[Deathpenalty] death penalty news-----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Oct. 31


THE NETHERLANDS/IRAN:

Dutch to protest Iran's planned execution of Dutch rights activist


The Dutch Socialist Party (SP) was due to stage a demonstration Tuesday to
put pressure on Iran not to carry out the planned execution of
Dutch-Iranian human rights activist Abdullah al- Mansouri.

The demonstration would take the form of a wake near the Iranian embassy
in The Hague and was set to start at 18:00 pm (1700 GMT). Al-Mansouri was
arrested in Syria 18 months ago and extradited to Iran.

Al-Mansouri's son, Adnan al-Mansouri, says his father has not had any
contact with the Dutch embassy since.

A Syrian human rights organization confirmed al-Mansouri was on Monday
sentenced to death by the Iranian authorities.

Adnan al-Mansouri, has said he fears his father would be executed within
48 hours of the sentence. He also complained to reporters about what he
called a lack of Dutch initiative and support for his father since his
arrest.

'If a Belgian national would be jailed in Iran, the Belgians would get him
back within 4 weeks,' he said. <

'18 months has been long enough for the Dutch to wait before undertaking
action to save one of its owns nationals,' he added.

Prominent SP member Harry van Bommel, said he expects other Dutch
political parties to join the demonstration on Tuesday.

Ben Bot, the former Dutch foreign affairs minister who boasts a
long-standing career as one of the Netherlands' most successful diplomats,
on Tuesday told reporters he is willing to travel to Iran to plead for
al-Mansouri's release.

'It is outrageous that a Dutch national is being sentenced to death in
Iran. We ought to try to convince Iran to discuss the matter. We should
send a delegation over there. I am prepared to be involved in such a
delegation.'

Bot also said his successor, current Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen, had
not yet been notified by Iran about al-Mansouri's alleged sentence.

Mansouri was born in Iran, but was granted Dutch citizenship after fleeing
to the Netherlands as a political refugee in the 1980s.

As a human rights activist, he has been involved with the civil rights
campaigns for minorities in Iran. Al-Mansouri received royal distinction
for his work from Dutch Queen Beatrix.

He was arrested along with two Norwegians and a Swede while travelling in
Syria. They were all subsequently extradited to Iran, where al-Mansouri
has allegedly been tortured by authorities.

In November 2005, former United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan
failed to receive clarification about al-Mansouri from the Iranian
authorities.

(source: Deutsche Presse-Agentur)