March 31, 2020

Dear Excellencies,

While world's countries are fighting Coronavirus pandemic, unfortunately as a result of non-constructive policies of Iranian authorities’ situation in Iran is getting worse day by day and Coronavirus crises is getting deeper. Health care system of Iran has not the capacity of bear such a wide crisis and what we see is only that Iranian state tries to hide the realty of Iran especially the right number of death toll in the country.

In such a situation one of the most dangerous places of Iran which have very few and poor health care facilities are the prisons. There are many reports that coronavirus has spread at prisons of Iran while the authorities do not take any specific action to prevent it but releasing a number of prisoners temporarily.

Conditions is much awful as that in a number of prisons riots broke out and many prisoners tried to escape.

Families of prisoners and human rights activists are very worried about prisoners’ lives.

Meanwhile situation of political prisoners is more complex and worrying. The Islamic Republic of Iran have freed a number of prisoners due to Coronavirus outbreak but many political prisoners are still in prisons and Iranian authorities do not let them out of prison.

On the other hand, Islamic Republic of Iran has murdered many dissidents in the past, outside and inside the country as well as in the prisons via a variety of illegal methods, sometimes by fake allegations such as traffic accidents, diseases or suicide.

We, the Cooperation Platform of (South) Azerbaijani Political Parties, would like to inform you that we are deeply concerned about the lives of the political prisoners in Iran including Azerbaijani political prisoners. We are worried that they may lose their lives because of Coronavirus or Iranian authorities may murder them saying they lost life because of the Coronavirus.

We urgently demand your Excellencies to put pressure on Iranian authorizes to at least temporarily free political prisoners and let them spent this dangerous period at home beside their families.

Respectfully,

Cooperation Platform of (South) Azerbaijani Political Parties

-         Azerbaijan Students Movement

-         Azerbaijan National Resistance Organization

-         South Azerbaijan Democratic Party