May 15, 2008

His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Shoahada Street
Qom, Islamic Republic of Iran

H.E. Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Ministry of Justice, Park-e Shahr
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

H.E. Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie
Ministry of Intelligence
Second Negarestan Street
Pasdaran Avenue
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

Your Excellencies,

On behalf of the 3,400 members of PEN American Center, an international organization of writers dedicated to protecting freedom of expression wherever it is threatened, we are writing to express our deep concern about the health and well-being of journalist Emadeddin Baqi following reports that he suffered another heart attack in prison.

According to our information Emadeddin Baqi, who has a history of heart problems, suffered another heart attack in prison on May 7, 2008. He was taken to hospital, but returned the same day to Tehran’s Evin prison. He previously suffered a heart attack in prison on December 26, 2007, after which he was briefly hospitalized for emergency treatment but then returned to prison. He is believed to be held incommunicado and in solitary confinement in section 209 of Tehran’s Evin prison. Due to further heart problems, Baqi was released from prison on January 18, 2008, on medical grounds, but was returned to jail against the advice of his doctors on April 15, 2008.

PEN American Center is seriously concerned about the health of Emadeddin Baqi and demands that he is given full access to his family, lawyers, and all necessary medical treatment as a matter of urgency. PEN believes that Mr. Baqi is being detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his right to free expression, and we renew our call for his immediate and unconditional release in accordance with Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Iran is a signatory. 

Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely,
              
Hannah Pakula                   
Chair, Freedom to Write Committee   

Larry Siems
Director, Freedom to Write and International Programs

CC: H.E. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad           
The Presidency           
Palestine Avenue                   
Azerbaijan Intersection               
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: +98 21 6 674 790

H.E. Mr. Mohammad Khazaee
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations
622 Third Avenue, 34th Floor
New York, NY 10017
Fax: (212) 867-7086

>> Back to Rapid Action