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SEQ CHAPTER
\h \r 1Your Excellency Ban Ki-moon
The Esteemed Secretary-General of the United Nations
I am writing to you as the longest-held political prisoner in the
Islamic Republic of Iran, and as a prisoner of conscious who has spent
more than 29 years of his life in the regime’s dungeons for the crime of
defending popular sovereignty and establishing democracy in Iran. I am
currently on medical furlough in order to receive necessary treatment
for medical conditions, the origins of which are the long imprisonment,
as well as the maltreatment, malnutrition, and lack of medical care
during my imprisonment. I am writing to you at a time of high tensions
between Iran and the world community, the nuclear crisis, and the danger
of another war.
Although cognizant of the regime’s extreme sensitivity about my
activities, nevertheless I feel responsibility for the welfare of my
compatriots. For the sake of defending the Iranian people’s rights to
life and liberties, as well as for the sake of guarding peace in Iran
and the crisis-ridden Middle East region, I am appealing to you. Through
you and with your interjection, I appeal to the global community,
humanity’s conscious, civil society institutions engaged in
peace-building, and human rights supporters around the world.
Your Excellency,
The danger of war is so acute that only with mobilizing all the possible
capabilities of the global community in support of the non-violent civil
rights movement of the Iranian people, could we prevent this looming
war.
The options that are on the table for the permanent members of the
Security Council and the political leaders around the world, could not
have any results other than increased harm to the material and ethical
existence of the Iranian people. Increased sanctions, even smart
sanctions, will increase the pain and suffering of the Iranian people
with increased restrictions in the economic realm. These sanctions will
only strengthen the regime-related smuggling groups as well as increase
corruption, inflation, and unemployment. These sanctions will create
shortages of various commodities and public necessities, which will
gradually bury the Iranian people in mass graves.
On the other hand, the ruling regime will use the pretext of confronting
foreign pressures to increase pressures on political, civil rights, and
human rights activists in Iran. Under the excuse of confronting the
enemy, the ruling regime will declare movements of the Iranian people
for their freedoms and rights as unacceptable. The ruling regime will
use the security environment in order to crush all movements of the
civil society and bring absolute repression. Under such eerie conditions
the regime will be taking the entire population of Iran as hostages.
For these reasons, it appears that the officials of this regime not only
do not regard the kind of sanctions that have been imposed so far as any
threat to their survival, but also welcome such sanctions. These
sanctions will provide the regime the opportunity to declare war
conditions, so that they could retaliate against the dissidents. In the
same vein, threatening violence, in addition to creating irreparable
costs for the Iranian people, will provide the officials of the Islamic
Republic of Iran the opportunity to increase repression at home, and
continue the irresponsible and adventurist policies in all realms that
will endanger the security of the Iranian people and those of the global
community.
Neither war nor sanctions could change the behavior of the Islamic
Republic regime in pursuing adventurism and accepting the necessities of
international peace and security. Therefore, the only possible option is
assisting the Iranian people to take leadership in managing their
affairs and find an exit from the current impasse. In my opinion, the
officials of the Islamic Republic will not accept freeze for freeze, nor
will they accept the package of incentives offered by 5+1, because this
regime needs crisis for its survival like one needs oxygen. For this
reason, the nuclear dossier has provided the officials of the regime an
opportunity to increase tensions, the necessary oxygen for regime
survival.
If we think about and analyze the root causes of the nuclear crisis, we
will easily discover that this crisis has its roots in the policies and
strategic plans of the system of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The Islamic Republic’s system has been so structured that producing
crisis for the Iranian people as well as for the region and the global
community have been its routine behaviors. This regime does not believe
in freedom, democracy, peace, and the right of the people to choose
their own destiny. That is why this regime is not concerned and worried
about economic difficulties, psychological security, and financial
security of the Iranian people. And this regime does not hesitate to
sacrifice the entire population of Iran for its adventurism. For a
regime which has such behavior towards its own population, naturally
this regime will not hesitate to engage in any kind of violence towards
others and threaten the right of existence of other peoples around the
world.
Your Excellency,
The Iranian people, who are the primary victims of this regime’s
adventurist, arrogant, selfish, violent, bellicose, and inhumane
policies, are at the forefront of the struggles to change the behavior
of this regime. Therefore, it would be auspicious, if your excellency
would utilize all the capabilities and abilities of the United Nations
to help the Iranian people in the struggle to determine their own
destiny and to establish freedom and democracy. Your responsibility in
defending peace, international security, and the rights to lives and
liberties of the Iranian people and the people of the world is a grave
responsibility.
If you take brave and responsible actions, history will honor you. And
conversely, if you do not take brave and responsible actions, history
will judge you harshly. When you look at the history and civilization of
the honorable people of Iran, you would judge that the Iranian people
have the capabilities and abilities of the free people around the world
to choose their own destiny and utilize their cultural and material
capabilities to advance peace and democracy.
Perhaps the costs of helping the Iranian people under these conditions
is very hard. But such costs are far less than the costs of war and
increased crisis and insecurities in the region and the world.
Your Excellency,
The people of Iran extend their hands in solidarity to you, and through
you to leaders around the world, as well as to freedom-loving and
peace-loving people around the world. Helping the Iranian people is
helping the future of human kind.
Your Excellency,
My plea to you is very simple and at the same time is extremely
significant. Demand the Islamic Republic to accept and implement all the
primary conventions on human rights, conventions against torture,
conventions against all forms of discrimination against women, and
international criminal court’s treaty and laws as part of the
confidence-building in the nuclear dossier and in order to have real
control and monitoring of the nuclear activities. And the global
community should utilize all its capabilities to monitor the regime’s
respecting human rights, including charter of civil and political
rights, and its voluntary protocols. Complete abiding of all human
rights rules, norms, standards, and obligations in Iran is the key to
solving the nuclear crisis as well as other crises in the region.
Your Excellency,
For the treatment of my medical conditions, I need to have access to my
physicians at a moment’s notice. Returning me to prison again, may cause
me to die. I am prepared to accept this heavy price with ease of mind in
order to save the Iranian people from war, poverty, repression,
starvation, catastrophe, mass killings, brain drain, and cultural
destruction. By mentioning the possibility of my death, I wish to
increase your moral responsibility so that you will go beyond
traditional norms and activities of the Secretary-General of the United
Nations, and utilize all of the resources of the global community and
use new and creative policies for the implementation of human rights
rules and norms in Iran.
I am prepared to discuss the details of my plans and suggestions with
your representatives and the experts whom you trust.
You can be certain that the great nation of Iran will be eternally
grateful to you.
Sincerely yours,
Abbas Amir-Entezam
The Longest-Held Political Prisoner of Conscience
Serving the 29th Year of Imprisonment
July 18, 2008
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