Prisoner Sponsorship Letter 

EMAIL SUBJECT: Request to Adopt Iranian Prisoner

Dear [●],

I write to you on behalf of the Iranian Justice Collective, an ad-hoc group of non-partisan human rights activists who have come together to support the courageous revolutionaries of Iran and attempt to save the lives of those whom the Islamic Republic in Iran may soon execute.

We are calling on you to join a network of Canadian parliamentarians and senators to adopt a political prisoner on death row in Iran.

As you are likely aware, the Islamic Regime in Iran recently executed two 23 years-olds named Mohsen Shekari and Majidreza Rahnavard. They were sent to hang without due process and on fabricated charges. Their real “crime” was speaking out in favour of the Woman, Life, Freedom revolution and against Iran’s brutal regime. These heinous executions have shocked the conscience of the international community and have revealed the brutality of this regime.

According to Amnesty International, there are reportedly 18 more individuals, many of them young, at the risk of imminent execution due to their alleged involvement in the Iran revolution. Twelve have been sentenced to death and five are on trial and/or have been charged with crimes carrying the death penalty. We are therefore calling on you, and several other parliamentarians and senators, to adopt a prisoner of conscience on death row in Iran. As the prisoner’s sponsor, you would champion the cause of that person, bringing attention to his/her situation among Canadian and international officials and in the media. We recognize that such sponsorship has no legal recognition (thus imposing no legal obligation on you) and is primarily an effort to focus international attention on the life-or-death situation faced by these prisoners. A non-exhaustive list of actions you may take includes:

· Providing periodic updates on the condition of the prisoner to parliament or the senate;

· Speaking to media and writing (individual or collective) op-eds about the prisoner(s);

· Issuing statements demanding that Islamic Republic authorities halt the prisoner’s execution;

· Communicating with international bodies to pressure the regime to halt the execution;

· Coordinating with counterparts in the United States and Europe who have also sponsored prisoners of conscience to consolidate efforts to save the lives and secure the liberty of these prisoners

· Communicate, if possible, with the family of the protestor to obtain more information and provide moral support

Our team would be happy to work with you and your office to assist with these important tasks and generate other ideas. For example, to reduce the burden on you and your staff, we would be happy to provide you with the following:

· a concise background briefing note about the prisoner and his/her case

· the latest updates, as they become available, from credible sources about their fate • high quality pictures or video footage that can be reshared on social media

· article drafts for media or drafts of social media post to publicize your work in this regard

 

We note that sponsoring political prisoners is not without precedent, in Canada or internationally. In recent years, Canada’s parliamentarians have adopted several Iranian political prisoners and pushed for their freedom. And, more recently, members of the German Bundestag have sponsored three protesters on death row.

 

I urge you to respond to me at this email address, or by phone at [•] as soon as possible. If you accept, we will provide you information on the prisoner whom you will sponsor. We would also be happy to hold a briefing session for you and your staff to pursue this project.

 

We hope that you will accept this important invitation. Your involvement can save a life.

 

Sincerely Yours,

[•]

On behalf of Iranian Justice Collective