The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau
Prime Minister of Canada
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2
Dear Prime Minister:
It is with a sense of urgency that I write to you regarding the detainment and imprisonment of my fellow compatriot and yours, Iranian-Canadian professor and scholar, Dr. Homa Hoodfar.
The recent news of Dr. Hoodfar’s hospitalization after being in solitary confinement in prison has once again shaken our community’s beliefs in international human rights and justice. Dr. Hoodfar has been held in an Islamic Republic prison without due process, or access to her lawyer and her family.
The news of Dr. Hoodfar reminds us of another Iranian – Canadian woman, Zahra Kazemi, who in 2003 was tortured and killed while illegally detained by the regime’s secret police. We hope that Dr. Hoodfar does not meet the same tragic fate at the hands of the theocratic judiciary.
The election of a so-called moderate president of the theocratic state has only resulted to an increase in the number of executions carried out against Iranian dissidents and those fighting for a more just and democratic society in Iran. Although Dr. Hoodfar is not an activist, the arbitrary detainment of an internationally renowned scholar speaks to the brutal nature of this regime.
Currently, another Iranian resident of Canada, Saeed Malekpour, has been imprisoned for more than 8 years by the regime, far from his family in Canada and without any due process.
The Islamic Republic should not be allowed to act with impunity against the human rights of its own citizenry as well as the citizenry of other countries.
I trust that your government will do everything in its power to guarantee the safe return of Dr. Hoodfar and Saeed Malekpour and that you will continue to raise the issue of human rights in the international community and demand that the Islamic Republic be held accountable for its abysmal human rights record and violations of international laws, treaties and conventions.
Sincerely Yours
Reza Pahlavi
President of the Iran National Council for Free Elections
Cc: Honourable Stephen Dion
Cc: Excellency Banki Moon
