Kamiar and Arash Alaei incident
Encyclopedia
Dr. Kamiar Alaei and his brother Dr. Arash Alaei are two Iranian
HIV/AIDS doctors who were detained in Tehran's
Evin prison
from June 2008 though Dec 2010 and August 2011, respectively. Prior to their arrest, they developed harm-reduction programs in Iran and developed the program Global Health in the Middle East and Central Asia, an HIV/AIDS training program for regional health experts.
The doctors were tried in a one-day, secret trial on December 31, 2008 for alleged conspiracy to overthrow the Iranian government and with a number of charges including: “communications with an enemy government” and seeking to overthrow the Iranian government under article 508 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code. Speaking at a press conference, Iranian Judiciary spokesperson Ali-Reza Jamshidi
claimed: “They were linked to the CIA, backed by the US government and State Department… They recruited and trained people to work with different espionage networks to launch a velvet overthrow of the Iranian government”.
On January 20, 2009 the brothers and their attorney were informed that they had been convicted. Arash was sentenced to six years in prison; Kamiar was sentenced to three years.
, the brothers became aware of Iran’s HIV/AIDS problem after completing their medical training. Since 1986, they have sought to integrate prevention and care of HIV/AIDS, sexually-transmitted infections and drug-related harm reduction
into Iran's national health care system. Iran has the highest proportion of hard drug users of any country in the world.
Dr. Kamiar Alaei was formerly the executive director of the Iranian NGO Pars Institute working on the prevention, care, and support for carriers of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. He received a Master's of Science in Population and International Health from Harvard University
in 2007 and was scheduled to resume his studies as a PhD candidate at the SUNY Albany School of Public Health in the fall of 2008.
Dr. Arash Alaei is the former Director of the International Education and Research Cooperation of the Iranian National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. With his guidance, Iran instituted a nationwide needle-exchange program; instituted condom distribution in health-care clinics across the country, and methadone
treatment centers sprouted in every province. He was scheduled to speak at the 17th International AIDS Conference in Mexico City in August, 2008.
Together, the doctors co-authored “Iran’s National and International Strategic Plans for the Control of HIV/IDU/TB, and they helped develop Iran’s proposal to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS/TB/Malaria, which was awarded 16 million USD.
The World Health Organization
named the Alaei's clinics the best-practice model for the Middle East and North Africa. The doctors and their work were the subject of the 2004 BBC
documentary “Mohammad and the Matchmaker.”
Regionally, they have held training courses for Afghan
and Tajik medical workers and have worked to encourage cooperation among 12 Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries.
Six weeks after the arrest, Tehran officials released the following statement about them:
"They held conferences on such topics as AIDS, which drew the attention of domestic and foreign organizations and NGOs," and "they would organize foreign trips for people and train them. They were aware of what they were doing, and their training was of the nature of a velvet revolution."
The Dean of the Harvard University School of Public Health , the SUNY Albany School of Public Health, Ohio State University
, the Aspen Institute
and the Asia Society
have all released statements expressing deep concern over the doctors’ detention.
On December 31, 2008, the doctors were tried along with two other individuals before Tehran's Revolutionary Court. They were charged with “communications with an enemy government” and a number of secret charges. The brothers and their attorney, Masoud Shafie, did not know all the charges prior to the trial, were not allowed to review all the evidence and were not given adequate opportunities to refute the prosecution's case. The date for the verdict has thus far been postponed.
On January 13, 2009, the Islamic Republic News Agency released a statement that Kamiar and Arash were two members of a “gang of saboteurs” aiming to overthrow Iran that the government of Iran will “annihilate.”
(PHR).
Various human rights
groups, including PHR, the American Association for the Advancement of Science
, Human Rights Watch
, and the International AIDS Society
have endorsed a petition called for the Alaeis’ release. In December, sixteen medical experts sent a letter to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Ayatollah
Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
expressing concern for the Alaeis. Ultimately Kamiar was released in late 2010 after two and a half years in an Iranian prison, while Arash was released in August 2011 after serving out three years.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
HIV/AIDS doctors who were detained in Tehran's
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
Evin prison
Evin Prison
Evin House of Detention is a prison in Iran, located in Evin, northwestern Tehran. It is noted for its political prisoners' wing, where prisoners have been held both before and after the 1979 Iranian Revolution...
from June 2008 though Dec 2010 and August 2011, respectively. Prior to their arrest, they developed harm-reduction programs in Iran and developed the program Global Health in the Middle East and Central Asia, an HIV/AIDS training program for regional health experts.
The doctors were tried in a one-day, secret trial on December 31, 2008 for alleged conspiracy to overthrow the Iranian government and with a number of charges including: “communications with an enemy government” and seeking to overthrow the Iranian government under article 508 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code. Speaking at a press conference, Iranian Judiciary spokesperson Ali-Reza Jamshidi
Alireza Jamshidi
Dr Alireza Jamshidi is an official spokesman for Iran's judiciary, headed by Mahmoud Shahroudi. In that capacity he holds regular news conferences....
claimed: “They were linked to the CIA, backed by the US government and State Department… They recruited and trained people to work with different espionage networks to launch a velvet overthrow of the Iranian government”.
On January 20, 2009 the brothers and their attorney were informed that they had been convicted. Arash was sentenced to six years in prison; Kamiar was sentenced to three years.
Education and Background
Originally from KermanshahKermanshah
Kermanshah is a city in and the capital of Kermanshah Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 784,602, in 198,117 families.The overwhelming majority of Kermanshahi people are Shi'a Muslims...
, the brothers became aware of Iran’s HIV/AIDS problem after completing their medical training. Since 1986, they have sought to integrate prevention and care of HIV/AIDS, sexually-transmitted infections and drug-related harm reduction
Harm reduction
Harm reduction refers to a range of public health policies designed to reduce the harmful consequences associated with recreational drug use and other high risk activities...
into Iran's national health care system. Iran has the highest proportion of hard drug users of any country in the world.
