To,                                                    25.01.2008

Amnesty International

International Secretariat,

United Kingdom,

London

      Appeal for Urgent action        

Subject: Save the life of a young 23 years old balochi teacher in Zahedan -Iran

Yaser Setwan, a young teacher from Iranshahr is one of the six persons who in 2001/08 was accused of collaboration with a group called”Peoples opposition movement of Jondullah” was put on “trial”. One week after the incident of “Chah Jamal Iranshahr” Yaser Setwan was by force and savagely taken from his work place in front of his colleagues and students to an unknown place.

Yaser is the first son of the family, consisting of two younger brothers and a syster. His father was an employee of education ministry and today he is retired and in his life he always tries to be a good father.

In Balouchestan traditionally,  the eldest son is responsible for taking care of the parents and the parents are used to live with their eldest son . Therefore the first son is in the Balouchi families known as “cane of the old age”. Yaser`s father sent his “future cane” to school despite financial problems and in 1384 he received his bachelor degree in accountancy from the Open University of Zahedan (Azad University of Zahedan). After his education he was called for his military service where he served as teacher in Mirjawe. One month before the clashes of Chah Jamal he was despatched to area of Iranshahr and he was teaching in one of the schools in this province.

One of Yaser´s acquentences said to our colleague:

“The family of Yaser had no information about their son till some time ago. The other day they were informed that their son had been arrested and he had confessed about his cooperation with Jondullah and his video will be

soon shown on TV. His family couldn’t believe, they tried to contact the court and the military forces asking for permission to visit their son but they were denied  the permission. This acquaintance of Yaser continues:

Yaser was a serious student in the university and he did not even have time for fun  and directly after his studies he joined the military. He didn’t have time to do any military actions. How do they claim that he cooperated with Jondullah? If he was involved in “clashes in Chah Jamal” he was not stupid to go to his work some days later! He could have gone out of the country because he would have known that he would get arrested! But he was innocent and he didn’t do anything wrong.. His only crime was that after the clash of Chah Jamal he had expressed himself in the school that those who got arrested had been innocent, only this!! I am certain that the other detainees are like Yaser, they are innocent. They have been harshly tortured and beaten during their hearings and the regime later has tricked them to falsely confess.

According to the regime’s news agency (IRNA), the final verdict of these six persons will be announced during this week.

To Human Rights Watch

As you know the Islamic Republic of Iran tries to create terror in Baluchistan and they systematically arrest large number of young Balouchis.

Exactly like the way Al-Qaida and other terrorist organisation treat their prisoners and by threatening and putting gun to their heads the Iranian regime is forcing this young Balouchis to confess in local TV channels. Contrary to all conventions of human right, the government is depriving the right of these detainees to a fair trial and instead are sentencing them to prison and capital penalty in special courts.

Due to this devilish policy for a while ago five young Balouchi got their feet chopped of. Two of these were those detainees in the area of Chah Jamal who had by force confessed in front of the camera to their allegations. The lives of these young Balouchis have been destroyed and they will be invalid for their whole lives.

It is worth to mention that despite the fact that the Jondullah has rejected any kind of cooperation with the detainees in Chahe Jamal the regime is withholding to their role in Chah Jamal.

It is possible that this young man Yaser Setwan will face the same destiny as those in Chah Jamal therefore we ask for help from all the organisation of human right and advocacies of human right to bring pressure on Iran so stop such inhuman acts.

Thanking you in advance

Yours sincerely       

Managing board in Radio Balochi FM - Sweden 

Related links:

http://www.radiobalochi.org/BH_Rights/fori_6balRaAzKhatareEdamNejat080122.html

http://www2.irna.ir/fa/news/view/menu-155/8611026079113832.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/iran/story/2008/01/080125_dd_baluchistan.shtml

http://sb.isna.ir/mainnews.php?ID=Main-12630