- Target:
- Government of Iran, US Government, UN Secretary General
- Region:
- GLOBAL
They have detained her so I stop my work.
--Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi
'Iran detains Nobel Peace laureate's sister' http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/12/28/iran.ebadi.sister/index.html
Q&A: "The Government Took My Sister Hostage"
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=49870
Join us on FACEBOOK group called "Protect Iranian Nobel Peace laureate's sister"
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Declaration by Dr. Shirin Ebadi
I hereby declare that my sister Dr. Noushin Ebadi who is a Medical lecturer at Azad University of Tehran was detained by four officers from the counter-intelligence agency of Islamic Republic of Iran.
She was arrested at 9 pm today (28/12/2009) at her home in Tehran. At present, we have no information of her whereabouts.
During the past two months, my sister had been contacted by the elements within the government and told in no uncertain terms to contact me and persuade me to cease my activities as a human rights advocate. It was strongly suggested that she should leave her apartment which is within the same block as my apartment in Tehran. She was told that her failure to cooperate with them will result in her arrest. I initially did not take this seriously, but I’m sad and upset to see that this was not an empty threat.
It is important to note that my sister is not politically active nor is she a member of any human right organisation. Her only crime seems to be that she is my sister and her arrest is nothing less than a political blackmail and attempted pressure. This is another method employed by the authorities in Iran to stop my activities.
I hereby draw the attention of the Iranian judiciary to this unlawful and wrongful arrest of a member of my family for political gain by the government of Iran and I call for immediate release of my sister.
Iran is currently in turmoil and these unlawful and illegal actions will only have negative effect. What is needed in Iran is peaceful dialogue and tolerance.
Shirin Ebadi
We the undersigned express our grave concern that Iranian intelligence officials have detained Nushin Ebadi, the sister of the Iranian human rights lawyer and Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi.
Nushin Ebadi is a professor of dentistry at Azad University in Tehran, along with her husband, and Shirin Ebadi says her sister has no connection with her Nobel Peace laureate sister's political work, nor any connection with the ongoing protests or political situation in Iran.
We are deeply concerned that the detention by Iranian intelligence officials of Nushin Ebadi from her home in Tehran during recent protests appears to be politically motivated, and designed purely to exert pressure on her Nobel laureate sister to discontinue her work.
The Iranian authorities would appear to be trying to silence the Nobel laureate from speaking publicly internationally as she has been since June elections, by taking hostage her sister in Tehran in the midst of the current political turmoil in Iran.
‘They have detained her so I stop my work.’
--Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi
We fear greatly for the safety of Nushin Ebadi who Shirin Ebadi says was taken into custody Monday evening from their shared home in Tehran.
We note that the detention of Dr Ebadi’s sister marks a new low point in a series of ongoing threats and harassment against Shirin Ebadi, her family and colleagues in Iran, including the recent confiscation of Mrs Ebadi's Nobel Prize which prompted protests by the Norwegian and Swedish Ministries and marked the first time a Nobel Prize had been confiscated by national authorities.
We deplore the practice of using the threat of violence against innocent family members as a means to achieve one’s political goals.
We ask all those in positions of influence to make every effort available to ensure that Mrs Nushin Ebadi is swiftly and rightfully returned safely and unharmed to her family home in Tehran without delay and for the Iranian government to cease the political persecution of political opponents' family members.
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The Protect Iranian Nobel Peace laureate's sister petition to Government of Iran, US Government, UN Secretary General was written by Adam Breasley and is in the category International Affairs at GoPetition.