Release: PROMINENT IRANIAN PROFESSIONALS REFUSED ENTRY AND DETAINED AT SFO

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

PROMINENT IRANIAN PROFESSIONALS REFUSED ENTRY AND DETAINED AT SFO

 

Contacts: Elahe Enssani  - 415-640-7754

Nancy Hormachea - 510-697-4298

          

WHAT: A press conference featuring relatives and colleagues of prominent Iranians who were refused entry at SFO Airport yesterday because their visas were revoked during their flights to attend university reunion in Santa Clara, CA.

 

WHO: Sharif (Aryamehr) University of Technology Alumni Association (SUTA) spokespers

Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, San Francisco Board of Supervisors

Nancy Hormachea and Stacy Tolchin, National Lawyers Guild of the Bay Area

 

WHEN: 1:00 PM, FRIDAY, AUGUST 4, 2006

 

WHERE: DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, 444 WASHINGTON ST. @ SANSOME, SAN FRANCISCO, CA

 

WHY: SUTA and the NLG will hold a press Conference to protest the Bush Administration's decision to refuse entry at the San Francisco Airport yesterday, and to detain, at least ten or more prominent Iranian professionals destined for the 4th International Reunion of Sharif University of Technology Association at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Santa Clara, CA.

The men and women, some who had been traveling for more than 30 hours, were detained, arrested, questioned, humiliated and forced to withdraw their requests for admission to avoid severe deportation consequences and returned to Iran.

 

The returnees were destined to join approximately 600 of their former classmates at a reunion of one of Iran's most prestigious universities.  All of the returnees had been issued valid nonimmigrant visas at different U.S. consular posts and received complete security clearances.  The returnees had all made transit stops in Europe after having departed Iran and were not informed that their visas to enter the United States had been revoked.  The U.S. consular officials had issued more than 120 nonimmigrant visas to Sharif University alumni to attend the 4th International SUTA reunion.  For information about the conference please see http://suta.org.

 

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