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International human rights advocates Human Rights Watch have called for an end to the persecution of the Baha’is in Iran.

In a news release published yesterday, HRW condemns the arrests of Baha’is in January and February this year:

The Iranian government should immediately stop harassing and arbitrarily detaining members of the Baha’i community, Human Rights Watch said today.

The detention of 13 Baha’is on February 10 and 11 follows the arrest of 13 others in early January. The government alleges that those arrested in January helped to organize recent anti-government demonstrations but has not made public any charges against those detained in February. These arrests come during a broad government crackdown on opposition activists.

“The Iranian government seems to be using the post-election unrest as a cover for targeting the Baha’i community,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “These arrests are only the latest chapter in the government’s systematic persecution of the Baha’i.”

The most prominent group of Baha’is to have been arrested is the seven-member former leadership group, six of whom were detained in May 2008, one having been held earlier. Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaie, Mahvash Sabet, Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Vahid Tizfahm are on trial on a range of spurious charges.

As Human Rights Watch explain, the seven have been charged with:

…a range of national-security-related offenses, including spying for the benefit of foreigners, propaganda against the system, establishing and spreading illegal organizations, undermining the image of the Islamic Republic in the international community, and spreading “corruption on earth.” Most of these charges carry the death penalty. During the more than a year and a half that the five men and two women have been held, they have been allowed only limited visits from family and lawyers.

The trial of the seven began on 12 January, and they will appear in court again on 10 April.

Amongst the many others arrested on entirely spurious grounds are members of the the family of Jamaloddin Khanjani, one of the leadership group.

In a press statement on January 12, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the Tehran general prosecutor, said that 10 Baha’is who have been held since January 3 faced charges of “organizing the unrest on Ashura [December 27] and sending photos of the unrest abroad.” In a previous statement on January 8, he claimed that authorities had found arms and ammunition in some of their homes. Dolatabadi denied that the arrests had anything to do with their Baha’i affiliation.

The Baha’i International Community has indicated that 60 Baha’is are currently in detention, with an additional 90 having been released but awaiting trial. Since 2004, 99 Baha’is have been convicted of various charges, including acting against national security, teaching against the Islamic Republic, propaganda against the regime, involvement in establishing illegal groups and organizations, and insulting the sacred institutions of Islam. These individuals are free pending appeal. Scores of others have been summoned and interrogated by security and intelligence agents without being taken into custody, according to the Baha’i International Community.

More details, including the names of those arrested in January and February, are available on the Human Rights Watch website.

Technorati Tags: Baha’i, Bahai, Iran, human rights, persecution

The Baha’i World News Service has reported that the seven Baha’i leaders in Iran will appear in court for a third time on 11 April.

The seven first appeared in court on 12 January after 20 months’ detention in Tehran’s Evin prison.

Government-sponsored media in Iran have reported that the Baha’i leaders

Government-sponsored news media reported that at the first hearing, the seven were charged with espionage, propaganda activities against the Islamic order, the establishment of an illegal administration, cooperation with Israel, sending secret documents outside the country, acting against the security of the country, and corruption on earth.

The defendants categorically deny all accusations.

The seven are Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm. They were responsible for tending to the spiritual and social needs of Iran’s 300,000 Baha’is, after formal Baha’i institutions were dissolved in 1983.

The trial of the seven has coincided with arrest of more Baha’is in Tehran. About 13 individuals were rounded up on 3 January. Ten are still in custody. Another 13 were detained last week, and 11 of them are still in prison.

About 60 Baha’is are currently in detention in various cities in Iran.

Technorati Tags: Baha’i, Bahai, Iran, human rights, persecution

The Baha’i World News Service reports that countries and human rights organisations from around the world have expressed their very strong concerns at the UN’s Human Rights Council about Iran’s human rights record.

All 192 countries that members of the United Nations undergo a regular review of their human rights practices in a process known as the Universal Periodic Review. According to a report on the International Service for Human Rights an unusually high number of governments and non-governmental organisations lined up to comment on Iran’s human rights review. A number of Western countries, including the United Kingdom, sharply criticised Iran’s violations of civil and political rights and recommended that Iran take steps to ensure freedom of religion and to cease violating the rights of minorities such as the Baha’is and the Kurds

“The good news is that governments and organizations are rallying to defend innocent Iranians, who have over the last year seen their human rights so gravely violated,” said Diane Ala’i, the representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva.

