Afghan prisoners begin hunger strike to protest executions

Afghan authorities reported on Wednesday that dozens of inmates in Kabul’s Pol-e Charkhi prison went on a hunger strike to protest the 15 executions carried out earlier this week, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Abdul Salam Asmat, the head of Afghanistan’s prisons, said that the prisoners have met with representatives of the International Red Cross to discuss their demands, some of which include receiving a list of inmates who are set to be executed and securing a meeting with members of Parliament.

The prisoners, along with U.N. and Afghan human rights activists, have expressed concern about the judicial processes, and the alleged lack of transparency, that led to the fifteen executions.

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Fourth Iranian-American detainee released

Ali Shakeri, a member of the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding at the University of California, Irvine, was released Monday night from Iran’s Evin Prison after being imprisoned there since May, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

Shakeri was held on security-related charges similar to fellow Iranian-American detainees Haleh Esfandiari and Kian Tajbakhsh, who were previously released. The other Iranian-American, Parnaz Azima, was detained, but released on bail and prevented from leaving Iran.

Shakeri’s family posted a bail of approximately $107,000, but Shakeri still needs permission from a judge to be able to leave the country.

The release coincided with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to New York to address the United Nations General Assembly.

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New U.S. ambassador vows to pressure Viet Nam to release political dissidents

U.S. Ambassador to Viet Nam Michael Michalak has said that the United States will continue to put pressure on Viet Nam to release dissidents convicted of spreading anti-state propaganda, Agence-France Presse reported Saturday.

Western governments and human rights organizations have been criticizing Viet Nam recently for the number of arrests it has had for activists speaking out against the government. The propaganda charge is found under article 88 of Viet Nam’s penal code, and Michalak said that: “We would like to talk about ways to change this particular article.”

He added: “We don’t believe people should be put in jail just for expressing their opinion.” He also asserted that he will “continue to encourage the government of Viet Nam to make progress on human rights, including religious freedom, freedom of the press, and freedom of expression.”

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Iranian-American released on bail, not allowed to leave Iran

Kian Tajbakhsh has been released from prison on Thursday after his family paid a bail of almost $107,000, The New York Times reported today.

Tajbakhsh is the third of four Iranian-American to be released. He was arrested in May and spent 131 days in solitary confinement in Iran’s Evin prison.

Although Tajbakhsh has been released, he is not allowed to leave the country until he receives permission from a judge.

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Americans face uncertain fate in Iran

Although Iran has recently released scholar Haleh Esfandiari and journalist Parnaz Azima, three Americans are still being held or are missing, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported today.

Kian Tajbakhsh, a consultant with the Open Society Institute, has been detained since May under allegations of acting against Iran’s national security, and was recently told that he would be released soon. Tehran, however, has still not determined bail or a release date for him.

Iranian-American Ali Shakeri – a peace activist and businessman who serves on the Community Advisory Board of the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding at the University of California, Irvine – has been imprisoned since May. Little is known about his case, and the deputy prosecutor has said that, “The time has not yet arrived for providing full information about his situation.”

Former FBI-agent Robert Levinson disappeared while visiting Kish Island off of the southern coast of Iran in March. His family reports that he was trying to find information about cigarette smuggling. His wife, Christine Levinson, has been working with officials and is attempting to meet with President Mahmud Ahmadinejad to find out more information.

“I really have no information other than the last place he was seen was on Kish Island and his passport has not been seen in any other country and we have no record of him leaving Kish Island. So I really believe he’s still there,” Christine Levinson told Radio Farda.

The detention of Esfandiari and Azima, along with the remaining prisoners, has had a chilling effect on Iranians. People are afraid that by cooperating with the United States, they will be seen as an opponent of Iran, and face imprisonment.

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