Oklahoma City, OK – 20 years ago. NEVER FORGET. April 19, 1995.
20 years ago – the monstrous attack on Oklahoma City’s Alfred P. Murrah building, by neo-Nazi supporting terrorist Timothy McVeigh. On April 19, 1995, terrorists Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, the terrorist bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah building killed 168 people and injured more than 680 others.The blast destroyed or damaged 324 buildings within a 16-block radius, destroyed or burned 86 cars, and shattered glass in 258 nearby buildings
We must continue to stand for the universal human rights of our fellow human beings against Nazis and other criminals who seek the destruction of their lives. The terrorist’s inspiration in the Neo-Nazi “The Turner Diaries,” symbolized his commitment to racist, anti-Semitic, and anti-gay violence, as has the racist hate group organization so-called “Christian Identity” hate group in the area. Over the years, R.E.A.L. has challenged the “Christian Identity” hate group and such hate groups, and we have been threatened. But their threats only seek to silence the truth, and R.E.A.L. has no intention to be silent. We will remain responsible for equality and liberty.
Timothy McVeigh’s Terrorist Attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Building
We will NOT FORGET Nazi supporting terrorist Timothy McVeigh’s attack on humanity and on our children bombing the Alfred P Murrah federal building and the daycare center inside – NYT, 1995: “Of the 21 children who were inside the day-care center on the morning of April 19, the morning of the bombing, 15 are dead, including all four of the infants by the window. Five are hospitalized, burned and broken. Only one returned home, a little girl with a broken leg. All three teachers in the center were also killed.”
Why do we reject hate? Why do we challenge terrorism?
We give this answer. Oklahoma City. Our children. Our universal human rights.
Groups within Iran are reporting the blogger Soheil Arabi, is facing an imminent death by hanging, for the “crime” of his Facebook posts, which the Iranian government views as insulting Islam.
As an Iranian-rights group reports, Soheil Arabi, has been imprisoned, flogged, fined, and sentenced to death because of articles he published on Facebook. He is the father of a five -year-old daughter.
A Twitter campaign for his freedom was started at #SaveSoheil.
Iran: Soheil Arabi Sentenced to Death for "Blasphemy" Because of Facebook Postings
Human Rights Watch has reported that “[a] Tehran criminal court had convicted him in August of sabb al-nabbi, or ‘insulting the prophet,’ referring to the Prophet Muhammad, which carries the death penalty.” ” On November 24, 2014, Iran’s Supreme Court upheld a criminal court ruling sentencing Soheil Arabi to hang. The court transferred his file to the judiciary’s implementation unit, opening the way for his execution.” “Nastaran Naimi, Arabi’s wife, told Human Rights Watch that intelligence agents linked with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards arrested her and her husband at their home in Tehran in November 2013. ”
Iranian blogger Mojtaba Safari (based in Canada) writes that: “Soheil created his Facebook page in August 2012, naming it “a generation that does not want to be silent.” He criticized the regime as the cause of socio-eco-political problems in the country. ” “The problem is that in Iran, almost any criticism of the system can be regarded as ‘disrupting the internal security of the state,’ and punished by death. This article has been used to execute thousands of Iranian dissidents since the 1979 Revolution. A few months ago, Iran executed Mohsen Amir-Aslani, who was charged with insulting the prophet Jonah. Another similar case was the Iranian blogger, Sattar Beheshti, who was tortured to death in November 2012 for criticizing the Islamic Republic of Iran on Facebook.” “Iran is a perfect example of what a religious state is capable of, and why the ideas of democracy and freedom are not compatible with Sharia law.” “A state that doesn’t respect its people will not respect its neighbors either. The brutal Iranian theocracy is not only a threat to its own people but also a threat to the world. Pressuring the regime and saving Soheil Arabi’s life is a matter of Iranian and global importance. ”
Responsible for Equality And Liberty respects the dignity of our religious beliefs, but we know that without a commitment to our universal human rights, freedom of speech, and freedom of press, those who justify “blasphemy” laws and punishments, will have such arguments turned against them to deny their own freedom of religion. This is the endless circle of attacks on human rights, human dignity, and human lives, when we reject our Universal Human Rights, as described in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a starting point for shared respect, law, and order.
