Missing Dutch Human Rights activist extradited to Iran

The missing human rights activist Abdullah Al Mansouri, who has Dutch nationality, has been extradited by Syria to Iran. This happened on 16 May, the foreign ministry disclosed yesterday.

The ministry has asked Iran to make known Mansouri’s place of residence. It also wants staff from the Dutch embassy in Teheran to be able to visit him.

Mansouri had been living since 1989 in Maastricht, where he is active on behalf of the leftwing Greens (GroenLinks). He is also chairman of Ahwaz Liberation Organisation (ALO), which fights for the interests of Arabic residents of Iran.

There are fears for the life of Mansouri, because Iran considers him a terrorist. He was arrested on 11 May in the Syrian capital of Damascus, since when there has been no sign of him.

Mansouri was arrested along with seven other human rights activists. Amnesty International said shortly afterwards it feared the eight would be tortured and extradited to Iran, where a death sentence may await them.

On 21 June, Mayor Gerd Leers of Maastricht wrote a letter to the Syrian authorities requesting clarification regarding the disappearance of Mansouri. Last Tuesday, the Dutch embassy in Damascus received a message from the Syrian authorities that Mansouri, who was staying there under a different name, had been extradited to Iran on 16 May following his arrest, the foreign ministry said yesterday.

Source: NIS News, 10 August 2006