HIV/AIDS Experts Arrested in Iran

Brothers Arash and Kamyar Alaei, Iranian experts on HIV and AIDS, were detained without charge by Iranian security forces late last month and their whereabouts remain unknown, Human Rights Watch reported.
On June 22, security forces detained Arash Alaei, holding him overnight at an unknown location.

The following morning, they took him to his home, where they arrested Kamyar Alaei and seized material and documents belonging to the brothers, Human Rights Watch said.

The authorities have not announced why the brothers were detained, where they are being held or whether they intend to bring any charges against them, Nor are the men being provided access to counsel, the rights group said.

"Iran's HIV/AIDS program has been acclaimed internationally for seriously addressing the AIDS epidemic," said Joe Amon, HIV/AIDS program director at Human Rights Watch. "To fight AIDS effectively, the government has realized that it must engage in global efforts to combat the disease, work with civil society and confront taboo issues, including sex and drugs.

"The detention without charges of the Alaei brothers has a chilling effect on all of those efforts."

For more than 20 years, the Alaei brothers have been active in addressing problems relating to drug use, with a focus on the spread of HIV/AIDS, and have played a key role in putting these issues on the national health care agenda.

Arash and Kamyar Alaei have traveled to various countries, including the United States, to participate in professional events and to share their experiences regarding HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs in Iran.