Transcript
Iran is recognized internationally as an innovative leader for treating and preventing HIV/AIDS. Its Hamyaran Mosbat club of Mashahad won the UNAIDS Red Ribbon Award in August from among 550 others in 140 countries. But part of Iran’s success is also owed to two brothers: Doctors Arash Alaei and Kamiar Alaei.
Both worked closely with Iranian authorities and the clergy to tackle the stigma of HIV/AIDS in a country where sex, drug addiction, and the disease itself, are taboo. They helped launch the country’s HIV/AIDS prison program, which the Physicians for Human Rights say is one of the best in the world for passing out condoms and syringes in prisons.
On June 22, however, Dr. Arash was arrested. The next morning, security forces arrested his brother Kamiar and confiscated his documents.
Joe Stork, Human Rights Watch – Washington, DC (Aug. 11, 2008): “We are mystified… by why these people were detained. We also think their work has been very salutary, very good, in the area of HIV prevention. It is frankly baffling.”
According to Amnesty International, the Iranian E’temad newspaper reported that the brothers are held on, quote: “Suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government.”
Stork: “These are not political people. The government has not made any accusations or charges. It is obviously unacceptable that people should be held without charge for as long as these individuals have been held. We are unaware they’ve been able to see family or legal council.”
The government’s silence on this case slowly began to break on August 3. Tehran’s deputy prosecutor Hassan Haddad announced, quote: “A case has been filed whose defendants are two brothers. They held conferences on such topics as AIDS, which drew the attention of domestic and foreign organizations and NGOs… 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.” Haddad, however, did not name the Alaei brothers!
Dr. Kamiar holds a Masters degree in International Health from Harvard University. He is a doctoral candidate at the State University of New York Albany School of Public Health and is due to resume studies there later this year.
The US-based NGO, the Asia Society, named him as one of 23 Fellows, identified as “the most promising trendsetters and emerging leaders in the Asia-Pacific region.”
His brother Arash was due to speak at a gathering of 25,000 people from around the world at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City early in August. He was going to make a presentation on Iran’s innovative HIV program.
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