Yes, Even in Prison
Nov 27th, 2009 by pedestrian
Arash and Kamiar Alaie are two internationally renowned Iranians doctors heavily involved in HIV/AIDS research and prevention in Iran.
They are from the province of Kermanshah, and since their graduation from medical schools sought to integrate prevention and care of HIV/AIDS, sexually-transmitted infections and drug-related harm reduction into Iran’s national health care system. Kamiar received a Master’s of Science in Population and International Health from Harvard University in 2007 and was scheduled to resume his studies as a PhD candidate at the SUNY Albany School of Public Health in the fall of 2008.
Dr. Arash Alaei is the former Director of the International Education and Research Cooperation of the Iranian National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. With his guidance, Iran instituted a nationwide needle-exchange program; instituted condom distribution in health-care clinics across the country, and methadone treatment centers sprouted in every province.
(from their Wikipedia page – all of it verified information.)
In an interview with RadioZamaneh, Kamiar had stated: “the real number of AIDS victims in Iran goes into the hundreds of thousands, but we can intervene to stop the ever growing spread of this disease.”
In the indictment, among other things they are accused of “plotting against the IRI with foreign governments and NGOs” and Harvard University is even mentioned as one of those “foreign institutions” they were plotting with.
For these services, and more, they have been sentenced to six years (Arash) and three years (Kamiar) in prison.
Here, in this BBC production you can learn more about them.
But more astonishing than any of this, is the following story, via Elahe’s blog:
Last week, I went to interview Lili Golestan [translator, artist and artistic director of the Golestan Art Gallery. Daughter of Iranian filmmaker and writer Ebrahim Golestan and sister of the late Iranian photographer, Kaveh Golestan.] She was speaking of very many things when she mentioned a story. Last week, during her latest exhibition at her gallery, she’s seen two very well-dressed men enter the gallery and ask for her. Then they’ve asked her: would she be willing to give a few copies of one of her books to Evin prison? Golestan is taken by surprise, but then she realizes these two men are the same ones who’ve done extensive aids research in Iran. The two Harvard doctors. Now one has been sentenced to three years in prison and the other to six. Using their time in prison, they’ve decided to make book readeres out of the Evin prisoners and they’ve spent weeks trying to persuade Evin guards to let them take in books and distribute them among the prisoners and then invite the writer or translator to Evin to have a question and answer period about the book with the prisoners. Since these days the Evin prisoners are more academics, Golestan has asked: so who are these prisoners? They’ve replied: all sorts of people. From thieves to killers to drug dealers to those who we all know have recently been imprisoned.
It’s a real stretch, I admit, but this intellectual regard for criminals sort of reminds me of the incarceration of UCLA Professor Angela Davis in 1970:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Davis
I confess, Ped, Angela Davis is a hero of mine.
I know about Angela Davis. And I know many people who really admire her. But the case is different Pirouz (not that you were comparing them). See, there are people (and I’m one of them) who think like this: they’d like to be convinced that if they keep their work as apolitical as possible, there ARE ways we can do good work in Iran.
Cases like this prove that we are DEAD WRONG.
thanks for bringing the case of the Alaei brothers back to our attention. i’m impressed that they have the energy to keep up their social activism in detention.
and another interesting-looking Bahari documentary. will save it for later…
este’mar-e pir, yes, do take time to watch it whenever you can!
and yes again, I’m amazed at their energy and their will. It’s beyond anything I could ever imagine.
After I wrote that comment, I realized I meant “prisoners”, not “criminals”. There’s a distinction.
Right now, elements of the IRI are deeply suspicious of any relationships between Iranian intellectuals/professionals and the West.
If these doctors had no previous relationships with the West and remained apolitical, would they be prosecuted? (That’s not a rhetorical question, Ped. I simply don’t know the answer. Do you?)
What’s more, Maziar Bahari, in his recent essay on being incarcerated and personally interrogated by the IRGC, actually qualifies this extreme suspicion as sincere.
The backdrop of cold war is essential in understanding what’s going on right now, and unfortunately that war seems to be heating up with every day passed.
Have you any plans on returning to Iran in the near future? Not me by a long shot.
Pirouz, how can you really take on something as big as AIDS and not join a debate/dialogue outside the borders of Iran? I mean, if you are going to find a way around this dilemma, you’ll have to start looking in different directions, especially the West, look at research, talk to other scientists, etc.
What seems to really have pissed the authorities is the brothers’ claim of the # of aid victims in Iran – they said it was meant to “weaken the system and show it in a negative light.”
I don’t plan to return any time soon, but I do always grapple with this question: how can you remain apolitical when no matter what you do, they come after you?
I found Bahari’s promotion of sanctions on the IRI in his article yesterday very disheartening. Although he’s certainly been through a lot.
i clearly remember when they were arrested.. glad to see their names again..
Pirouz;
There is only so much that one can stretch parallels. I feel you are trying to find a way to excuse the IRI’s VIOLATION of human rights, by blaming it on the cold-war-like paranoia of the IRI about western relations and all! …
But again, i addressed this to you over at neoresist … when you were drawing parallels between Ebadi and Ali.
the IRI are deeply suspicious of any relationships between Iranian intellectuals/professionals and the West
They are ONLY suspicious when the issues come close to “human right” issues; and they KNOW it full well that their fear is not of being toppled by the west, but of being toppled by people INSIDE Iran. Blaming the WEST and accusing people of treason and espionage is JUST AN EXCUSE for covering their incompetent asses! The west is their escape goat for their inadequate management of the country and its internal and foreign affairs. So, A LOT OF PEOLE who are not imprisoned, have NO RELATION to the West; yet the IRI is forcing these conspiracy theories to “prove” that the unrest is West-mediated/promoted!!
Correction:
So, A LOT OF PEOPLE who are now imprisoned, have NO RELATION to the West;
Unbelievable. AIDS is no joke and there are a lot of serious research here in US. It’s a global disease and clues to further understanding this disease might very well be found halfway around the world.