*EPF510 06/13/2003
Excerpt: 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)

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