(Cambridge, MA: December 22,
2008) --On the sixth-month anniversary of Iran's detention of Dr. Arash Alaei
and Dr. Kamiar Alaei—Iranian brothers who are known worldwide as HIV/AIDS
physicians—international NGOs, academic institutions, and medical leaders from
across the globe are asking Iran to free them immediately.
Dr. Arash Alaei and Dr. Kamiar
Alaei during an interview in 2006
The doctors have been held in
Tehran's notorious Evin prison since late June 2008. They were indicted this
month on charges of communicating with an "enemy government" according to their
attorney, Masoud Shafie. Iran should drop these illegitimate and politically
motivated charges, the groups and leaders said.
In an exclusive interview with
the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Shafie said that the
brothers have been indicted under article 508 of the Islamic Penal Code, which
states that anyone found guilty of communicating with an "enemy government"
shall be sentenced one-to-ten years in prison.
Bringing this charge against the
Alaeis is likely to have a chilling effect on the Iranian medical community's
ability to share their work and learn from global experts, which could undermine
the health of the Iranian people.
The brothers have already been
detained two months longer than Iranian penal code allows. According to Shafie,
Articles 30-34 of the Code of Penal Procedure of the Islamic Republic of Iran
allow for detentions but require that the investigating judge issue
such detention orders for one month at a time and for no longer than four
months.
The brothers are also legally
eligible for bail, but the judge in the case has not issued bail nor held a bail
hearing.
Over 3,100 people from more than 85 countries have signed an
online petition demanding their release, which can be viewed at
IranFreeTheDocs.org.
Several of the world's most accomplished HIV/AIDS and health
experts—including the Global Fund executive director, Professor Michel
Kazatchkine; the Partners in Health co-founder, Dr. Paul Farmer; Wafaa El-Sadr,
MD, 2008 MacArthur Foundation Fellow MPH; Hossam E. Fadel, MD, of the Islamic
Medical Association of North America; a 1993 Nobel laureate in medicine, Sir
Richard Roberts PhD, FRS; and the Ugandan AIDS pioneer Dr. Peter Mugyenyi, have
signed a letter urging the Alaei brothers' release.
Dr. Kamiar Alaei is a doctoral candidate at the SUNY Albany
School of Public Health in Albany, New York and was expected to resume his
studies there this fall. In 2007, he received a master of science degree in
Population and International Health from the Harvard School of Public Health in
Boston.
Dr. Arash Alaei is the former director of the International
Education and Research Cooperation of the Iranian National Research Institute of
Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. Since 1998, the Drs. Alaei have been carrying out
HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention programs, particularly focused on harm
reduction for injecting drug users.
In addition to their work in Iran, the Alaei brothers have held
training courses for Afghan and Tajik medical workers and have worked to
encourage regional cooperation among 12 Middle Eastern and Central Asian
countries. Their efforts expanded the expertise of doctors in the region,
advanced the progress of medical science, and earned Iran recognition as a model
of best practice by the World Health Organization.
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