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For Immediate Release

Global Day of Action for the Alaeis on May 12

Cambridge, Mass - 05/11/2009

While the international community celebrates the release of detained US journalist Roxana Saberi, there is still continuing vigilance over the unjust imprisonments of Drs. Kamiar and Arash Alaei. These brothers are world-renowned Iranian HIV/AIDS physicians who were indicted in December by the Iranian government on charges of communicating with an "enemy government."

Physicians for Human Rights believes that treating AIDS is not a crime—it's good medicine. The Alaei brothers traveled the world to share Iran's model of HIV prevention and treatment, not to recruit people to foment a "velvet revolution," as alleged by the Iranian government. Such allegations hurt the future of public health and indicate a dangerous trend toward punishing health professionals for working in the US or having US citizenship.

People from more than 125 countries have been calling for the release of the Alaeis since their arrests. On May 12, Physicians for Human Rights and a coalition of organizations from more than 16 countries will hold a Global Day of Action calling on the Iranian government to drop the charges and immediately release Kamiar and Arash Alaei. Participants from around the world will make statements to Iranian authorities and join a live webcast of vigils and events on an interactive website—www.IranFreeTheDocs.org.

WHAT: Global Day of Action for the Alaeis

WHEN: Tuesday, May 12, 2009

WHERE:

The publicly-announced charges against the Alaeis are without credible foundation. The case is marked by clear violations of due process. It is an ominous sign of the Iranian government's crackdown on international scientific exchange, which could negatively impact public health in Iran. Iran has equated public health diplomacy with treason—a dangerous position in this era of global pandemics that requires open medical collaboration to save lives.

The Alaeis' first appeal was denied by Iranian courts in March. They are on their last appeal. For more information on the Alaeis and their case, visit IranFreeTheDocs.org.

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) is an independent organization that uses medicine and science to stop mass atrocities and severe human rights violations against individuals. We are supported by the expertise and passion of health professionals and concerned citizens alike.

Since 1986, PHR has conducted investigations in more than 40 countries around the world, including Afghanistan, Congo, Rwanda, Sudan, the United States, the former Yugoslavia, and Zimbabwe.

  • 1988 — First to document Iraq’s use of chemical weapons against Kurds
  • 1996 — Exhumed mass graves in the Balkans
  • 1996 — Produced critical forensic evidence of genocide in Rwanda
  • 1997 — Shared the Nobel Peace Prize for the International Campaign to Ban Landmines
  • 2003 — Warned of health and human rights catastrophe prior to the invasion of Iraq
  • 2004 — Documented and analyzed the genocide in Darfur
  • 2005 — Detailed the story of tortured detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantánamo Bay
  • 2010 — Investigated the epidemic of violence spread by Burma’s military junta
  • 2011 — Championed the principle of noninterference with medical services
                  in times of armed conflict and civil unrest during the Arab Spring
  • 2012 — Trained doctors, lawyers, police, and judges in the Democratic Republic of
                  the Congo, Kenya, and Syria on the proper collection of evidence in
                  sexual violence cases
  • 2013 — Won first prize in the Tech Challenge for Atrocity Prevention with MediCapt,
                  our mobile app that documents evidence of torture and sexual violence

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