Dr. Ramsammy comes out in support of Alaei Brothers

May 13, 2009 News

In his capacity as Minister of Health, and President of the World Health Assembly, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, has joined other health professionals around the world in urging the Government of Iran to release two Iranian physicians and public health professionals, Arash and Kamiar Alaei.
They have been imprisoned for trying to overthrow the government of Iran.
The physicians, who are brothers, were apparently arrested at the end of June last year and their current whereabouts are unknown. The doctors are experts on HIV/AIDS and have worked for many years on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment activities in Iran and internationally.
Minister Ramsammy noted that whatever the perceived missteps of the Alaei brothers, they have suffered enough.

The two imprisoned brothers, Dr. Arash and Dr. Kamiar Alaei

“I pray and hope the Government of Iran would intervene to ensure the freedom of two public health professionals so that they can continue their work in public health in Iran.
The present issue is not about attribution. It is about making it possible for two talented and dedicated public health professionals to contribute to the achievement of the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) and better health for all people, particularly Iranians.”
The Health Minister noted that the brothers’ commitment to the prevention and control of HIV in Iran and around the world brought them in close collaboration with a global team working to ensure HIV is brought under control.
He explained that this kind of collaboration has resulted in significant inroads against HIV.
“The future of the world depends on continued inroads against HIV. No one is served, none benefits when anyone of us is taken away from the fight,” Minister Ramsammy noted.
According to Minister Ramsammy, the possibility of better health for all is one that attracted the Alaei brothers to the public health arena, since the quest for better health is a common goal of all of human kind.
“I am certain that the Iranian Government and the people of Iran share the same values of justice and mercy and the global quest for health and long lives for all of our peoples. I have followed the struggles of the Iranian people and their Government over decades to ensure that the Iranian people are able to live a decent and dignified life.”
He added that a mistake has been made and if the Alaei brothers have contributed to the mistake, he is hoping that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would ensure that two of his Iranian brothers are given the opportunity to contribute further to the successful confrontation against HIV in Iran and globally.
The Alaei brothers had been carrying out HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention programmes, particularly focused on harm reduction for injecting drug users. In addition to their work in Iran, the Alaei brothers have held training courses for Afghan and Tajik medical workers.
Rights groups have expressed outrage over their arrest and have called on Iranian authorities to release them.