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13 June 2003

Boucher Voices U.S. Concern Over Arrests of Protestors in Iran

(Says Iranians "have a right to determine their own destiny") (320)
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher voiced U.S. concern over
arrests of protestors in Iran, and said the U.S. expects the regime to
protect their human rights and release them. Boucher was speaking to
the press at the regular State Department noon briefing on June 12.
"Iranians, like all people, have a right to determine their own
destiny," Boucher said. "We view with concern the arrests of
protestors taken into detention simply for voicing their political
views, and we expect the regime to protect their human rights and
release them."
Following are excerpts from the June 12 State Department briefing:
(begin excerpt)
QUESTION: Maybe this was dealt with yesterday. But do you have
anything to say about the student demonstrations in Iran? And is the
U.S. going to -- the U.S. Government going to sort of accelerate its
public diplomacy activities in support of them?
----
MR. BOUCHER: I think it's to reiterate a basic policy that Iranians,
like all people, have a right to determine their own destiny. The
United States fully supports their aspirations to live in freedom.
It's our hope that the voice of the Iranian people in their call for
democracy and the rule of law will be heard and transform Iran into a
force for stability in the region.
We view with concern the arrests of protestors taken into detention
simply for voicing their political views, and we expect the regime to
protect their human rights and release them. We applaud the Iranian
people for calling attention to the destructive policies of the
Iranian Government that do such a disservice to its population.
Iran's support for terrorism, pursuit of weapons of mass destruction
and denial of human rights deter the kind of foreign investment that
could help create jobs for numerous unemployed and underemployed
Iranians.
(end excerpt)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)