‘Dutch human rights activist and Maastricht resident sentenced to death in Iran’

Dutch human rights activist Abdullah al-Mansouri has been sentenced to death in Iran, according to his son. The Netherlands’ embassy in Teheran was apparently informed of the sentence ten days ago.

The son of the condemned man, Adnan al-Mansouri, said yesterday that he had been told by Syrian human rights organisation Nohr that his father had been sentenced to death for terrorist activities by a court in Iran. Al-Mansouri was actually decorated by Queen Beatrix in the Netherlands in 2001 for his efforts in relation to the human rights of minorities in Iran. He is also a local councillor for the leftwing Green (GroenLinks) party in Maastricht.

The Foreign Ministry “is looking into” the reports that Al-Mansouri has been sentenced to death. Public broadcaster NOS, however, claimed that the Dutch embassy in Teheran has known of the sentence for ten days. Al-Mansouri’s son said yesterday that he feared his father would be executed within 48 hours.

Conservative (VVD) MP Hans van Baalen insisted that the Netherlands should withdraw its ambassador if Iran carries out the sentence. In any case, the Dutch must demand an appeal trial, he added.

Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen, who will respond today in the Lower House, should work with other EU countries to put pressure on Iran, the VVD added. The UHCR should also play a role, Van Baalen pointed out, because this UN organisation awarded Al-Mansouri asylum status.

Al-Mansouri was arrested on 11 May 2006 during a trip to Syria. He was apparently there at the invitation of that country on account of his activities for the Ahwaz Liberation Organisation (ALO), which promotes the interests of the Arabic minority in the Al-Ahwaz region, part of Iran, with the aim of achieving independence. Syria arrested him and extradited him to Iran.

In November 2006 the website arabistan.org reported that Al Mansouri was executed on 20 October 2006. This turned out to be incorrect. The then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan asked the Iranian authorities for information about Al-Mansouri. The then Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot had fruitless discussions in December with his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki.

According to his son, Al-Mansouri has appeared in court three times without a lawyer. He had a lawyer, but the man has been imprisoned by Iran together with his wife and daughter, the son said. A sentence of three years in prison has been demanded against the lawyer, for reasons unknown, according to Adnan al-Mansouri.

Source: NIS News, 29 October 2007

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