FAX FRIDAY! (…& Saturday …& Sunday) FOR JAMAL SABERI

As you may have heard, there is an international renewal of protest on behalf of Jamal Saberi that is targeted for THIS SUNDAY.

[Call for action: English | Farsi | French]

Jamal is still under theat of immediate deportation, and is imprisoned in a detention center where people are dying regularly from the execrable conditions. He needs our support until he obtains refugee status. So this weekend, and specifically May 9, is being devoted to activities to support Jamal.

— Headlining this weekend’s events is the action of Japan’s Doro-Chiba (National Railway Motive Power Union of Chiba), which is holding a conference on Japan’s migrant and refugees’ situation this Sunday, May 9. This is a conference that Jamal regularly attended in the past to speak on the human rights situation in Japan. Because he is in detention and cannot attend this year, the union has nevertheless ensured his participation in the program by reading a statement from Jamal himself.

— In solidarity with Jamal and with the National Railway Motive Power Union of Chiba, Mission Free Iran is holding another protest outside of the Japanese Embassy in Washington DC.

— To complement these activities, and to ensure that EVERYONE has a chance to support Jamal on Sunday even if you are not in Japan or Washington DC, the Free Jamal campaign has issued a call for a FAX CAMPAIGN to support Jamal Saberi’s case. The fax campaign is targeted for Sunday, but if you are like me, you may not have access to a fax machine on Sundays. In which case, I suggest a #FF: FAX FRIDAY! :)

Brighten the end of your work week by hitting the fax button for human rights! :D (actually, it is a highly effective method to show your support for Jamal, so it’s more than just fun!). Fax on Friday, fax on Saturday, fax on the date of global solidarity for Jamal, Sunday May 9 – just send your fax!

Here’s what we do:
1) Copy and paste the below text into a word document
2) Print
3) Sign it at the bottom
4) Fax to the Japanese Ministry of Justice: +81-3-3592-7393
(yes, I know it is going to be an international call and some people might not be able to do this, but I have asked the organizers of this action and they have specified that it is really important to target the Ministry of Justice)
4) You’re done! Smile! :) You did a good thing.

Here’s the text to copy/paste and print:

To: Japanese Ministry of Justice & UNHCR Japan

I am writing to express my strongest concern over the fate of Jalal Amanzade Nouei (aka Jamal Saberi) who is currently in detention in Tokyo and is going to be deported to Iran from Japan.

Mr. Jalal Amanzade Nouei is a well known political opponent of the Islamic Republic of Iran that came to Japan in 1990. In 1992 he joined the Worker-communist Party of Iran [WPI]. Mr. Amanzade Nouei has been politically active with the WPI and the International Federation of Iranian Refugees (IFIR) as well as the International Committee Against Executions (ICAE) for the past 18 years in Japan, including printing and distributing WPI literature as well as writing several articles against the Islamic regime of Iran, which have been published in Persian and Japanese magazines and websites. He also has organized and participated in major political activities against the Islamic regime of Iran in Japan. His lengthy political activities with the WPI, IFIR, and ICAE and against the Islamic regime of Iran have come to the attention of the Iranian authorities.

As laid out in the Geneva convention on the Rights of Refugees (1951) Mr. Jalal Amanzade Nouei can become a refugee “sur place” as a result of his own political actions, such as associating with WPI, IFIR, ICAE and expressing his political views in Japan. His political activities came to the attention of Iranian authorities.

It is well known that the Islamic Republic of Iran has arrested, imprisoned, tortured, and killed Iranians who were forcibly returned to Iran if they had unlawfully departed from the Islamic Republic of Iran, had stayed abroad without authorization, and/or had applied for asylum in another country.

I consider the forcible return of Jalal Amanzade Nouei to Iran a violation of the principle of non-refoulement. This prohibits the forcible return of a person to a country where their life or freedom would be threatened. It is a principle of customary International Law, which binds all states. Japan is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which prohibits torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Mr. Amanzade Nouei clearly fulfils the criteria to be recognised as a refugee as detailed in relevant international instruments. He holds and has expressed opinions not tolerated by the Iranian authorities. His opinions and his relationship to the Iranian opposition organizations which are banned in Iran have come to the attention of the Iranian authorities. He faces a threat to his life or liberty if refouled to Iran.

I urge the Japanese Immigration Authorities to immediately release him and to reconsider its decision and grant him refugee recognition based on his well-founded fear of persecution on the ground of political opinion.

I am awaiting your immediate intervention in this life-threatening situation. Needless to say, UNHCR and the Japanese government will be held accountable for Jamal Saberi’s life and freedom.

Sincerely,