“The bad news is that Iran continues to ignore such appeals,” she said, speaking after the Monday 15 February session of Council.

Muhammad Javad Larijani, secretary general of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights, told the session that there is religious freedom in Iran and that no Baha’i is persecuted for his beliefs. If any Baha’is are imprisoned, he said, it is because of “illegal activities” as a cult.

“Put bluntly, Iran once again completely discredited itself before the eyes of the international community,” said Ms. Ala’i, noting that last week Iran arrested at least 14 more Baha’is.

Among those arrested, she said, was Niki Khanjani, the son of one of the seven Baha’i leaders who are currently on trial on false charges.

“As the Nobel laureate Mrs. Shirin Ebadi has recently stated in an open letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Iran is now trying to increase pressure on prisoners by taking their relatives hostage,” said Ms. Ala’i. “Jamaloddin Khanjani is 76. He has been incarcerated for almost two years – and then they arrested his granddaughter at the beginning of January and now, his son.”

“These are the desperate acts of a regime that is frantically lashing out to blame others for its troubles and to suppress any viewpoint that is different from its own ideology,” she said.

“Despite constitutional guarantees of equality, individuals belonging to minorities in Iran are subject to an array of discriminatory laws and practices,” wrote Amnesty International in its statement. “Minorities suffering persecution include ethnic and linguistic minorities such as Kurds, Arabs, Azerbaijanis, Turkmen and Baluchis, and religious minorities such as Baha’is and the Ahl-e Haq.”

“The government systematically denies rights associated with freedom of religion to members of the Baha’i faith, Iran’s largest non-Muslim religious minority. In most cases, including the persecution of the Baha’i community, the government uses ’security’ as a pretext for detaining individuals and denying them basic due process rights,” said a statement from Human Rights Watch.

Technorati Tags: Baha’i, Bahai, Iran, UN, human rights, minorities

The UK Baha’i community learned on Sunday 7 February that the seven imprisoned Baha’i leaders had appeared in court on Sunday in Iran for a second session of their trial.

The session was once again closed, and family members were not permitted in the courtroom, the Baha’i International Community has learned.

The hearing, which lasted just over one hour, does not seem to have gone beyond procedural issues. No date was given for any future sessions.

The seven were arrested nearly two years ago and have been held in Tehran’s Evin prison since that time, spending the first year there without formal charges or access to lawyers.

After several postponements, their trial officially began on 12 January, when the seven were arraigned in Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran.

That session was also closed to the public, but accounts in government-sponsored news media said the defendants were formally charged with espionage, propaganda activities against the Islamic order, the establishment of an illegal administration, cooperation with Israel, sending secret documents outside the country, acting against the security of the country, and corruption on earth.

All the charges have been categorically denied. The defendants are Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm.

Technorati Tags: Baha’i, Bahai, Iran, persecution, justice, human rights, religious freedom

The Baha’i International Community has issued a statement condemning the trial of 16 individuals in Iran yesterday as a “violation of all internationally accepted standards of legal due process”.

The statement highlights the lack of proper legal representation for the defendants and the use of unreliable “confessions” in the trial. One of the 16 on trial is a Baha’i.

“The use of coerced ‘confessions’ and the denial of adequate legal representation reflect the Iranian authorities’ growing assault on human rights,” said Bani Dugal, principal representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations.

The complete statement

The trial yesterday of 16 individuals in Iran, apparently accused of participating in the Ashura demonstrations on 27 December, stands in violation of all internationally accepted standards of legal due process.

While facts are unavailable to the Baha’i International Community concerning 15 of the defendants in the court proceedings, it can confirm that one individual — identified only as “P.F.” in government reports — is a Baha’i.

The show trials in the aftermath of the June 2009 presidential election, at which defendants have been forced to read statements incriminating themselves, have completely discredited “confessions”, such as the one purportedly made by “P.F.”, both inside and outside of Iran. It is well known that such confessions are obtained while prisoners are under extreme duress, often after being exposed to such appalling tactics as food and sleep deprivation, fake executions, threats against their families, and worse. Rather than accepting responsibility for the turmoil in the country, the Iranian government organizes such show trials in order to lay the blame on innocent citizens and others.

