calling for higher pay and better
working conditions. It is feared that Hamid Sa’edi
may have been detained in connection with these
activities.
Hamid Sa’edi is the brother of Kurdish journalist
and human rights defender Sa’id Sa’edi, who was
detained for over two months in 2005 in connection
with his alleged participation in demonstrations
(see Amnesty International Appeal Case, AI Index MDE
13/080/2006, July 2006). Hamid Sa'edi was briefly
detained in late 2005 or early 2006, following his
brother’s release.
When Hamid Sa'edi was arrested, security forces
personnel confiscated books and two computers from
the home he shares with his parents. He was released
on bail, on accusations of
"acting against national security". To date, he has
not been charged or tried in relation to these
accusations.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Teachers across Iran have taken part in
demonstrations during March and April demanding
better pay and conditions. Members of Iran’s
National Union of Teachers have undertaken large,
peaceful demonstrations in the cities of Tehran,
Kermanshah and Hamedan, each of which resulted in
scores of arrests.
The reasons for these arrests are not clear. On 7
April, members of the National Union of Teachers in
Hamedan met to debate issues of concern when
security officials broke up the meeting, arresting
the 30 participants and reportedly another 15 people
at their homes.
All are since believed to have been released. At
least seven teachers are currently detained without
charge or trial in Tehran, including Ali Akbar
Baghani, the Head of the National Union of Teachers.
Another strike took place on 29 April, with
unconfirmed reports of arrests of up to 45 teachers
in Hamedan and the north-western city of Ardebil.
Further strikes are planned for 2 May and 8 May.
Kurds are believed to make up between seven and 10
per cent of the population of Iran. They live mainly
in the north-western provinces neighbouring Iraq and
Turkey, where the main economic activity is farming.
For many years, Kurdish organizations such as the
Kurdistan People’s Democratic Party (KDPI) and
Komala engaged in armed resistance to the
government, but more recently they have abandoned
armed struggle for independence in favour of
pursuing regional autonomy within a federal system
of government, by peaceful means.
The more recently formed PJAK, the Iranian wing of
the PKK, is currently engaged in armed opposition to
the Iranian authorities in border areas close to
Iraq.
amnesty org
**
Iranian Kurdistan (Kurdish: Kurdistana Îranę or
Kurdistana Rojhilat (Eastern Kurdistan) or Rojhilatę
Kurdistan (East of Kurdistan) is an unofficial name
for the parts of Iran inhabited by Kurds and has
borders with Iraq and Turkey.
It includes the
greater parts of West Azerbaijan province, Kurdistan
Province, Kermanshah Province, and Ilam Province.
Kurds form the majority of the population of this
region with an estimated population of 4 million.
The region is the eastern part of the greater
cultural-geographical area called Kurdistan.
More about Iranian Kurdistan
KDPI
The Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran in Kurdish
(Hîzbî Dęmokiratî Kurdistanî Ęran) is a Kurdish
opposition group in Iranian Kurdistan which seeks
the attainment of Kurdish national rights within a
democratic federal republic of Iran.
The current
General Secretary of the Democratic Party of Iranian
Kurdistan is Mustafa Hijri
More about KDPI- Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran
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