Dr. Kamiar Alaei was formerly the executive director of the Iranian NGO Pars Institute working on the prevention, care, and support for carriers of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. He received a Master's of Science in Population and International Health from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 2007 and was scheduled to resume his studies as a PhD candidate at the SUNY Albany School of Public Health in the fall of 2008.
Dr. Arash Alaei is the former Director of the International Education and Research Cooperation of the Iranian National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. With his guidance, Iran instituted a nationwide needle-exchange program; instituted condom distribution in health-care clinics across the country, and methadone
Methadone
Methadone is a synthetic opioid, used medically as an analgesic and a maintenance anti-addictive for use in patients with opioid dependency. It was developed in Germany in 1937...
treatment centers sprouted in every province. He was scheduled to speak at the 17th International AIDS Conference in Mexico City in August, 2008.
Iran harm reduction work
In 1997, they began running harm reduction and HIV/AIDS prevention care centers targeted toward injecting drug users and prisoners. These “triangular” clinics provided treatment for STI infections, HIV/AIDS and drug-addiction, offering patients clean needles, methadone, condoms, antiretroviral therapy and other medical services. Eventually their program grew to a network of clinics in 67 Iranian cities and 57 prisons.Together, the doctors co-authored “Iran’s National and International Strategic Plans for the Control of HIV/IDU/TB, and they helped develop Iran’s proposal to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS/TB/Malaria, which was awarded 16 million USD.
The World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
named the Alaei's clinics the best-practice model for the Middle East and North Africa. The doctors and their work were the subject of the 2004 BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
documentary “Mohammad and the Matchmaker.”
Global Information Sharing
Prior to their arrest, the brothers were also involved in international health advocacy and global information exchange. The Alaeis participated in the US-funded people-to-people exchange with Iran in 2006, visiting Tufts-New England Medical Center and other sites with a group of other Iranian doctors. Kamiar Alaei’s “Health Diplomacy” project, an exchange program for American medical students, brought U.S. medical students to Iran to work with their Iranian counterparts and continue post-visit collaboration via the Internet. The brothers also spoke at the Aspen Institute in 2007. The Asia Society named Kamiar Alaei a fellow in its Asia 21 Young Leaders Initiative.Regionally, they have held training courses for Afghan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and Tajik medical workers and have worked to encourage cooperation among 12 Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries.
Arrest and Trial
Dr. Arash Alaei was arrested by Iranian police on June 22, 2008 and Kamiar was arrested the following day. They were at first held without charge and without access to lawyers. Their family had minimal contact with them.Six weeks after the arrest, Tehran officials released the following statement about them:
"They held conferences on such topics as AIDS, which drew the attention of domestic and foreign organizations and NGOs," and "they would organize foreign trips for people and train them. They were aware of what they were doing, and their training was of the nature of a velvet revolution."
The Dean of the Harvard University School of Public Health , the SUNY Albany School of Public Health, Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
, the Aspen Institute
Aspen Institute
The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1950 as the Aspen Institute of Humanistic Studies. The organization is dedicated to "fostering enlightened leadership, the appreciation of timeless ideas and values, and open-minded dialogue on contemporary issues." The...
and the Asia Society
Asia Society
The Asia Society is a non-profit organization that focuses on educating the world about Asia. It has several centers in the United States and around the world Hong Kong, Manila, Mumbai, Seoul, Shanghai, and Melbourne...
have all released statements expressing deep concern over the doctors’ detention.
On December 31, 2008, the doctors were tried along with two other individuals before Tehran's Revolutionary Court. They were charged with “communications with an enemy government” and a number of secret charges. The brothers and their attorney, Masoud Shafie, did not know all the charges prior to the trial, were not allowed to review all the evidence and were not given adequate opportunities to refute the prosecution's case. The date for the verdict has thus far been postponed.
On January 13, 2009, the Islamic Republic News Agency released a statement that Kamiar and Arash were two members of a “gang of saboteurs” aiming to overthrow Iran that the government of Iran will “annihilate.”
Concern of Human Rights Groups
Many human rights groups have spoken out against the Alaeis' detention, both for the trial’s lack of due process and because the charges are believed to be politically motivated. "The publicly announced charges were unfounded, politically motivated and illegitimate. They were not guilty of crimes. They were practicing good medicine,” said Jonathan Hutson of Physicians for Human RightsPhysicians for Human Rights
Physicians for Human Rights was founded in 1986 by a small group of doctors who believed the unique scientific expertise and authority of health professionals could bring human rights violations to light and provide justice for victims...
(PHR).
Various human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
groups, including PHR, the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
, Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
, and the International AIDS Society
International AIDS Society
The International AIDS Society is an independent association of HIV professionals, with 14,000 members from 190 countries working at all levels of the global response to AIDS. IAS members include researchers from all disciplines, clinicians, public health and community practitioners on the...
have endorsed a petition called for the Alaeis’ release. In December, sixteen medical experts sent a letter to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Ayatollah
Ayatollah
Ayatollah is a high ranking title given to Usuli Twelver Shī‘ah clerics. Those who carry the title are experts in Islamic studies such as jurisprudence, ethics, and philosophy and usually teach in Islamic seminaries. The next lower clerical rank is Hojatoleslam wal-muslemin...
Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi is a moderate Iraqi-Iranian politician and Twelver Shi'a Marja. Hashemi Shahroudi was the leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, which has caused objections to his serving as the head of Iran's Judiciary System upon his...
expressing concern for the Alaeis. Ultimately Kamiar was released in late 2010 after two and a half years in an Iranian prison, while Arash was released in August 2011 after serving out three years.