While it is claimed that the court proceedings are open, not even the families of the defendants are notified of the trial of their loved ones.

The person identified as P.F., along with nine other Baha’is who were arrested on 3 January in Tehran, has not been able to contact his family, has been denied access to a lawyer, and was not allowed to choose his own legal representation. The government-appointed lawyer who acted on behalf of P.F. did nothing more than to accept the “confession” of his client and make a pro forma request for leniency.

The Iranian government is well aware that it is a fundamental principle of the Baha’i Faith that its followers strictly refrain from involvement in any partisan political activity, whether local, national, or international. Consequently, the arrest of ten Baha’is on 3 January, a full week after the Ashura demonstrations, and the claims that Baha’is were behind the recent anti-government turmoil have come as a complete surprise to the Baha’i community. These fabricated accusations clearly appear to be not so much about some Baha’is participating in the Ashura demonstrations. They point instead to a scenario which has been concocted by the authorities to justify placing further restrictions on the activities of the Baha’i community. This is but the most recent tactic in the ongoing systematic campaign of persecution that seeks to eliminate the Baha’i community as a viable entity in that country.

We call on governments and fair-minded people throughout the world to join us in raising their voice to protest against the blatant violations of human rights in Iran, of which yesterday’s trial is only the most recent example.

Technorati Tags: Baha’i, Bahai, Iran, human rights, Ashura, justice

Iranian authorities have notified the lawyers of seven imprisoned Baha’i leaders that the next session of their trial will be held on 7 February, the UK Baha’i community learned today.

At their first court appearance, held on 12 January in Tehran, the charges were read to the seven, who categorically denied the accusations.

“While we know little about what actually took place inside the court, we can now say for certain that these seven innocent Baha’is stood up and firmly rejected all of the charges against them,” said Diane Ala’i of the Baha’i International Community in Geneva

“We can also say that, based on the international outcry that accompanied the first session of their trial, the world is watching this proceeding closely and that the Iranian government will be held accountable for any injustices,” she said.

The charges against the seven, according to accounts in government-sponsored news media, were: espionage, “propaganda activities against the Islamic order,” the establishment of an “illegal administration,” cooperation with Israel, sending secret documents outside the country, acting against the security of the country, and “corruption on earth.”

The seven defendants are Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm.

All but one of the group were arrested on 14 May 2008 at their homes in Tehran. Mrs. Sabet was arrested on 5 March 2008 while in Mashhad. They have been held in Tehran’s Evin prison ever since, spending their first year there without formal charges or any access to lawyers.

“Baha’is throughout the UK will be anxiously awaiting the outcome of this trial,” said Dr Kishan Manocha, Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, the UK Baha’i community’s national governing council. “There are Baha’is in our community whose family members are unjustly imprisoned for in Iran just because they are Baha’is. They are steadfast in their faith, but there’s no doubt that they will find the treatment of their relatives extremely distressing. The whole Baha’i community will be praying for the safe release of the seven Baha’i leaders.”

Story: Baha’i World News Service

Technorati Tags: Baha’i, Bahai, Iran, human rights, trial

The trial of the seven leaders of the Baha’is in Iran continues to be a subject of debate in the UK parliament, as reported in Hansard.

In a recent session of questions in the House of Lords, the parliament’s upper house, to Baroness Kinnock, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Lord Eric Avebury asked what action the British government was going to take at the UN Human Rights Council on the trial of seven leading members of the Baha’i community in Iran.

“Reports so far suggest that the trial of the Baha’is has worrying parallels with the post-election show trials and falls far short of international standards,” Baroness Kinnock said in reply. “[Foreign Office Minister] Ivan Lewis summoned the Iranian ambassador on 20 January to echo EU calls for the Baha’is to receive a just and open trial. We are considering options for further action at the Human Rights Council, with the universal periodic review providing an important opportunity to draw attention to the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran.”

