Kian sentenced by Revolutionary Court to "more
than 12 years" in prison: Family and friends denounce unlawful sentence and
demand Kian's immediate release
|
Iranian-American scholar Kian Tajbakhsh defends himself during the
trial.
Free Kian 2009 |
Family and friends of Iranian American detainee
Kian Tajbakhsh are shocked and outraged by the news that he has been unjustly
sentenced in an extra-judicial proceeding to more than 12 years in prison and
are demanding his immediate release. Kian has endured solitary confinement in an
undisclosed location for nearly four months broken only by long hours of
interrogations without access to his own lawyer and with only occasional brief,
supervised contact with family members, who remain extremely concerned about his
mental and physical well-being.
The baffling charges being lodged by the
Revolutionary Court linking Kian together with high-ranking Iranian reformists
purportedly plotting to overthrow the regime with American support are entirely
baseless. As an independent scholar Kian is neither a member of the Iranian
reformist movement nor in contact with any foreign headquarters inside or
outside Iran, and has had no involvement in pre- or post-election unrest.
Kian has been denied access to his own legal
representation and the Swiss consulate, but was nevertheless convicted within
the context of an extra-judicial show trial.
Therefore, attempts by Iran's judiciary to block
his release despite the efforts of senior Iranian officials to free him clearly
violate not only Iran's international legal obligations but also the
constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
... Payvand News - 10/25/09 ... --
