Iran, Free Doctors Arash & Kamiar Alaei

Drs. Kamiar and Arash Alaei need your help. After being held without charge for over 6 months, Arash and Kamiar were subjected to a perfunctory trial last week. They’ve been charged with communicating with an enemy state—politically motivated and illegitimate charges leveled in a patently unfair court proceeding. See PHR’s recent press release for more information on their trial and on this case.

Spend just a few minutes today to take action on their behalf, and make a major difference in their lives and in the lives of people with HIV in Iran.

If you have 2 minutes today:

- Call the Iranian Mission to the UN at +1-212-687-2020 and urge Iran to release the Alaeis immediately. See talking points below. Feel free to add any details about how you know them, and to emphasize their great work on HIV/AIDS.

If you have 4 minutes today:

- Call the Iranian Mission to the UN AND

- Sign the new petition below, urging Iran to stop this sham court proceeding and release the Alaeis. As soon as you sign on, an email with your message will be sent directly to the Iranian Mission to the UN, and will be added to a list of concerned citizens. We want to inundate the mission with calls for their release. Help us reach 500 signatures by the end of today!

If you have 10 minutes today:

- Call the Iranian Mission AND

- Sign the Petition AND

- Send a personal or organizational faxed letter to the Iranian Mission at +1-212-867-7086, using the petition below as a template.

Talking points for Call:

1. Introduce yourself and where you are calling from ex “My name is Paul and I am a doctor/medical student/health professional in Boston/Paris/Kampala etc.
2. Tell them why you are calling ex. “Treating AIDS is not a crime. Drs Alaei should be immediately released to continue their lifesaving work on HIV/AIDS for the people of Iran
3. Add any details about how you know Kamiar or Arash ex “I was a student with Kamiar at Harvard School of Public Health”

After you make the call, let us know by emailing skalloch [at] phrusa [dot] org . The first 5 people to email Sarah will receive a beaded AIDS ribbon handmade by a women’s art organiztion in South Africa as our thanks for taking action.

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I am writing to urge Iran to immediately release Drs. Kamiar and Arash Alaei - two prominent HIV/AIDS physicians imprisoned in IRAN since June 2008 - and to drop all charges against them.

The Alaeis were indicted in December 2008 on charges of communicating with an "enemy government." On December 31, the Iranian prosecutor tried the brothers in Tehran's Revolutionary Court on these charges, and also informed the court of additional, secret charges which the brothers' attorney had no opportunity to refute.

The publicly announced charges are illegitimate and without credible foundation, and there are clear violations of due process in this case. This case also sends an ominous signal regarding the Iranian Government's crackdown on international scientific exchange that could negatively impact public health in Iran. I urge Iran to free these brothers immediately so that they can continue their life-saving work for the benefit of the people of Iran and the world.

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 in the fall of 2008. 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.

Signed by:

Campaign Launched:
January 06, 2009