Free "Mostafa Badkoobei"

WE THE UNDERSIGNED hereby Petition for the immediate and un-conditional releases of "Mostafa Badkoobei" and "Hilda Sadighi", from arbitrary and illegal imprisonment by the Islamic Republic Regime in Iran, and to guarantee their well beings.


RELEVANT FACTS:
"Mostafa Badkoobei" and "Hilda Sadighi" are two prominent humanist and social poets and public speakers, who support the freedom of speech and believes in Iran. Badkoobei was arrested, end of last week, following a raid of the Islamic regime's Ministry of Intelligence's plainclothesmen, to his home, and brought to an undisclosed detention center. The same concerning dark scenario had taken place, earlier, for Hilda Sadighi.


A more alarming point is that these two well respected and popular poets had received many threats, especially of death, due to their active participation in social events and humanist poetry events that were gathering an increasing number of participants, with an increasing projection on social media and networks . In this line, it's to note that other Iranian intellectuals have been, in the past years, found dead, in the same and following the same pattern.

Badkoubei has even stated, in a video, to have prepared his last will.


LET IT BE CLEARLY SAID & ESTABLSIHED, that, "Mostafa Badkoobei" and "Hilda Sadighi" have committed no crime other than speaking up, in form of poems. Indeed, they're peaceful intellectuals who do not advocate violence. All they have done is to advocate for the unalienable right of the individual to hold personal beliefs and to exercise freedom of speech. For this, they have been subjected to imprisonment and might face torture, in order to extract false incriminating confession, such as, link to a so-called foreign spy agency; and this latter scenario, is the best that might happen to them, if no one reacts, when we know on how "accidents" and 'un-identified assassins" (Extra Judicial killings) have taken lives of other Iranian intellectuals in the past...

According to same dissident sources, within the Islamic regime's Ministry of Intelligence, one of the frivolous "crimes" that might be held against "Mostafa Badkoobei", as a plan B in order to silence him, and in case if a trial has to be set, is some so-called racial and anti-islamic statements. In this line, one must note that the well known machiavellian regime, notorious for demagoguery, is going to try to take some words out of their context, and to create an International show of justice, by receiving some so-called complains from some Middle Eastern and African groups, financed thru its Islamist "Charities" networks.


STANDARD OF LAW:
- Article 56 of the UN Charter requires that all member nations pledge to "take joint and separate action in cooperation with the Organization (UN) for the achievement of the purposes set forth in Article 55."
It's to note that Article 55 includes several paragraphs most notably here "universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion."

- Article 18, Section 1, of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, provides that: "Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching."

Article 19, Sections 1 and 2, of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights provide that:
1. Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference.
2. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.

- Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights provides in pertinent part: "No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."


APPLICATION OF LAW AND ARGUMENT:
"Mostafa Badkoobei" and "Hilda Sadighi" have been denied their rights under each of the above referenced Articles and sections of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. They have been arrested held in confinement and might be tortured because of their believes and for expressing their views on social matters.

On September 24, 2007, the Islamic Republics President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, spoke in the United States at Columbia University. In response to the introduction from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger, Ahmadinejad said the following: ...I think the text read by the dear gentleman here, more than addressing me, was an insult to information and the knowledge of the audience here, present here. In a university environment we must allow people to speak their mind, to allow everyone to talk so that the truth is eventually revealed by all...."
"...Certainly he took more than all the time I was allocated to speak, and that's fine with me. We'll just leave that to add up with the claims of respect for freedom and the freedom of speech that's given to us in this country...

In his words, which have been communicated to billions of people throughout the world, Ahmadinejad expressed his belief in the freedom of speech and the right of people to speak their mind. Yet, within the nation of Iran people are arrested and tortured for speaking their mind.
Now the world is watching to see if the current regime of Iran will live up to the high standard set by these words of the Ahmadinejad. Will this regime release "Mostafa Badkoobei" and "Hilda Sadighi", who have done nothing more than exercise their right to speak his mind, as Ahmadinejad said, so that truth is eventually revealed by all.


THE UNDERSIGNED RESPECTFULLY REQUEST:
1. That the cases of Mostafa Badkoobei and Hilda Sadighi be thoroughly reviewed in a manner consistent with the provisions of the UN Charter and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;

2. That the current regime in Iran honors its commitment to the United Nations Charter, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the high standard of freedom of religion, (as this was ratified in 1948, by the former Iranian regime, and which allows the current regime to occupy the Iranian People's seat at the UNCHR); and speech as has been promised by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during his speech at Columbia University.

3. That Mostafa Badkoobei and Hilda Sadighi are released immediately and un-conditionally; and that, the Islamic regime in Iran guarantees their well being, so no "accident" of any type can endanger their lives;

4. That if, any "offense" has been committed, by these two freethinkers; a transparent, public and televised trial, with the presence of a UNCHR Envoy, the International NGOs responsibles, and a panel of foreign journalists and unbiased Iranian reporters, takes place; and this, in order to show the evidence, once for all, the unhumain ideological red lines of the Islamic republic regime, to which its officials have made, so many times, reference to, in order to warn Iranians and their respected intellectuals.

5. A selection, by the two poets and NGOs, of foreign and Iranian lawyers to defend these two cases, if any guilt, has been committed;