Press Release
INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN FACT-FINDING DELEGATION ON BEHALF OF IRANIAN REFUGEES RETURNS FROM TURKEY

APRIL 6th, 2010                                                                                                                                
When: April 5th return of International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Delegation visiting
UNHCR, foreign government representatives, and Iranian refugees in Turkey.

Who: An international humanitarian delegation composed of lawyers from the U.S. (Nancy
Hormachea & Mina Litvak, OMID Advocates), Germany (Hanno Timner, HRW), and Pakistan
(Akhtar Hussain, IADL), member of EU parliament (Marietje Schaake), candidate for EU
Parliament (Azadeh Rojhan Gustafsson), human rights scholar (Hans-Joachim Funke) and
medical professionals from Austria and the U.S.

Agenda: The fact-finding delegation met with UNHCR and foreign embassy officials of the
U.S. and European countries to advocate for increased admission and expeditious resettlement of
Iranian refugees to the U.S. and elsewhere. Of particular concern to the delegation were
students, human rights defenders, and other activists who were forced to flee Iran after the June
12th presidential elections. The delegation also met with Iranian refugees to provide legal
support and assess the medical and psychological needs of Iranian refugees, especially those who
were subjected to torture and rape during their imprisonment in the Islamic Republic. OMID
Advocates will publish its findings in a forthcoming report and documentary to use in advocacy
for more expeditious refugee admissions and resettlement in the U.S., Canada, and European
countries, as well as for increased allocation of funding to UNHCR.

"The harsh censorship that exists in Iran along with the extreme limitations the government has created for free speech have caused the conditions there to deteriorate.  It has become very difficult for Iranian authors and artists as compared to before.   According to the reports by Reporters Without Boarders, Iran has the highest number of journalist imprisoned.  Many of the journalists who are not currently in prison are the ones who have been freed with a hefty bail.  Many restrictions have also been imposed on human rights activists, some of whom are currently in prison simply for preparing reports that exposed humans right violations. Of those defenders of the human rights currently in prison some are in danger of being executed.  

In addition to the problems that the government has created by imprisonment and high bail for release, restrictions have been imposed for some to leave Iran.  A case and point is Ms. Simeen Behbahani, the famous Iranian poet.  The extent of censorship in Iran is so high that according to a report by the Ministry of Information and the Judicial Branch, Mr. Jafar Panahi, the famous director, is imprisoned for intending to make a film against the Islamic Republic of Iran.  In other words, the film has not been made, so judgment can not be passed on whether it was for the government or against the government.  In such an atmosphere we see Mr. Panahi and his colleague, who is also a director, are imprisoned.  This shows not only that freedom of speech is banned in Iran, but freedom of thought is also banned.  

This combination of conditions of the government's vicious behavior and response to crush the voice of dissent have unfortunately caused some of the best Iranian youth,  students, human rights activists, journalists, and authors to flee the country and escape to Turkey where they are living under very difficult conditions, waiting for decisions from the UN to be resettled in other countries. 
 
I am requesting that all international and human right organizations pay close attention to the human rights problems violations in Iran and focus on and help these refugees who have fled Iran."