The letter draws the attention of the Department to “the ongoing persecution of Iranian political prisoners arrested in the aftermath of the disputed Presidential election of June 12th, 2009.” In the letter signed by the prominent members of the Foreign Affairs Committee and a copy of it was obtained by Medya News, the thirteen members of Congress have urged the Secretary Clinton ”to prioritize human rights as part of the US policy toward Iran…”
This comes following the execution of 5 political prisoners, among them 4 Kurds in notorious Evin prison that resulted in the widesspread condemnation by international community including the European Union. United States has yet to condemn the latest executions.
“The hanging of five political prisoners, four of them Kurds, on May 9, 2010 and the 13 year prison sentence of Newsweek reporter Maziar Bahari handed down in absentia the next day show that the regime is not slackening its authoritarian response as the anniversary of the elections approaches.” the letter stated.
Sharif Behruz, the US Representative of Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan to the US also criticized the US government’s silence on the increased executions in Iran, especially the execution of Kurds on trumped-up charges, and added that he had conveyed a letter to the Department’s Iran Office chief Ambassador John Limbert to condemn the execution of these civil and political activists.
There was also a protest in front of the State Department by Iranian Kurds and others on Tuesday May 11th, two days following the execution demanding the State Department to “Issue a statement to condemn the arbitrary execution of the five political prisoners on May 9, 2010.” among other requests.
The letter of the Members of Congress requests that “Top US government officials, including the President, should speak directly and publicly to the dissidents of Iran and stridently protest against the Iranian regime’s actions.”
Following the executions, there were widespread protests across Europe and North America by Iranians from all strides in front of the Islamic regime’s embassies and consulates.
Los Angles Times reported “Iranian Kurds were reported to be staging large general strikes in Kurdish cities on Thursday” following the call by Kurdish political parties to stage a region wide strike on Thursday May 13, 2010.
Representatives Bob Inglis (R-SC), James Moran (D-VA), Frank Wolf (R-VA), Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Trent Franks (R-AZ), Dan Burton (R-IN), Zach Wamp (R-TN), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Ted Poe (R-TX), Sue Myrick (R-NC), Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Brian Baird (D-WA) were the cosigners of the letter.
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