TO THE ATTENTION OF:

The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada,
The Honourable John Baird, Minister of Foreign Affairs,
The Honourable Diane Ablonczy, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas & Consular Affairs),
The Honourable Deepak Obhrai, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs,
The Honourable Matthew Kellway, NDP Beaches - East York Constituency, and
The Honourable Paul Dewar, NDP Foreign Affairs and International Development

SUBJECT: PLEASE HELP HAMID GHASSEMI-SHALL - AN INNOCENT CANADIAN LANGUISHING IN IRAN'S PRISON

I am deeply concerned about the plight of Hamid Ghassemi-Shall, a Canadian citizen of Iranian origin who has been languishing in Iran’s Evin Prison for nearly four years.

In May 2008 Mr. Ghassemi-Shall travelled to Iran to visit his sick mother. Shortly after arriving in Iran, he was subsequently arrested and wrongfully convicted by the Iranian authorities on espionage charges. Of the three years that he has now spent incarcerated in Iran, nineteen months were spent in solitary confinement.

His lawyer in Iran has informed his family that his death sentence has been commuted; however, Hamid Ghassemi-Shall, a Canadian citizen, still remains wrongfully incarcerated in Iran. The Canadian government has not been able to secure formal documentation confirming the commutation.

Thank you for the efforts of the Canadian Government on this case thus far. However, given this dire breach of human rights, your continued personal involvement and that of the Canadian Government is crucial. More is needed to ensure Mr. Ghassemi-Shall’s safe and expedient return to his life in Canada. I urge you to personally intervene in his case on an emergency basis, both with

  • Iranian authorities; and
  • governments that may have influence with the Iranian government. This is our best hope right now.

Iranian authorities must be strongly encouraged to

  • release Mr. Ghassemi-Shall immediately, unless he is given a fair trial that fully conforms to international standards;
  • attain for Mr. Ghassemi-Shall immediate access to Canadian consulates - his right as a Canadian citizen; and
  • guarantee that Mr. Ghassemi-Shall will not face the possibility of the death penalty.

Thank you in advance for your attention to this most urgent matter.

For more information please visit www.FreeHamid.org.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
[Country]