We have seen with both Muslim, Christian, and other faiths, where the argument of “blasphemy” is used by someone of another faith to deny freedom of religion to others.
In Iran, the Shia-based Iranian government is using such a blasphemy law to deny the freedom of Soheil Arabi and others, and seek the death penalty against him. But in Pakistan, those Shiites practicing their Muslim faith are attacked, killed, and their houses of worship destroyed by those extremist who claim their Shia faith is a “blasphemy.” While the Iranian court is planning the execution of Soheil Arabi, in Pakistan, Shiite have recently buried their dead killed by an extremist who bombed the Shia Imambargah mosque, on the view that the Shia religion itself is a “blasphemy.” As the AP has reported, “Sunni extremist groups like those believe Shiites are infidels, and their presence has fueled sectarian attacks.”
The practice of violence and oppression for “blasphemy” has long caused death and violence, not just to Iranian people, but the people of the Shia faith around the world. Shiites and Shia houses of worship have long been the target and victims of such “blasphemy” laws and attitude by extremists.
Blasphemy? Shiite Mosque in Rawalpindi, Pakistan Attacked by Extremists Rejecting Shia Religious Practice as Blasphemy (Source: AP)Blasphemy? 69 Shiites Killed in Bomb Attack by Extremists Rejecting Shia Religious Practice as Blasphemy (Photo: London Time/Alice Fordham)Blasphemy? Attack on Shiites in Karachi, Pakistan, Killing Nearly 50 by Extremists Who Reject Shia Religious as "Blasphemy" (Source: Anwar Abbas)Blasphemy? Pakistan Shia Girl Protests Murders of Shiites by Sunni Extremists Killing Shiites as "Infidels," based on their extremist view that the Shia Religion is "Blasphemy" (Source: ASIF HASSAN/AFP/Getty Images)
So if these extremist measures and violence based on rejecting the freedom of others as “blasphemy” against Shiites in Pakistan and other parts of the world is wrong, how is it right for Iran to use such “blasphemy” law to condemn Soheil Arabi to death for his universal human rights of freedom of speech?
In Pakistan, the Sunni-based Pakistan government is using such a blasphemy law to deny the universal human rights of Sunni Muslims, Shia Muslims, and people of all faiths, especially minority Christians. But the results are that even the Pakistan Ambassador to the United States was charged with “blasphemy,” Muslims are imprisoned by those with a grudge, the perspective of “blasphemy” justifies the killing of minority Muslims, their houses of worship, the oppression, murder, and destruction of houses of worship of minority Christians, Hindu, and Sikh.
In the Vatican, Pope Francis has recently argued that those “offending” the religious views of others should normally expect a “punch in the nose.” While Pope Francis went to make obligatory (and clearly contradictory) remarks that one should never kill for their God, and rejecting terrorism, Pope Francis’ comments come in the backdrop of 185 churches burned in recent months in Nigeria by Boko Haram and up to 60 churches burned on the weekend of January 17-18, 2015 in Niger. His comments come in the context of Christians being imprisoned, burned to death, churches burned down, and entire towns destroyed by those offended by “blasphemy.”
In Responsible for Equality And Liberty’s unequivocal support for our universal human rights, we do not offer disrespect to religious leaders of these faiths or these theocratic nations. We challenge those extremists, theocratic governments and leaders, and those who believe that our universal human rights are expendable. We have learned and the world has clearly seen that such universal human rights are essential.
Those who defend the right to use legal and violent means to punish “blasphemy” must realize that this argument will ultimately be turned by others against them and their faith. These creates a vicious circle of destruction on human rights, human liberty, and human lives.
Responsible for Equality And Liberty offers an outstretched hand, not an upraised fist, to our brothers and sisters in humanity, including those who have lost their way on our universal human rights. We urge them to reconsider their position and to support the universal human rights of all people and all faiths, not just because it is the right thing to do, but also because without those universal human rights, their human rights are also endangered.
We urge all people to be responsible for equality and liberty.
The continuing human struggle for freedom, human rights, and human dignity will not end at just one nation’s borders, or with one nationality, one race, one religion, one gender, or any one identity group.
Those who seek to stem this endless tide of human freedom are like those who think they can control the oceans. For a time, one can try to restrain such natural forces, but inevitably the tide will turn, and those who reject our human freedoms will fall from power.
