Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the case of the Iranian academic Dr. Ramin Jahanbegloo

Press release 229/2006
10 July, 2006

The European Union expresses its continuing concern about the human rights situation in Iran and urges Iran to comply fully with its obligations under international human rights conventions. The EU is particularly alarmed about the continuing detention of the respected Iranian academic Dr. Ramin Jahanbegloo, who is well known for his commitment to philosophical and moral principles, non-violence and dialogue.

The EU remains concerned about the apparent shortcomings in due process surrounding Dr. Jahanbegloo's arrest and detention, and calls on the Iranian authorities to allow him immediate access to legal counsel. The EU underlines the inherent unreliability of confessions made in prison without adequate legal safeguards.

The European Union also reiterates its call upon Iran to stop penalizing Iranian citizens for contacts with foreign embassies, universities and cultural institutes.

The Acceding Countries Bulgaria and Romania, the Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova align themselves with this declaration.

* Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia  continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.