Baha'i News: Human rights groups renew support for Iran's seven imprisoned Baha'i leaders

[Baha’i World News Service - Subscribe <bwns-subscribe@bwc.org>]

Baha'i World News Service
http://news.bahai.org
For more information, contact: news@bahai.org


Human rights groups renew support for Iran's seven imprisoned Baha'i leaders

NEW YORK, 9 March 2011 (BWNS) – The global support for Iran's seven jailed 
Baha'i leaders is continuing as one of the prisoners begins her fourth year in 
detention.

Mahvash Sabet – a schoolteacher and mother of two – has been incarcerated since 
5 March 2008. For the first 175 days of her imprisonment, she was detained in 
solitary confinement. 

On 14 May 2008, six other prominent Iranian Baha'is were also arrested. After 
20 months held without charge in Tehran's Evin prison, all seven were accused 
in court of espionage and the establishment of an illegal administration, among 
other allegations. All the charges were denied. They are now serving 10 year 
jail terms at the notorious Gohardasht prison.  

The recent transfer of the prisoners to harsher conditions within the jail has 
prompted renewed concern from human rights organizations. Amnesty International 
USA is now asking its members to send greetings cards for the forthcoming 
Persian new year to the seven Baha'is and a number of other Iranian prisoners 
of conscience.


"Grave concern"

A joint statement from three major organizations last month called upon the 
international community to act with urgency for the release of the seven. 

"Subsequent transfers and worsening conditions of detention lead us to believe 
that the well-being and lives of the detained Baha'i leaders are at risk and 
their ongoing arbitrary detention places them in a clear and present danger 
that requires urgent reaction," said the International Federation for Human 
Rights (FIDH), the Iranian League for Human Rights (LDDHI) and the Defenders of 
Human Rights Center (DHRC).

In a news release issued by FIDH on 18 February, Nobel Peace Prize laureate 
Shirin Ebadi reminded the international community that "none of the prisoners 
were granted a fair trial and their continuing arbitrary detention is of grave 
concern." 

"I call once again for their immediate release and a cessation of all 
harassment against the Baha'i community," said Mrs. Ebadi, who is also a senior 
member of the legal team that is defending the seven Baha'is.

Minority Rights Group International (MRGI) also issued a report saying that the 
"scale of repression against minority groups in Iran is a central but 
under-reported factor in the renewed struggle for democracy" and that the 
"persecution of any Iranian minority is most pronounced in the case of the 
Baha'is.

"The informal leadership of the Iranian Baha'i community, who have been 
detained since 2008, were sentenced in 2010 to ten years of imprisonment on 
charges of conspiring against the Islamic Republic, and their lawyers...have 
also been subject to intimidation, imprisonment, and attacks," said the 
statement.

On 23 February, US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton expressed deep concern at 
"the persecution of Iranian citizens at the hand of their government..." 

"Iran's leaders also continue to persecute ethnic and religious minorities," 
said Secretary Clinton. 

"We are troubled by reports that, of the dozens of prisoners executed in 2011, 
most are ethnic minorities. At the same time, Baha'is and other religious 
minorities continue to be subjected to arbitrary arrests and prosecutions, 
harsh sentences, and unsafe prison conditions. We call on Iran to free all 
political prisoners and persecuted minorities...The world will continue to 
watch and will hold accountable those responsible for these actions," said 
Secretary Clinton.

The conviction and sentencing of the seven was also mentioned in the 2011 World 
Report issued in January by US-based human rights group Human Rights Watch. 
"The government accused them of espionage without providing evidence and denied 
their lawyers' requests to conduct a prompt and fair trial," it said.


Greetings for the Persian new year

Amnesty International USA has called upon its members to send greetings cards 
for the Persian new year to the seven imprisoned Baha'i leaders. 

The action notes that "Nowruz," which means "new day," is an ancient Persian 
holiday celebrating the first day of spring and the coming of the new year. 

"On this Nowruz we want to remember several courageous prisoners of conscience 
in Iran with Nowruz greetings," said the organization.

Referring to the seven Baha'i leaders, Amnesty International  wrote, "Although 
they have done nothing more than peacefully practice their religion, they were 
convicted on serious, but baseless, charges including 'espionage for Israel,' 
'insulting religious sanctities' and 'propaganda against the system.'"

The group also suggests sending cards to seven other Iranian prisoners of 
conscience, depicting scenes "in keeping with the spirit of the holiday and the 
message of hope and renewal."

"The support of Amnesty International USA is greatly appreciated," said Bani 
Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to 
the United Nations. 

"The awareness generated by Amnesty and other groups – along with expressions 
of concern by governments and international organizations – remains the main 
source of protection and comfort for these innocent prisoners and others who 
are deprived of their rights in Iran," she said. 



To read the article online and access links, go to:
http://news.bahai.org/story/810

________________________________________________

Copyright 2011 by the Baha'i World News Service. Stories and photographs 
produced by the Baha'i World News Service may be freely reprinted, re-emailed, 
re-posted to the World Wide Web and otherwise reproduced by any individual or 
organization as long as they are attributed to the Baha'i World News Service. 
For more information, go to http://news.bahai.org/terms-of-use/