The real choice we have is whether we will be on the side of freedom – or not. The idea that we can support human freedom, human rights, human dignity just some of the time – for some people like us or those we like – is the foundational LIE that tyrants and dictators have used throughout history. Dictators and oppressors count on this lie, they depend on it, they create entire societies and tyrannies on this. But as history has shown and will continue to ultimately show, “A Lie Cannot Live.”
The lie that only some people, because of their identity group or elite status, deserve freedom, rights, and dignity, while others are denied such rights, will continue to be proven to be as a lie again and again around the world. In the racial segregation era of America, the lie of denying humanity to black Americans did not live. In Nazi Germany, the lie of denying humanity to Jews through the Holocaust ultimately did not live. But in too many parts of the world, similar lies continue to be propped up, defended, and excused.
The days are numbered for societies and ideologies based on the lie of denying human freedom, human rights, and human dignity.
For those who think we can pick and choose who does and who does not deserve these rights, dignity, and freedom, you are on the wrong side of history.
To American and Western leaders, you too need to decide which side of history you are on, when you meet with dictators and when you dignify the lie of oppressors and societies that reject the truth of universal human rights, human dignity, and human freedom. To the American people and people around the world, whether it is in Tienanmen Square, the election protesters of Iran, or now in the streets of Tunis and Cairo, we must stand in solidarity with those who seek freedom. It is no surprise that the Communist China totalitarian leaders seek to censor the Internet to avoid the Chinese people finding out about what is going on in Egypt.
January 2011 Egypt Protesters
The current popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt once again speak to how human freedom and rights will not be denied. There is much to be seen on how such uprisings occur and we must condemn violence against others. But to be consistent in challenging both societies and ideologies that seek to defy freedom, free people around the world must reject dictators and oppressors, no matter who they are, no matter what their identity group, and no matter what their rationale for dictatorship and oppression.
Dictators and Oppressors are dependent on the world’s silence about their lie that only some deserve human rights, human dignity, and freedom. We must speak out consistently on this anywhere and everywhere.
A Lie Cannot Live. Choose the Truth on Humanity and Its Universal Human Rights.
Choose Freedom, Choose Human Dignity, and Choose Human Rights.
In Iran, attorney Mohammad Mostafaei, representing Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani – a woman sentenced to stoning, has gone missing after an attempt to arrest him by the Iranian authorities. According to human rights activists, his wife and brother-in-law are in custody of the Iranian police, and are being held at Tehran’s Evin prison. CNN is reporting that Iranian officials have told Mohammad Mostafaei’s father in law that the family members arrested would be freed in exchange for attorney Mohammad Mostafaei submitting to arrest.
Attorney Mohammad Mostafaei Missing (L) and Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani (R) Sentenced to Stoning (Photo: Sky News)
On July 24, 2010, Mohammad Mostafaei’s office was reportedly ransacked and he was interrogated for four hours at the Evin prison over his representation of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani. He was released and then called back for furthering questioning, and then an arrest warrant was issued for Mohammad Mostafaei.
Mina Ahadi, with International Committee against Execution and Stoning (ICAS), has stated: “Mohammadi Ashtiani’s sentence is not Mostafaei’s first stoning case, he has defended many others against execution by stoning but it was Sakineh’s story which took world attention and made the Iranian authorities angry… It is ridiculous that they [officials] have taken Mostafaei’s family as ransom, they have somehow taken them hostage. This confirms what Sakineh’s son wrote in his public letter, that there’s no justice in Iran.”
“The Wife and brother-in-law of Mohamad Mostafaei, sakine’s lawyer, arrested – No word about Mostafaei himself”
“As we reported earlier, Mr. Mostafaei, Sakine’s lawyer, was summoned to the Ministry of Intelligence at Evin Prison. He presented himself there yesterday. A post on his weblog later informed the public that the authorities at Evin prison had questioned him about some financial issues. Some time after he left the prison the authorities called him and asked him to present himself once again. However, a short while after they went to his office to arrest him. Mr. Mostafaai was not there but his wife and his brother-in-law were arrested, instead, somewhere near the office.”
“The whereabouts of Mr. Mostafaie is currently unknown. According to our sources, his office has been sealed off by the authorities.”
“We have not yet been able to identify the prison where Mr. Mostafaei’s wife and brother-in-law are currently held.”
