Urgent Appeal for Immediate Action to Protect Saman Vaisani and His Family from Iranian State-Sponsored Threats

As the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, we urgently appeal to the public to take immediate action to save the life of Saman Veisani, a media activist and one of our colleagues at Hengaw, along with his family. They are under threat of abduction, assassination, and other lethal threats by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Saman Veisani, a Kurdish individual from Kamyaran, was forced to flee the Kurdistan Region of Iraq after repeated threats by the security agencies of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Hengaw Organization for Human Rights possesses shocking documentation of these threats. He recently sought refuge in Greece after a brief stay in Turkey; however, even in Greece, he has not been safe from the threats and assassination attempts by agents of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Given two assassination attempts on Saman Vaisani that took place in Greece, confirmed by the Greek police to be linked to the Islamic Republic of Iran, his and his family's lives are in serious danger. Despite the arrest of several attackers and their explicit confessions, the Greek police and anti-terrorism center have not yet taken any measures to protect him and his family.

According to Saman Vaisani's account and the evidence, a significant portion of which is in the possession of the Hengaw Organization, the attackers also collectively attacked him outside the refugee camp, attempting to abduct and, if possible, kill him, which he survived thanks to the arrival of passersby and the police.

Previously, Saman Vaisani was forced to leave Turkey immediately for Greece due to similar and direct threats from the Islamic Republic of Iran, along with the arrest and confession of one of the Iranian government's agents, the documentation of which exists. He left the Kurdistan Region of Iraq in autumn 2023 after months of threats from the security agencies of the Islamic Republic, and he is now facing serious life threats in Greece.

Furthermore, the status of Hossein Bagheri, known as "Zhakan Baran," a poet, civil and political activist, and colleague at the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, remains unknown, and the likelihood of him being a victim of the Islamic Republic of Iran's enforced disappearance policy is very high.

We request you urgently take the following actions, considering the critical situation of Saman Vaisani and his family:

1. Pressure the Greek government to ensure security and protection for the life of Saman Vaisani and his family and to facilitate their relocation to a safe country.
   
2. Request international human rights organizations to monitor their situation and provide the necessary assistance for their relocation.

3. Publicize and inform the international community about the threats against Saman Vaisani to attract public attention and pressure relevant authorities.

We believe that your solidarity and immediate actions can save the life of a human being and his family, including a young child, and serve as a real example of support for human rights against state threats of the Islamic Republic of Iran, even beyond its borders. Hengaw is ready, with the consent and agreement of Saman Vaisani and his family, to provide all documents related to the threats of abduction and murder, as well as documentation related to the assassination, and malicioud attempts threatening his life, to the media and credible Iranian and international human rights organizations.