10 September 2008

Yousuf Azizi

VOA radio interview with Mr. Saleh Nickbakht, Yousuf Azizi’s solicitor:

VOA: Can you tell us about the case of Mr. Yousuf Azizi Beni toruf, the secretariat member of Iranian Writers’ Association.

Mr. Nickbakht: Mr. Beni Toruf  is one of those writers who,  unfortunately, has been treated unfairly.  He hasn’t been offered the necessary support he needed and the alleged charge against him is incompatible with the facts and reality.

Mr. Azizi hadn’t been in Ahwaz city when the events of 16 April 2005 took place in Ahwaz.  And he was there only during the first week of the Aid (Persian annual celebrations) - like many other Iranians who travel to the southern parts of the country such as Khozistan at this time of the year.

However they say that because during the week that he was in Ahwaz, he attended two family parties and also on the eve of the events he was present at a gathering organised by ‘Beit Al arab’(Arab House) in Tehran and said that they had to protest against ‘the letter’ by the then president office..  therefore he had a part in causing  those events in Khozistan. And this is why they sentenced him to 5 years in prison... one of the charges is “collusion”.  Which means he must have colluded with some other individuals.. but those people with whom he is alleged to have colluded, are wandering around free and nobody has stopped them and no investigation has ever been carried out concerning them.  Mr. Azizi unfortunately, on the other hand, has been faced with this serious charge and sentenced to a maximum prison term.  Whereas the fact of the matter is that Mr. Azizi is a real example of those Arabs who believe in and committed to the territorial integrity of our country..  he has written more than 22 books in Persian in the field of history, literature etc..

But unfortunately we ourselves are driving these Iranian national groups who may make demands for their rights within the frame of the constitution of the country, to be against the territorial integrity of our country.

Translated by Ahwaz Human Rights Orgaization (AHRO)

10 September 2008

http://www.voanews.com/persian/_-News-and-Views.cfm