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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Dear all, <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>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 <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Tehran</st1:place></st1:City>. We realised that this message did not
go through the Plenary List, and this information has to be circulated.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>At this time, the ICTRC
offices are still closed and the staff cannot work.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Best, <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Philippe<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>De :</span></font></b><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'> sohrab razzaghi
[mailto:sohrab.razzaghi@gmail.com] <br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Envoyé :</span></b> mardi, 20. mars 2007
09:34<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>À :</span></b> rbloem@ngocongo.org;
wsis@ngocongo.org; <st1:PersonName w:st="on">plenary@wsis-cs.org</st1:PersonName>;
bureau@wsis-cs.org<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Objet :</span></b> ICTRC Offices Were
Sealed by the Revolutionary Court</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'> </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'> </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'>Dear all, </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'> </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'>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. </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'> </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'>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. </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'> </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'>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). </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'> </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'>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. </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'> </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'>2 other Iranian CSOs – <i><span style='font-style:
italic'>NGO TC</span></i> and <i><span style='font-style:italic'>Rahi</span></i>
– 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. </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'>Many Iranian CSOs have so far been suffering from the
efforts of the government for their elimination, isolation and limitation. </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'> </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'>Thank you all. </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'> </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'>Sohrab Razzaghi</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=3 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Verdana;font-style:italic'>ICTRC Executive Director</span></font></i><o:p></o:p></p>
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