“The Islamic Republic, under the intense pressure of the world public opinion against the stoning sentence of Sakine, has now targeted her lawyer and put him under pressure. The interrogation over financial issues, specifically, is one of the regime’s customary ways to begin a charge-fabricating process. The Islamic Republic is trying, with everything in its power, to cut off the relations between Sakine and her family, on the one side, and her lawyer and the public opinion, on the other.”
“The International Committee Against Execution strongly condemns such persecutions as those executed by the Islamic Republic against Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani’s lawyer, Mr. Mostafaei, and his family. We urge all human rights organisations to take action as soon as possible and demand the immediate release of Mr. Mostafaei’s wife and brother-in-law. The Islamic Republic must be forced to stop harassing and intimidating Mr. Mostafaei and others like him in their legal efforts to pursue justice.”
Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) rejects the barbaric practice of stoning and its targeted use in murdering and terrorizing women in Iran and around the world. We believe that that the path to ending such terrorism against women begins with support for our Universal Human Rights, including dignity, life, liberty, and equality.
We urge the public’s support in challenging such injustices and the barbaric practice of stoning.
— Mission Free Iran reports: “ICAE Press Release #19: Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani’s case review postponed; final judgment will be made in 20 days”
— “In our last press release we reported that the Supreme Court in Iran would issue a statement on Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani’s case on July 21st, 2010. Today we have been informed by our sources in Iran that the Islamic regime has postponed a decision in Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani’s case for another 20 days. According to the sources, all documents of Sakineh’s case have been sent to the 9th division of the Supreme Court.”
— “We believe that Sakineh is still at risk of being executed or even stoned to death. The aim of the Islamic regime of Iran is clear: by pushing back the date of the final verdict they hope to buy time to escape the pressure of the international community. The Islamic regime is waiting for the international news coverage and the pressure to abate to then continue with their criminal activities.”
Iran: Sakineh Mohammadie Ashtiani was Sentenced to be Stoned for Adultery
Newsweek reports of eight other pending executions in Iran — stating “News of the imminent stoning of one Iranian woman for alleged adultery galvanized a global movement to save her. But sadly, her case was not an anomaly.” Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) rejects the barbaric practice of stoning, which is widely used against women in Iran and other parts of the world. We urge all to respect women’s rights and to respect our universal human rights for all people. We urge all to Choose Love, Not Hate – Love Wins.
The Islamic Republic’s intention to stone Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani to death has unleashed a historically unprecedented amount of international public fury and pressure on the Islamic Republic. The regime did not expect this response from the world, and it has been caught off guard.
In an effort to buy time to decide how to react to the global pressure, and in an effort to reduce the intensity of the pressure that is mounting, the Islamic Republic’s Embassy in the UK has issued a statement noting that Ms. Ashtiani “will not be executed by stoning.”
This letter does not deny that Ms. Ashtiani is under a sentence of death. It does not preclude her execution by other means such as hanging. It gives no guarantee of her justly-demanded freedom.
The letter also states that stoning “has rarely been implemented in Iran.” The regime’s admission to the use of the barbaric practice of stoning nevertheless contains a documentable falsehood: evidence of the extent to which stoning has been practiced by the Islamic Republic is forthcoming.
By denying the intention to execute Ms. Ashtiani by stoning, the Islamic Republic has been forced to retreat from its preferred position, and this is a victory for us, but this is a little victory. It is a step forward, only one step.
Dissembling by the Islamic Republic notwithstanding, the Campaign to Save Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani will continue in full force until our demands are met:
1. Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani must be released immediately and without condition. The world should hear her voice outside of the prison, announcing her freedom.
2. All those sentenced to be stoned for adultery must be released immediately and without condition.
3. The practice of stoning must be outlawed immediately.
4. All executions must be stopped immediately.
5. Zeinab Jalalian and Mohammad Reza Haddadi should be released immediately and without condition.
If the Islamic Republic thinks that it has seen pressure with this campaign to save Sakineh, it should recognize that this is only the beginning. The campaign to save Sakine points out our next steps: we will amplify our demands to remove the Islamic Republic from the UN Commission on the Status of Women. The Islamic Republic is indisputably undeserving of a seat on that Commission — or on any other international decision making body.
