Saturday May 13,2006

Vigil for the imprisoned Canadian-Iranian Scholar Ramin Jahanbegloo
The ad-hoc committee for the freedom of Ramin Jahanbegloo asks all Canadians to gather on Sunday, May 14, 2006 at 4:00pm in front of OISE, 252 Bloor St. West (right next to St. George subway station), to demand the immediate release of this Canadian-Iranian academic currently held in Iran’s Evin prison.

Iranian-Canadian academic, Ramin Jahanbegloo, was arrested on 27 April at Tehran's Mehrabad Airport. He is now believed to be held incommunicado in Evin Prison, in Tehran, where he is at risk of torture or ill-treatment.
The Canadian government is believed to be making representations on his behalf. However, Zahra Kazemi, another Canadian-Iranian national, died in custody in hospital in June 2003 allegedly as a result of torture after being detained in Evin Prison. To date, no one has been brought to justice in connection with her death.
Amnesty International, PEN Canada, and his colleagues in Canadian and European universities are extremely concerned over the arrest and detention of Ramin Jahanbegloo and demands that he be released immediately and unconditionally. Please visit the following web page for updates on his recent arrest and current situation:
http://raminj.iranianstudies.ca/

We also call on Iranian government to disclose the reasons for his arrest. We also seek assurances that Jahanbegloo not be tortured while in custody and that he receives any medical attention that may be required.
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A short biography of Ramin JahanbeglooJahanbegloo received his PhD in philosophy from the Sorbonne in 1997, and then spent four years at the University of Toronto as lecturer and visiting
scholar. While in Toronto, he established a vibrant intellectual forum, Agora, which for many Iranian-Canadians has remained synonymous with the name of Ramin Jahanbegloo, their charismatic and passionate teacher and friend. After a year at Harvard, in 2002 he left for Iran, where he heads the Department of Contemporary Thought at the Cultural Research Bureau, in Tehran, Iran. For his complete profile, please visit the following websites: http://raminj.iranianstudies.ca/ and http://releaseraminjahanbegloo.blogspot.com/

RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible in Persian, Arabic, English or your own language, expressing concern for the safety of Ramin Jahanbegloo, who is detained incommunicado in Evin prison;
seeking assurances that he is not being tortured or ill-treated;


seeking full details of the reasons for his arrest, including any charges that may have been brought against him;
calling on the authorities to release him immediately and unconditionally if he is not to be charged with a recognizably criminal offence and given a prompt and fair trial.
WRITE TO:
The Right Honorable Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada,
Office of the Prime Minister,
80 Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A2

The Hon. Peter MacKay
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Lester B. Pearson Building, Room A-10
125 Sussex Drive
Ottawa ON K1A 0G2
Fax: (613) 996 3443
E-mail: peter.mackay@international.gc.ca
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic : His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei, The Office of the Supreme LeaderShoahada Street, Qom, Islamic Republic of IranEmail: info@leader.ir or istiftaa@wilayah.orgHead of the Judiciary : His Excellency
Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi ShahroudiMinistry of Justice, Park-e Shahr,Tehran, Islamic Republic of IranEmail: via Judiciary website: Iranjudiciary.org/feedback_en.html Salutation: Your Excellency

President: His Excellency Mahmoud AhmadinejadThe Presidency, Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection, Tehran, Islamic Republic of IranFax: Via Foreign Ministry: +98 21 6 674 790 (mark: "Please forward to H.E. President Ahmadinejad")Email: dr-ahmadinejad@president.irvia website: www.president.ir/email THANK YOU FOR RESPONDING QUICKLY.