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Your Excellency,
I am writing you to express my deepest concern regarding the confirmation of the death sentence of Mr. Adnan Hasanpoor and to welcome the review of Abdel Wahid (Hiwa) Butimar’s case. I urge you to commute Mr. Hasanpoor’s death sentence immediately and to guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Hasanpoor and Mr. Butimar. I call on you to release them immediately and unconditionally since their detention is arbitrary, as it only seems to sanction their human rights activities. I also urge you to ensure that they have access to adequate medical treatment and put an end to all acts of harassment against all Iranian human rights defenders. I call on you to ensure Mr. Butimar is granted a fair trial when appealing his sentence, and have unhindered access to legal representation. Furthermore I urge you to conform with the provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9, 1998, especially its Article 1, which states that "everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realisation of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels", Article 6 (b) which stipulates that "everyone has the right [.] freely to publish, impart or disseminate to others views, information and knowledge on all human rights and fundamental freedoms", as well as Article 12(2), which provides that "the State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration". Finally I urge you to ensure in all circumstances the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and with international and regional human rights instruments ratified by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Yours respectfully,
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