Below is an article published by Demaz:

Bush’s administration after international human rights organizations expressed concern about the fact that authorities in Iran oppress ethnic and religious minorities, and the case of Abbas Lisani, arrested advocate of the rights of Azerbaijanis, who launched hunger strike being in solitary cell, proves it.

Official representatives of Department of State, Sean McCormack, called on Iraq to stop “systematic oppression of citizens”, to respect human rights and release those people kept in prisons for defending their “fundamental rights to freedom of speech, press. assembly and religion” and just standards of labor relation, including Abbas Lisani, section of international information program of US department of state informed February 1.

“Regime prohibits learning Azerbaijani language at schools, persecuting Azerbaijani activists and unjustly arresting such Azerbaijani representatives as Abbas Lisani for defending their right to use their own language and for following their cultural traditions. Iranian Azerbaijanis who in May 2006 organized peace protest actions after abusive caricature, experienced beating, persecution and arrests”, he declared.

USA are also “deeply concerned” about repressions of Iranian regime against other minorities, including Kurds, Bahai and ethnic Arabs. “Repressions of the regime encroaches on the rights of religious minorities, students, trade unions, journalists and scientists”, said McCormack.
Accordingly to Amnesty International Lisani suffers from injures caused by tortures and he was deprived of short term release which is given to majority of Iranian prisoners. Human rights organization blamed Iran for persecution of Lisani’s family.

Accordingly to McCormack USA acts via UN, foreign governments and international NGOs striving to “draw attention to ceaseless harassment of Iranian regime against its citizens in order to achieve improvement in human rights situation in the country”.