(WiPC/IFEX) – WiPC is deeply disturbed by the imprisonment of Mohsen Kadivar, a liberal Islamic scholar and a professor of philosophy. Kadivar was arrested on 27 February 1999. He is accused of spreading propaganda against the Islamic republic, confusing public opinion and indirectly insulting the late Ayatollah Khomeini, and was sentenced to eighteen months’ imprisonment […]
(WiPC/IFEX) – WiPC is deeply disturbed by the imprisonment of Mohsen
Kadivar, a liberal Islamic scholar and a professor of philosophy. Kadivar
was arrested on 27 February 1999. He is accused of spreading propaganda
against the Islamic republic, confusing public opinion and indirectly
insulting the late Ayatollah Khomeini, and was sentenced to eighteen months’
imprisonment by the Special Court for the Clergy on 21 April 1999.
The charges are believed to be related to Kadivar’s article published in the
newspaper “Khordad” on 14 February, his lectures at the university, and a
series of essays in which he has argued that the political power should rest
with people rather than ayatollahs. Kadivar, a former aide to President
Khatami, belongs to a new reformist intellectual movement calling for Iran
to move closer to a democratic system and for the role of Islam to be
modified. Several groups in Iran, including a number of senior clerics and
the Iranian Minister of Culture, are protesting against the detention and
recent sentencing of Kadivar, which they claim is contrary to the Islamic
laws of the country and is politically motivated.
Kadivar intends to appeal against his conviction; however it is as yet
unclear whether his appeal will be accepted in court. While in prison,
Kadivar is reported to have told his family, “My arrest is the price we pay
for freedom.”
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the President:
freedom of expression and fearing that it is politically motivated
immediately
and unconditionally released
Appeals To
His Excellency Hojatoleslam val-moslemin Sayed Mohammad Khatami
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
The Presidency
Palestine Avenue
Azerbaijan Intersection
Teheran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: + 98 21 64 66 415
Email: iranemb@salamiran.org
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
