International

SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel is urging the government to use every means at its disposal to save the life of Dutch human rights activist Abdulla al Mansouri. Not only should the Iranian ambassador be called to account, but the Netherlands' ambassador in Tehran must be recalled to discuss the matter, he argues. An Iranian court has passed a death sentence on Al Mansouri, citing 'terrorist activities'.

Given that Al Mansouri has in the past been awarded a Royal Distinction medal for his human rights activities, Van Bommel believes that Premier Balkenende should ask Queen Beatrix to take account of the exceptional circumstances and intervene directly. The SP's parliamentary group notes that this is the first time that a human rights activist who has been so honoured in the Netherlands in connection with his work has ever been condemned to death by a foreign court.

On 10th October Van Bommel intervened in a parliamentary debate to denounce the fact that the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs was not allowed to have a representative at Al Mansouri's trial. This clearly demonstrated that the Iranian government was concerned to exclude any prying eyes from the proceedings. "It is of the greatest importance that pressure be put on the Iranian authorities to prevent this crude act," Van Bommel said.

On Tuesday 30th October at 6 p.m. Harry van Bommel is organising a vigil outside the Iranian embassy.