Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
President
The Presidency
Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran
Islamic Republic of Iran
(enter date) June 2008
Dear Mr President
I write to bring to your attention the protest of the students of the Tarbiyat-e Moalem University in Pardis Karaj.
On Saturday 7 June almost 5000 female and male students gathered together at the campus and held an 'open tribune'.
The number of students on hunger strike has reached 126 and yet the authorities are still ignoring this dispute and refusing to discuss the students' demands. The situation of the hunger strikers is deteriorating rapidly but they are determined to continue their protest. For example, a female student who has had bleeding in her stomach is still continuing with her hunger strike.
There are a large number of riot police and security forces amassed near the campus. They are making suspicious manoeuvres and the students have noticed a number of them trying to pass themselves off as the personnel of the Education Struggle organisation (which has a building inside the campus). Many students are afraid that the authorities are preparing an onslaught like the one in July 1999 at Tehran University, where many students died.
The university's security guards have been contacting the families of students, talking to them in an offensive and threatening way. As a result of this type of intimidation, the grandmother of one of the protesting students had a heart attack and died today!
This struggle began on the night of Thursday 29 May over basic demands. The students are protesting against the sub-standard self-service canteen, the cramped dormitories, continuous harassment by the authorities, and other issues relating to their economic situation.
The representatives of students from 40 universities throughout Iran have supported the just struggle of the Tarbiyat-e Moalem students. They have condemned the attitude and behaviour of the authorities and have warned that they will take action if the demands of the Tarbiyat-e Moalem students are not met.
I condemn the way that the Iranian government and the university authorities have treated the students. The university authorities and the government should accept all the students' demands.
I look forward to hearing about your positive intervention in this regard in the international media.
Yours sincerely
(enter your name, trade union etc. position & country)
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Please send your protest letter to:
Dr Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
President
The Presidency
Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran
Islamic Republic of Iran.
Fax: 98-21-648.06.65
Email: dr-ahmadinejad@president.ir
Please send a copy of your protest letters to:
Iranian Workers’ Solidarity Network
Email: iranwsn@fastmail.fm
UNHCHR
Petitions Team
Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Human Rights
UNOG-OHCHR
1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Fax: +41 22 917 9022
Email: tb-petitions@ohchr.org
Amnesty International
The Human Rights Action Centre
17-25 New Inn Yard
London
EC2A 3EA
United Kingdom
Fax: +44 20 7833 1510
Email: info@amnesty.org.uk
Human Rights Watch
350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor
New York, NY 10118-3299 USA
Fax: 1-(212) 736-1300
Email: hrwnyc@hrw.org
International Society for Human Rights
Borsigalle 9
D-60388 Frankfurt/M.
Germany
Fax: +49-(0)69-42 01 08-29
Email: is@ishr.org
World Organisation Against Torture
OMCT International Secretariat
PO Box 21
8, rue du Vieux-Billard
CH-1211 Geneva 8
Switzerland
Fax: + 41 22 809 4929
Email: omct@omct.org