Human Rights Watch released a statement, saying that the Iranian government should allow international media into the area. Joe Stork, the Middle East director of HRW, stated, "Iran has made it impossible to confirm the scale of the deadly violence against protesters in Khuzestan province, making transparent and independent investigations into alleged killings and arrests there absolutely essential."[10] Amnesty International demanded in a news report that the Iranian government "investigate clashes between security forces and protesters" and "called for all those detained to be protected from torture or other ill-treatment and to be granted access to their families, lawyers and adequate medical treatment".[11] According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and The Guardian, Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi sent "a letter to UN human rights chief Navi Pillay in which she describes a deadly crackdown by Iranian security forces last week on a peaceful protest in Khuzestan's capital, Ahvaz." Human rights activists told RFE/RL they have received reports that "there were more than 150 arrests, including a number of intellectuals, artists, and women's rights activists." and that "the rest of the activists were told to not speak to any media organization."[12][13] In June 2012, European Union condemned the Iranian authorities, following the pending execution of five members of Iran's Ahvaz Arab minority, over "current disrespect of minority rights" and urged the authorities in Tehran to allow minorities "to exercise all rights granted by the Iranian Constitution and international law".[5]