Global IssuesRIGHTS-IRAN: Day of Protests for Jailed AIDS Doctors
A handful of motivated doctors, HIV/AIDS and human rights activists held rallies Tuesday in New York City and 20 countries to protest the imprisonment of Iranian doctors Arash and Kamiar Aleai.
The brothers Alaei, who treated AIDS patients in Iran and had spoken at medical conferences in the United States and several Asian countries, have been accused of cooperation with an enemy state, and possessing alcohol and satellite equipment.
Dr. Kamiar Alaei is a Harvard University graduate and doctoral candidate at the State University of New York School of Public Health in Albany and was expected to resume his studies there in the fall of 2008.
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.
For the past decade, the doctors have worked on HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention programmes in Iran, particularly focused on harm reduction for injecting drug users. Their efforts helped earn Iran recognition as a model of best practice by the World Health Organisation.
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.
On May 7, the lawyer representing Arash and Kamiar filed the final appeal for the brothers. According to Witzler, the brothers’ first appeal was reviewed and denied within 24 hours. The final appeal is the last chance for the Alaeis’ to have their day in court. If the Iranian court denies the appeal, Kamiar and Arash Alaei will be sent to prison for three and six years, respectively.
Hadi Ghaemi, coordinator of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, told IPS, 'Both the family and the lawyers of the Alaei brothers are trying their best to help them. Unfortunately, the feeling of repression is so severe right now, there is no public action going on for the brothers in Iran.'
PHR is hoping that the release of Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi Monday will give new momentum to the brothers' own appeal.
'Roxana was released on grounds of Islamic kindness. We are hoping that the same kind of kindness can apply for the case of these two brothers,' Witzler told IPS.
Supporters are now focusing on getting more international support for their cause.
'Issues concerning Iran tend to be restricted to the question of the nuclear programme,' Fitzpatrik told IPS. '[However], we can still find ways to get the attention of Iran.'
'We might try to get political allies from Iran to raise awareness. Russia is a key country to Iran so when you can get people from Russia to raise questions, that’s important. And Turkey is on the Security Council right now, we will have a meeting with them regarding this issue soon.'
Physicians for Human Rights is not only concerned about the fate of the two doctors, but also about their many patients who may now be left without treatment.
'We don’t even know what is happening in their clinics right now, they have been in prison for almost a year,' Ghaemi said.
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.
Tuesday's vigils were held at Ralph J. Bunche Park across from the U.N. headquarters in New York, and the Iranian Interests Section at the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington, DC.
Protestors represented 20 countries including Argentina, Bulgaria, Germany, Guyana, Hungary, Italy, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, and the U.S.
© Inter Press Service (2009) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service