Holland: Refugee Close to Death in Isolation Cell The Human Rights Actions Network - Derechos Human Rights http://www.derechos.org/human-rights/actions/ This action has been sent by Edward G. Schwienbacher, an attorney working with political asylees Amir Mazloom Bohram, a 27 year old Iranian refugee denied political asylum in the Netherlands after two arduous years of internment camps, remand centers and prisons is now considered by the Willem II Detention Camp physician as very close to a comatose state and a certain death thereafter. He has been on a hunger strike refusing all food and liquid since November 19th. Hitherto during the last 6 months he particpated in several protracted hunger strikes but then, he did drink fluids! He will most certainly now die of dehydration or liver failure and the internal damage to his body so far will be quite irreversible. Attached is an urgent letter sent by the undersigned to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch asking that they intervene since the Dutch Authorities have quite successfully imposed a complete news black by denying him access to any journalist. Those of you who wish to voice your own protest at this digusting situation in a democracy, a so-called constitutional monarchy actively engaged in trading human beings for trade concessions with the regime in Tehran may send them preferably by fax at this critical moment to: Mr. Wim Kok Minister President Ministerie van Algemene Zaken Binnenhof 20 2513 AA, The Hague The Netherlands Fax No. +31-70-3564683 e-mail: tkleden@pvda.nl cor@pvda.nl ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- URGENT LETTER TRANSMITTED TO HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH AND AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, 7 DECEMBER 1996 Edward G. Schwienbacher Orchard Court No. 10 Orch. Park Avenue Glasgow G46 7BL, United Kingdom tel: +44-141-638-3860 Fax: +44-141-424-0086 Gedempte Gracht 583 2512 AM, The Hague, The Netherlands Tel/Fax: +31-70-3625071 7 December 1996 URGENT COMMUNICATION V I A T E L E F A C S I M I L E Kenneth Roth, Esq Human Rights Watch 485 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10017-6104 USA Fax No. +1-212-972-0905 David Brahms, Esq European Programme Amnesty International 1, Easton Street London WC1X 8DJ United Kingdom Fax No. +44-171-956-1157 Gentlemen, After a series of informal written communications and discussions with your organisations and indeed other human rights monitors, I address this final most urgent appeal to you both in the matter of AMIR MAZLOOM BOHRAM (aged 27) an Iranian asylum applicant currently detained in the Koning Willem II Foreigner Detention Camp in the Netherlands. Mr. Bohram has been detained for almost six months in complete solitary confinement awaiting the result of his appeal for asylum to be granted to him or at the very least, be served due notice to depart, of his own accord and leave the territory of the Netherlands. His appeal was rejected by the Foreigners Section of the District Court of the Hague at a sitting in 's-Hertogenbosch on 26 November and he has been served notice of forthcoming deportation by the Dutch Authorities to the Islamic Republic of Iran, who would appear, for reasons best known to the concerned Iranian diplomats and civil servants, more than eager to arrange and cooperate in the repatriation of a citizen who originally fled that country in fear for his physical integrity and indeed his life. It would be most inappropriate of me to remind either of you of the history and indeed ongoing violations of fundamental human rights in Iran, the activities of agents of the Islamic Republic based overseas, still charged with the task of persecuting known dissidents and opponents of the regime regardless of their geographical location. AMIR MAZLOOM BOHRAM is nearing a comatose state. Since learning of the rejection of his appeal by the Dutch court he has been on a self-imposed hunger-strike refusing to accept nourishment in either solid or liquid form. According to the camp physician he is expected to soon lapse into a comatose state, he will surely expire thereafter of dehydration, malnutrition or liver failure. He has continuously stated a preference to death within the confines of the Willem II Detention Camp than be deported back to the Islamic Republic of Iran. In the case of Mr. Bohram, the Dutch authorities appear to have deviated substantially from usual policies and procedures in force in their separate regimes of foreigner detention. Of particular concern, prison clerics have been compelled to secrecy in the Willem II regime, Mr. Bohram was originally placed in a "punishment isolation unit" before the Board of Visitors ordered his transfer to an "observation isolation unit", his correspondence to and from the outside world has been subjected to long protracted delays. The camp Governor, J. Follings, (currently under investigation by the Audit and Fraud Unit of the Ministry of Justice and The State Research Team) nevertheless still in office, appears to liaise directly with the offices of the Ministry of Justice and repeated attempts to allow an accredited Dutch journalist to visit Mr. Bohram have failed. Most recently the Board of Visitors agreed to compel the Governor to allow a journalist access to Mr. Bohram. Their decision was later disregarded when the the Governor liaised directly with a Ministry office in the Hague, as unusually has been the norm in this matter, later the Governor subsequently refused to adhere to the order of the Board of Visitors and no journalist has been allowed to interview this Iranian detainee who has been subjected to unprecedented irregular inhumane treatment over a six month period. His last telephone call was drowned by the noise a group of guards screaming at him in the background, the recipient of the call, an Amsterdam based charity reported that the television in the spartan isolation cell has been reconfigured to receive one channel only and even his writing material has now been confiscated. While his every movement is filmed and every sound uttered simultaneously recorded AMIR MAZLOOM BOHRAM is undoubtedly the victim of the infliction of unnecessary human suffering, in total isolation, due to his refusal to be subjected to physical torture or death in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International are requested to now intervene and lobby the Dutch Government expeditiously in this a matter of life or death. Very truly yours, Edward G. Schwienbacher Enc. (3 pages press reports on the investigation into the camp Willem II) cc: Mr. J. van Zundert (Attorney in the matter of Amir M. Bohram) Rotterdam, Telefax - +31-10-4661148