wfn.org | Baha'i news: Trial of seven Iranian Baha'i leaders appears to have ended

[Rob Weinberg <rweinber@bwc.org>]

>Baha'i World News Service

>http://news.bahai.org

For more information, contact: news@bahai.org<mailto:news@bahai.org

Trial of seven Iranian Baha'i leaders appears to have ended

NEW YORK, 14 June (BWNS) - The trial of seven Baha'i leaders imprisoned for  
more than two years in Iran seems to have come to a conclusion after three  
days of successive court hearings.

The seven appeared in Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran on the  
morning of Saturday, 12 June and returned to Evin Prison shortly after noo n.

The Court was reconvened the next day, as well as this morning.

"We can confirm that a court session was held today in Tehran," said Bani D 
ugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to  
the United Nations, "and it seems from what we have heard that the trial i 
tself has now concluded. But we have no further information at this time."

The defendants are Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Sae id 
Rezaie, Mahvash Sabet, Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Vahid Tizfahm.

Before their imprisonment, they attended to the spiritual and social needs  of 
Iran's Baha'i community, which numbers more than 300,000. They have been  held 
in Evin prison since they were arrested in 2008 - six of them on 14 M ay and 
one of them two months earlier.

Their trial began on 12 January this year after they had been incarcerated  
without charge in Evin prison for 20 months. At the first hearing, the seve n 
categorically denied charges of espionage, propaganda activities against  the 
Islamic order, and "corruption on earth," among other allegations.

A second appearance on 7 February was concerned mainly with procedural issu es. 
The third session on 12 April, which was purportedly a closed hearing,  was 
adjourned after the seven - with the agreement of their attorneys - ref used to 
be party to the proceedings because of the presence of nonjudicial  personnel.

To view this article and a photograph online, go to:

>http://news.bahai.org/story/778