Mina Ahadi’s rebuttal of the press release issued by the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London on the stoning case
8 July 2010
With regards to the 8 July 2010 press release issued by the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London on the stoning sentence of Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani:
1. The Islamic Republic of Iran has retreated to some extent due to international pressure and widespread coverage received by the international campaign to save Sakine’s life. The main aim of the embassy’s press release, however, is to create doubt and detract from the campaign to save Sakine and others sentenced to death by stoning and execution.
2. Still the press release is a clear confirmation of the barbaric act of stoning saying only that the regime rarely carries out such sentences! The International Committee Against Executions and the International Committee Against Stoning has a list of 13 people languishing for years in prison awaiting death by stoning. The real numbers are much higher.
3. The embassy’s press release says Sakine will not be stoned but it does not say what fate awaits her. They may execute her instead. The regime has retreated from stoning on a number of occasions in the past but has executed the accused instead. The execution of Abdulla Farivar in Sari prison for the alleged crime of sex outside of marriage is a case in point. Therefore, Sakine’s life is still in danger.
4. The aim of the campaign to save Sakine Ashtiani Mohammadi is for an official rescinding of her stoning and execution sentence and her unconditional release. Sex outside of marriage and the sexual relations of adults is their private affair. It is not a crime and must never be prosecuted.
5. The Islamic Republic of Iran must officially rescind the stoning and execution sentences of Sakine and all those facing stoning and execution and end the inhuman and barbaric punishment of stoning and execution.
6. Even this limited retreat is a success for Sakine and her children Sajjad and Faride as well as all the activists of the campaign against executions and stoning and decent people everywhere. Our campaign has shown that we can force the regime to back down. The embassy’s press release will not stop us from intensifying our powerful campaign. The retreat, however limited, has shown that the regime is under pressure.
I congratulate all those who have joined and supported our campaign for this limited success. I ask however that you step up your efforts for Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani, Mohammad Reza Hadadi (juvenile offender awaiting imminent execution), Zeinab Jalilian (sentenced to death for ‘enmity against God’) and others awaiting execution and stoning. Our pressure is working. We must intensify it until we secure a victory for the people of Iran by saving the lives of Sakine and others. We mustn’t stop until we deprive the regime in Iran of this tool for suppression and murder.
International Committee against Stoning
International Committee against Execution
Mina Ahadi
8 July 2010
============================================
Iran: Sakineh Mohammadie Ashtiani was Sentenced to be Stoned for Adultery
Human rights activists around the world are condemning the Islamic Republic of Iran court’s decision to stone Sakineh Mohammadie Ashtiani for adultery. We condemn this barbaric and inhuman practice and demand that the U.S. government and international justice and human rights groups speak out on this. We demand that the Islamic Republic of Iran ENDS this inhuman practice of stoning.
The Washington DC protests on July 2 beginning at 6 PM will be held at the Islamic Republic of Iran Interest area of the Pakistan Embassy at 2209 Wisconsin Ave N.W., Washington DC. The protest organizers state that the event will include “Walk to DuPont Circle to read demands and share information with the community about Sakine Mohammadi, Zeinab Jalalian, and removing the Islamic Republic from the UN Commission on the Status of Women.”
Iran: Sakineh Mohammadie Ashtiani to be Stoned for Adultery
Friday July 2 at 6pm in front of the Islamic Republic’s Interests Section of the Pakistani Embassy (2209 Wisconsin Ave NW, Wash DC).
The children of Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani have reached out to the world with a heart-rending appeal: Protest against our mother’s stoning!
Mission Free Iran is organizing Washington DC’s participation in the global protest to respond to the appeal of Sakine’s children and demand a stop to the barbaric execution of Sakine by stoning.
We will meet in front of the Islamic Republic’s Interests Section of the Pakistani Embassy at 6pm on Friday, July 2, 2010 to tell the Islamic Republic that we will not stay silent while one more woman is stoned to death in Iran. We will later walk to DuPont Circle and raise awareness of Sakine’s situation in the community.
Please feel free to bring your own signs with messages protesting the barbaric and criminal stoning act that the Islamic Republic has planned for our sister, Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani.
* We will demand freedom for Sakine.
* We will demand an end to stoning, and to all executions in Iran.
* We will demand removal of the Islamic Republic from the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
* We will demand that the Islamic Republic be put on trial in international court for its crimes against humanity.
