Preparing an appeal to the Iranian president regarding the Azerbaijani writers

On Monday the   Committee to Protect Azeri writers Farid Hussein and  Shahriyar Hajizade, arrested in Iran in early May, held a press conference in the  International Media Center.

    A member  of the Committee Shahbaz  Khuduoglu said that the Iranians have not clarified the fate of writers who were arrested in Tabriz. Explanations were not given to the Iranian side even after an  appeal of the  public of Azerbaijan to  the official Tehran, and the five  notes filed by the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan.

    Chairman of the  Committee, a  writer Chingiz Abdullayev,  said that the Writers Union of Azerbaijan, and the writers of the Slavic University,  appealed to  the  Iranian side. But  there is not response from Iran  yet.

   "The Iranians  knows well  that these young writers are not spies," said Chingiz  Abdullayev,  and reminded that it is still unclear what exactly they are accused of. The Iranian press reported that they were accused of drug smuggling and espionage.

     He  called on the youth and civil society to become active in the protection of young writers. Genghis Abdullayev reported that the Committee is preparing an appeal to the president of Iran. "We will wait another 10 days, and then a group of several people will go to Iran," said Abdullayev. 

   According to him, the parents of young writers  are not allowed to meet  with their sons,  and Azerbaijani consul in Iran also  is not allowed to meet with them. 

Moreover, the arrested writers have not been provided with lawyers. 

   Attendees of the event was distributed the text of an appeal to the  president of Iran, expressing hope that both the young writers will be released.

    * Farid Hussein and Shahryar Hajizade went to Iran on April 29 to participate in a festival of poetry. May 2, they arrived in Tabriz, where  they were  detained by men in civilian clothes. -05C04-