Updates of the persecution of Baha'is in Iran

[ProudMuslim]

I have befriended 3 Bahais in my life, one of them was too dear. I have nothing but respect to Bahai and i want you to know i am 100% against the abhoring treatment by the Iranian government and any other country is Middle East. I believe these times are the medieval era for Middle East (most countries). My friend, who is not Iranian but from the Gulf States, told me that in Iran Bahais are not allowed to go to Universities!!! What is worse than snatching from someone the right to educate and become a better citizen for his/her country? For most countries of Middle East this is the medieval era, in many ways because of illiteracy and its extremely frustrating when they you see a government working on spreading further this cancer of nations.

Not only no one has the right to force anyone to embrace a certain religion or denounce another "There is no compulsion in religion". My knowledge in Bahai is not very good but i do know that Bahais are the only people outside the Islamic world who believe in the prophecy of Muhammed (PBUH) and divinity of the Holy Qur'an. So we are very similar.

Please do know that many Muslims consider Bahais as brothers and stand by them.

[arthra]

Thanks very much for your post Proud Muslim! and your support..

Baha'is have no animosity for Muslims either and welcome warm friendship with Muslims. Yes we do have some things in common. I also served on an Interfaith Council recently and worked closely with the Muslim representative.

For thousands of years the nations have denied each other, considering each other as infidel and inferior. It is sufficient. We must now realize that we are the servants of one God, that we turn to one beneficent Father, live under one divine law, seek one reality and have one desire. Thus may we live in the utmost friendship and love, and in return the favors and bounties of God shall surround us; the world of humanity will be reformed; mankind, enjoy a new life; eternal light will illumine, and heavenly moralities become manifest.

(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 66)

[BruceDLimber]

I'll chime in, too.

Thanks so much, PM, for your kind words of support! :-)

Best regards,

Bruce

[arthra]

