The Foundation for Democracy in Iran has received a reply from the Belgian government, reaffirming its determination to expel three families of Iranian asylum-seekers, despite numerous appeals from FDI and other human rights group on their behalf. At least one of the refugees, former Iranian army officer Mohammad Reza Hedayat, risks imprisonment and execution if forcibly returned to Iran.
The Belgian government has informed FDI that it has once again rejected Mr. Hedayat's appeal for political asylum, but refused to justify its action. The Interior Ministry continues to treat Mr. Hedayat, his family, and two other families of Iranian asylum-seekers as illegal immigrants, who should be expelled to Iran.
In our Sept. 9 appeal, the Foundation reminded the Belgian authorities of the persistent efforts by the Islamic Republic to hunt down and assassinate associates of former Prime Minister Shahpour Bakhtiar, who was murdered by agents of the Tehran regime in France in August 1991. Members of Bakhtiar's organization, known as the National Movement of Iranian Resistance (NAMIR), have periodically been rounded up inside Iran and executed by the authorities. Mr. Hedayat was a military aide to Mr. Bakhtiar. If expelled to Iran, Mr. Hedayat risks arrest and execution because of his political beliefs.
The Foundation is concerned that the attempt to deport Mr. Hedayat is part of a larger effort by the Islamic Republic authorities to pressure European governments to review their long-standing acceptance of Iranian asylum seekers.
The Foundation appeals once again to the Belgian government not to send Mr. Hedayat to his death, and urges journalists and human rights organizations to raise this issue urgently with the Belgian public and with international organizations.
The Foundation for Democracy in Iran is a private, non-profit corporation registered in the State of Maryland. Contact: Kenneth R. Timmerman, Executive Director. Tel: (301) 946-2918. Fax: (301) 942-5341. FDI materials, including the FDI Newswire, are available free-of-charge via the Internet at http://www.iran.org