Former Att0rney General Lord Peter Goldsmith reminded the House of Lords about the cases of three young Baha’is, Haleh Rouhi, Raha Sabet and Sasan Taqva who have been held in Ministry of Intelligence detention facilities since November 2007 for their part in a development project to help poor children in Shiraz. Addressing Baroness Kinnock, Lord Goldsmith asked, “Can she confirm that, if they are supposed to be serving sentences of imprisonment, even under Iranian law it is illegal to hold them there? Will she be able to make representations on their behalf as well as on behalf of those to whom she has already referred?”

In a strongly worded intervention, Lord Howell of Guildford said, “My Lords, in addition to the very telling interventions that we have just had on the plight of the Baha’is, does the Minister recall that in modern Iran the persecution of the Baha’is has been long standing and very vicious and that it has involved executions-sometimes public executions-the desecration of cemeteries and other revolting practices that bring home the repulsive nature of much of the mullahs’ regime in Iran today? Will she therefore accept from this side, too, strong support for using very firm words and action in all possible fora to ensure that the plight of the Baha’is is brought home? Does she recall that many have had to seek refuge in this country, particularly in my home town of Guildford? We owe it to these people to stand up for them, given the horrific experiences that they have had.”

Baroness Kinnock assured the questioners that the British government would continue to take their concerns very seriously.

“My Lords, I reassure my noble and learned friend that I will ensure that representations are made on behalf of the people to whom he referred,” Lady Kinnock said. “We continuously express our deep reservations about the treatment and the severe intimidation that these people suffer as a result of staying true to their faith. At least 50 Baha’is remain in detention in Iran and we have grave concerns about the conditions in which they are being held.”

Technorati Tags: Baha’i, Bahai, House of Lords, Iran, persecution, human rights

A report from the Baha’i World News Service indicates that the Iranian authorities have notified the lawyers of the seven imprisoned Baha’i leaders in Iran that their trial will continue in Tehran on 7 February.

At their first court appearance, held 12 January in Tehran, the charges were read to the seven, who categorically denied the accusations.

“While we know little about what actually took place inside the court, we can now say for certain that these seven innocent Baha’is stood up and firmly rejected all of the charges against them,” said Diane Ala’i of the Baha’i International Community.

“We can also say that, based on the international outcry that accompanied the first session of their trial, the world is watching this proceeding closely and that the Iranian government will be held accountable for any injustices,” she said.

The charges against the seven, according to accounts in government-sponsored news media, were: espionage, “propaganda activities against the Islamic order,” the establishment of an “illegal administration,” cooperation with Israel, sending secret documents outside the country, acting against the security of the country, and “corruption on earth.”

The seven defendants are Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm.

All but one of the group were arrested on 14 May 2008 at their homes in Tehran. Mrs. Sabet was arrested on 5 March 2008 while in Mashhad. They have been held in Tehran’s Evin prison ever since, spending their first year there without formal charges or any access to lawyers.

Technorati Tags: Baha’i, Bahai, Iran, persecution, human rights, justice

Earlier today the Baha’i International Community reported that Iran’s decision to begin the trial yesterday of seven Baha’i leaders has triggered a strong international reaction, including a call by Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi for their immediate release and ultimate acquittal.

“If justice is to be carried out and an impartial judge should investigate the charges leveled against my clients, no other verdict can be reached save that of acquittal,” said Mrs. Ebadi, in comments posted on WashingtonTV, a Web-based news service in the United States.

Mrs. Ebadi, who is one of the lawyers for the seven, said she had carefully read the dossier of charges against them and “found in it no cause or evidence to sustain the criminal charges upheld by the prosecutor.”

Others also expressed concerns about the fairness of the trial, calling for it to be open and held in accordance with international legal standards. Governments and prominent individuals in the European Union, the United States, Brazil, India, and Canada issued strong statements of concern.

The European Union statement came yesterday, echoing an earlier call for international observers to be allowed in the trial of the seven Baha’is.

“The EU recalls that freedom of thought, conscience and religion is a fundamental and undeniable right which shall be guaranteed in every circumstance,” the statement said. “The EU calls for a just, fair and open trial respecting all international standards and obligations. …”

In Brazil yesterday, Luiz Couto, the president of the Human Rights Commission of the Federal Chamber of Deputies, said in a letter to the Iranian ambassador to Brazil that it appears the “trial is not transparent and public,” and that any closed trial would violate the right to a full and fair defense.

