A call for Akbar Ganji..

Akbar Ganji is an Iranian journalist who has been spending the longest period in prison for expressing his views, and defending freedom and the professionalism of journalism. He has been accused, and currently imprisoned for over 61 months, for criticizing governmental officials and exposing the chain murders of Iranian intellectuals and politicians, which were ordered by the highest authorities of the Islamic Republic, both in Iran and abroad. During his imprisonment he has published "The Manifest of a Republic" and has invited the people to civil disobedience. This has angered the terrorist governmental authorities, which by monopolizing the Mafia of power have tried to silence him in such a way that even Ganji's legal attorney, Dr. Naser Zarafshan, is now spending time behind bars. In order to protest his unjust and ille gal imprisonment and the fact that he has been denied a sick leave, despite being severely ill from Asthma attacks, Ganji has started a hunger strike since Thursday, May 19th, 2004.

We Iranian journalist and bloggers hereby express our concern for the well being of Akbar Ganji. Iranian judicial authorities have been neglecting Ganji's freedom and treatment. We plead to other human rights organizatio ns to immediately start pressuring the Iranian judicial authorities for his treatment and freedom. We hereby announce, and conclude, that under the current conditions, the responsibility of Akbar Ganji's life is in the hands of international human rights organization and all the freedom-loving people of the world.

Thanks to White Hawk