[WSIS CS-Plenary] TR: ICTRC Offices Were Sealed by the Revolutionary Court

[CONGO WSIS - Philippe Dam]

Dear all, 

 

For your information, this is the message we received a couple of days ago
regarding the situation of the ICTRC, an NGO accredited to WSIS, based in
Tehran. We realised that this message did not go through the Plenary List,
and this information has to be circulated.

 

At this time, the ICTRC offices are still closed and the staff cannot work.

Best, 

 

Philippe

 

  _____  

De : sohrab razzaghi [mailto:sohrab.razzaghi at gmail.com] 
Envoyé : mardi, 20. mars 2007 09:34
À : rbloem at ngocongo.org; wsis at ngocongo.org; plenary at wsis-cs.org;
bureau at wsis-cs.org
Objet : ICTRC Offices Were Sealed by the Revolutionary Court

 

 

 

Dear all, 

 

Thursday afternoon, when the board of directors of ICTRC were holding their
weekly meeting and most of the staff were present at the ICTRC office, the
Intelligence forces appeared holding a search warrant. They asked every body
out, except for me (ICTRC Executive Director) and started searching the
place. In spite of my request, they did not provide any reason of legal
accusation against ICTRC for their act. On hour later, they sealed ICTRC
office and took me to my home and searched it too (they had a separate
warrant for that too). Their thorough search took 4 hours. They took away
all kinds of documents (including personal ones such as checkbooks, etc.),
personal documents, tapes, CDs, photos, etc. (including books, newsletters,
and all my hand-written notes). The authorities also blocked the ICTRC's
bank accounts and my personal bank account on the same day (as I later
realized). The officials refused to provide any legal justification or
accusations for their act. 

 

In the past, ICTRC staff (including board members) have been questioned by
agents (on the street) or summoned officially by courts. However, no formal
accusations have ever been made so far upon ICTRC.    

 

ICTRC is a non-for-profit organization, founded in 2002, which works on the
capacity-building of Iranian civil society organizations, strengthening free
access to information, promoting roles of women and children NGOs in MDGs
(Millennium development goals) and raising public awareness and knowledge of
citizens about human rights. ICTRC is the focal point for CSOs in West Asia
and the Middle East and a member to the CSO Bureau of the World Summit on
Information Society (WSIS). 

 

Sealing the offices of ICTRC is a move against the laws of the country and a
clear example of the violation of the human rights. We, hereby, urge all
human rights organizations and CSOs (at national and international level) to
react to the violation of fundamental freedoms and human rights and the
suppression of independent Iranian CSOs and demand the Iranian government to
respect the freedoms and rights of people and CSOs through a large-scale
campaign. 

 

2 other Iranian CSOs – NGO TC and Rahi – were also sealed on the same day,
while their executive directors – Mahboubeh Abbasghjolizadeh and Shadi Sadr-
were still in custody. The two women activists were among the 33 women
activists who had been arrested on 4 March 2007, while holding a peaceful
gathering in front of the Revolutionary Court in protest to the trial of 5
women activists. 

Many Iranian CSOs have so far been suffering from the efforts of the
government for their elimination, isolation and limitation. 

 

Thank you all. 

 

Sohrab Razzaghi

ICTRC Executive Director

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