“We consider the freedom of religion and belief – that of Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Baha’is, and all other religious expressions – a fundamental human right for democracy, both in the east and west,” said Congressman Couto.

On Monday, the United States Department of State condemned Iran’s decision to move ahead with the trial.

“Authorities have detained these persons for more than 20 months, without making public any evidence against them and giving them little access to legal counsel,” said Philip J. Crowley, assistant secretary, Bureau of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of State. “These persons are entitled to due process.”

In India, prominent Indians called upon the government to take up the issue of the Baha’i persecution with Tehran. “Our country has a long record of pluralism and tolerance and must speak out,” said Maja Daruwala, director of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, according to The Hindu newspaper on Saturday.

In Canada, Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon issued a statement on Friday expressing deep concern about the ongoing detention of the seven Baha’i leaders. “It is deplorable that these individuals were detained on the sole basis of their faith and have been denied a fair trial,” said Mr. Cannon.

Leading human rights barrister Cherie Blair in an interview today with the BBC World Service called for the release of “this group of people who live a religion which preaches peace and did nothing whatsoever to deserve this trial.”

In the WashingtonTV interview, Mrs. Ebadi, who is currently outside Iran, also offered a glimpse of what happened yesterday inside Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court, where the “first session” of the trial was held.

She said only two lawyers of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, which she established, were able to be present in the court. And that in spite of a request for an open hearing, the court was closed.

The charges against the seven were reiterated yesterday in news accounts in government-sponsored news media. They were given as: espionage, “propaganda activities against the Islamic order,” the establishment of an illegal administration, cooperation with Israel, the sending of secret documents outside the country, acting against the security of the country, and “corruption on earth.”

Diane Ala’i of the Baha’i International Community said the seven have consistently and categorically denied such accusations. “We can be certain that they also did so in front of the judge yesterday,” she said.

The seven are Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm.

All but one of the group were arrested on 14 May 2008 at their homes in Tehran. Mrs. Sabet was arrested on 5 March 2008 while in Mashhad. They have been held in Tehran’s Evin prison ever since, spending their first year there without formal charges or any access to lawyers.

Prior to their arrest, the seven served as an appointed, ad hoc group known as the “Friends.” Their role, carried out with the government’s knowledge, was to see to the minimum spiritual and material needs of Iran’s Baha’i community, which has been without formal leadership since its elected governing bodies were disbanded in response to a government decree in 1983.

This story is taken from the Baha’i World News Service.

Technorati Tags: Baha’i, Bahai, Iran, human rights, injustice, trial, Cherie Blair, Shirin Ebadi

Baha’is in the UK were disturbed to learn that the trial of seven imprisoned Baha’i leaders began today in Iran. Initial reports indicate that the trial is marked by numerous violations of legal due process.

“We understand that no observers were allowed in the court,” said Diane Ala’i, the Baha’i International Community’s representative to the United Nations in Geneva. “We find this completely outrageous, given that these seven have been held purely because of their religious beliefs, in total contradiction to any human rights standards.

“We understand that even the lawyers had to argue their way inside the court – lawyers who in any case had virtually no access to the accused for nearly two years.

“At the same time, the prisoners’ interrogators from the Ministry of Intelligence and a film crew were seen going in, raising questions about the nature of the trial,” she said.

Ms. Ala’i also noted that an Iranian Web site linked to state-run television posted a story Monday evening announcing that the trial had already begun and listing the same baseless accusations made in the past against the seven.

“In any event, all of these accounts point to a trial that is highly irregular, very similar to the show trials that have been held in Iran in recent months,” she said.

The seven are Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm.

All but one of the group were arrested on 14 May 2008 at their homes in Tehran. Mrs. Sabet was arrested on 5 March 2008 while in Mashhad. They have been held in Tehran’s Evin prison ever since, spending their first year there without formal charges or any access to lawyers.

“Whatever happens, it is clear that the trial of these seven innocent people represents the trial of an entire religious community, and is an attempt to further intimidate and ostracize all Iranian Baha’is simply because they hold a different religious viewpoint from those in power.”

To view the article with photograph, go to:

http://news.bahai.org/story/748

Technorati Tags: Baha’i, Bahai, Iran, trial, human rights, persecution