There will be an open mike so that anyone who wishes to speak may express themselves.
“He said his mother was an outspoken critic of the regime and especially Khomeini from day one. She was a teacher and had spoken against the regime and authorities at work. “One day when we were all having lunch, they stormed in and took my mother with them … it all happened so quickly. It didn’t even take two weeks when, one day, they announced in the town ‘come and witness a women being stoned.’ That woman was my mother.”
He said that with fear and in a state of shock, he went and from a distance witnessed his mother being stoned to death… he believes though that his mother was still alive when buried. This man has sent me his indictment against the savage thuggery of this anti-human, fascist regime, to be introduced to an international court.”
– Rescue Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani, Prosecute Leaders of the Islamic Republic! by Mina Ahadi
CNN: Iran: Death by stoning imminent for Iranian woman, attorney says
— CNN: “Sakineh Mohammadie Ashtiani, a mother of two, is waiting to die in Iran by a method of execution described by her lawyer as ‘barbaric’ — stoning.”
— “She will be buried up to her chest, deeper than a man would be, and the stones that will be hurled at her will be large enough to cause pain but not so large as to kill her immediately, according to an Amnesty International report that cited the Iranian penal code.”
— “The 42-year-old woman from the northern city of Tabriz was convicted of adultery in 2006, and her execution is imminent, said prominent human rights lawyer Mohammad Mostafaei.”
— “Ashtiani was forced to confess after being subjected to 99 lashes, Mostafaei said Thursday in a telephone interview from Tehran.”
LONDON, England: Friday July 2, 18:00-21:00 outside the Islamic Republic Embassy, 16 Prince’s Gate, London SW7 1PT, تلفن اطلاعات: 07515732665
KÖLN (Cologne), Germany: Sunday July 4, Mourning Mothers will gather at the Church Door in the City Center at 11am to protest the threatened executions of Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani and Zeinab Jalalian.
TORONTO, Canada: Sunday July 4, Community Fair at the Toronto Pride Week festivities; activities will consist of handing out fliers and talking to the community about stopping the stoning of Sakine. (more details forthcoming)
Iran: Sakineh Mohammadie Ashtiani to be Stoned for Adultery
The protest organizers state that the event will include “Walk to DuPont Circle to read demands and share information with the community about Sakine Mohammadi, Zeinab Jalalian, and removing the Islamic Republic from the UN Commission on the Status of Women.”
1. Head north on 20th St NW toward Q St NW 33 ft
2. Turn left at Q St NW 1.1 mi
3. Turn right at Wisconsin Ave NW 0.7 mi
Destination will be on the right
1. Head southeast on Connecticut Ave NW toward Woodley Rd NW 207 ft
2. Turn right at Woodley Rd NW 0.3 mi
3. Continue onto Garfield St NW 0.5 mi
4. Turn left at 34th St NW 0.2 mi
5. Turn right at Massachusetts Ave NW 246 ft
6. Turn left at Observatory Cir NW 0.3 mi
7. Continue onto Calvert St NW 0.1 mi
8. Turn left at Wisconsin Ave NW 0.3 mi
Destination will be on the left
Walking Map from Woodley Park MetroWashington DC - Street View of Intersection of Wisconsin Avenue, N.W. and W Place, N.W.
The Associated Press reports on an interview with Iranian Ambassador to Iraq, Ambassador Hassan Kazemi Qomi, on the fate of U.S. hikers Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal who have been held in Iran since July 31, 2009. In the AP report, the ambassador states that there has been no “deal” for a release of the U.S. hikers, after the recent release of two Iranians from Iraqi custody, and that the fate of the U.S. hikers is in the hands of the “Iranian judiciary.”
— AP reports: “Iranian ambassador: No deal on US hikers”
— AP states “The Iranian ambassador in Baghdad said the recent release of two Iranians from Iraqi custody is not an indication of any impending deal to free three Americans held by Tehran on spying charges.”
— “Ambassador Hassan Kazemi Qomi told The Associated Press the fate of the Americans, who have been held since July, is in the hands of the Iranian judiciary and has no connection to the release of two Iranians earlier this month.”
— “‘There were no deals,’ Qomi said. ‘They (Americans) are in the custody of the judiciary system.'”
