Danish Police Arrest 14 Activists at a Demonstration

Danish police illegally arrest 14 activists at a demonstration in support of political prisoners at the Embassy of Islamic Republic of Iran in Copenhagen

On October 5, 2011, a group of peaceful protesters who had gathered outside of the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Copenhagen, Denmark, were illegally arrested by the Danish police.

The demonstrators were peacefully and lawfully displaying placards objecting to the recent arrests and long prison sentences of worker activists in Iran when the police began to restrain the demonstrators and take them into custody, in clear violation of their civil and human rights.

At the time of this writing, according to reports, the police have refused to provide any information regarding the whereabouts of the activists, or the charges against them.

The names of detainees are as follows:
1. Kuhestan Mazhari
2. Mehran Majidi
3. Salam Sheykhi
4. Asrin Vaseli
5. Tala Chalambari
6. Saman Rostami
7. Hiva
8. Shayan
9. Soleyman
10. Amir
11. Name unknown
12. Name unknown
13. Name unknown
14. Name unknown

Mission Free Iran condemns these illegal arrests by the Danish police as a clear violation of Article 11 of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights, “Freedom of expression and information.” As such, it is a crime that should not only be condemned but prosecuted. We demand the immediate and unconditional release of all detained peaceful protesters, as well as compensation to them for any loss of wages or other losses incurred by these illegal arrests and detentions.

These arrests should be understood as a continuation of Scandinavian governments’ appeasement of the Islamic regime in Iran, and must be vocally opposed by people everywhere.  We must not stand by silently while Scandinavian governments including Denmark break their own and international laws by suppressing the voices of Iranian political activists and deporting them to detention and torture in Iran.

Peacefully objecting to the crimes against humanity perpetrated by Islamic regime of Iran, which is executing people daily and continuing to illegally detain and torture political activists is not a criminal act.  It is a service to all of humanity.

A sample complaint letter demanding the immediate release of the detainees appears below; please send it to the Danish police at stm@stm.dk, with copies to representatives of EU and North American governments.

For more information about the detainees, and to offer additional help or legal advice, please contact Hasan Salehi (phone: 0046703171102; email:hassan_salehi13@yahoo.com).

SAMPLE LETTER:

To: stm@stm.dk

Cc: jerzy.buzek@europarl.europa.eu, michael.spindelegger@bmeia.gv.at, kab.bz@diplobel.fed.be, info@mvp.gov.ba, iprd@mfa.government.bg, imprensa@itamaraty.gov.br, imprensa@planalto.gov.br, pm@pm.gc.ca, ministar@mvpei.hr, minforeign1@mfa.gov.cy, podatelna@mzv.cz, udenrigsministeren@um.dk, vminfo@vm.ee, umi@formin.fi, bernard.kouchner@diplomatie.gouv.fr, inform@mfa.gov.ge, guido.westerwelle@auswaertiges-amt.de, gpapandreou@parliament.gr, titkarsag.konz@kum.hu, external@utn.stjr.is, dcpf@mea.gov.in, minister@dfa.ie, gabinetto@cert.esteri.it, segreteria.frattini@esteri.it, mfa.cha@mfa.gov.lv, tonio.borg@gov.mt, secdep@mfa.md, post@mfa.no, DNZPC.Sekretariat@msz.gov.pl, pm@pm.gov.pt, msp@mfa.rs, ministry@mid.ru, miguel.moratinos@maec.es, beatriz.lorenzo@maec.es, registrator@foreign.ministry.se, info@eda.admin.ch, info@mfa.gov.tr, haguew@parliament.uk, stewartkb@state.gov

To the Danish Authorities:

I am writing to object in strongest terms to the arrest and detention on October 5, 2011 of peaceful protesters demonstrating outside the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran against that regime’s ongoing crimes against activists in Iran.

I demand the immediate and unconditional release of all of the peaceful demonstrators who were arrested by the Danish police on for exercising their fundamental human right to free speech.  This is a clear violation of Article 11 of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights, and as such should not only be condemned but prosecuted.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]