Australian MP speaks in support of Yaran

March 22, 2009
Editor’s Note: In the ongoing struggle for civil and human rights of the Baha’is in Iran, Australian Member of Parliament Andrew Robb delivered a speech calling on the Australian government to urge the release of the now-dissolved Yaran and to implore the Iranian government to allow Baha’is the right to ‘freedom of thought, conscience and religion’. The speech was delivered in the House of Parliament on the 12th of March, 2009. Readers may note that Australian MP Luke Simpkins had raised the same issue at the end of February, also in the House of Representatives. (See Luke Simpkins’ speech - PDF)
The Baha’i community acknowledged the speeches: “We appreciate that these MPs have spoken out so strongly on this shameful abuse of human rights in Iran,” said Tessa Scrine, a spokesperson for the Australian Baha’i Community. “The whole world, and the Iranian authorities themselves, know the charges are false”. Three of the Baha’is falsely charged with offences in Iran have close relatives in Australia.
To the House of Representatives
I rise to speak on the persecution of people of the Baha’i faith in Iran-in particular, the seven believers who have been incarcerated in Tehran’s Evin prison for eight months. Article 18 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights states:
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion …
Here in Australia, section 116 of our Constitution prohibits the government controlling or mandating a particular religion. However, such is not the case in Iran. On 18 February this year, I met with two representatives of the Bayside and Glen Eira Baha’i communities, Mr Murray Davies and Ms Niloufar Zamani. Mr Davies and Ms Zamani shared with me what they called ‘the continuing abuse of the fundamental human rights of the Iranian Baha’i community’ and what they saw as ‘a renewed wave of persecution and control similar to that which occurred in the 1930s in Nazi Germany’.
Founded in 1844, the Baha’i faith is the youngest of the world’s independent religions. Today the faith has more than five million believers. The largest population of Baha’is live in India, numbering around 2.2 million. The next largest population exists in Iran, at roughly 350,000 people. Since the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979, the Baha’i community has suffered the effects of a systematic campaign orchestrated by the Iranian government. The government’s aim is to eliminate the Baha’i community as a viable entity in Iran, despite Iran being the birthplace of the faith. To begin, the Iranian constitution does not recognise the religion. Baha’is are not permitted to meet, to hold religious ceremonies or to practise their religion communally. Holy places, shrines and cemeteries have been confiscated and demolished. According to Amnesty International, hundreds of Baha’is have been executed for refusing to recant their faith and embrace Islam. Since the election of President Ahmadinejad in 2005, dozens more have been arrested.
Amongst those who have been recently arrested are seven leaders of the Baha’i organisation known as Friends of Iran. The organisation is believed to have served as an ad hoc coordinating body representative of Baha’is in Iran, apparently to the full knowledge of the Iranian government. Recently, however, the government labelled the organisation illegal and arrested its seven leaders-one in March 2008 and the other six in May 2008. They are expected to go on trial shortly on charges of espionage for Israel, insulting religious sanctities and propaganda against the system. Amnesty International considers the charges to be politically motivated and those held to be prisoners of conscience, detained solely because of their conscientiously held beliefs or their peaceful activities on behalf of the Baha’i community.
The accusation of spying has been used as a pretext to persecute Baha’is for more than 75 years. They have been accused of being tools of Russian imperialism, British colonialism, American expansionism and, most recently, Zionism. The seven imprisoned leaders are being held in section 209 of Tehran’s infamous Evin prison, run by the Iranian ministry of intelligence. After eight months, no evidence has been brought to light by the prosecutors. The five male detainees are said to be held together in one cell of about 10 metres squared without any beds. All have been permitted access to relatives but none has been granted access to their lawyer. The lawyer is said to have been harassed, intimidated and threatened since taking on the case. The trial is expected to take place shortly in the Iranian revolutionary court. If convicted, the seven will face lengthy prison terms or even the death penalty.
This is not the first time the plight of the Baha’i community in Iran has been raised in this House. In 2006, the members for Macmillan, Boothby and Stirling, with strong support from the other side of the House, spoke with heavy hearts as they recounted stories of persecution passed on to them from their local communities. As they did then, I today call on the Australian government to continue to raise this matter with the Iranian embassy and urge the immediate and unconditional release of the seven prisoners. I appeal to authorities to ensure that the seven prisoners are protected from torture and other ill treatment and to ensure that they are given regular access to their relatives and lawyer. Finally, I implore the Iranian government to stop persecuting the Baha’i people and allow their citizens the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
[Source: http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/genpdf/chamber/hansardr/2009-03-12/0108/hansard_frag.pdf]

[arthra]

Update on two Baha’i Prisoners in Mashhad

March 28, 2009
Iran Press News reported the following on Saturday, March 28, 2009:

Two Baha’i citizens by names of Jalayer Vahdad and Sima Eshraqi were arrested on January 26, 2009, in Mashhad and as of this writing (March 28) continue to be incarcerated in solitary confinement.

So far, the authorities have given no reason for the arrest of these individuals to their families. During this period, a period exceeding 60 days, Mr. Vahdad has not been allowed to meet with his family at all.

The other prisoner is Ms. Sima Eshraqi and she was allowed only a single meeting with her family on March 10. The legal case and charges against her also remain completely obscure.
[Source: http://www.iranpressnews.com/source/056695.htm. Translation by Iran Press Watch. The story was also covered at HRA Iran at http://hra-iran.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=783:3 4&catid=84:502&Itemid=219]

[arthra]

Further to Iran Press Watch report of April 16, 2009, http://www.iranpresswatch.org/2009/04/qibm/, on Tuesday, April 21, 2009, Human Rights Activists of Iran posted the following report, which appears below in translation:

In continuation of widespread harassment of the Baha’i residents of Mashhad, three (3) more Baha’is of this town were called in by the Information Office of the Ministry of Intelligence.

On April 14, 2009, Suheil Nasirzadeh, Babak Ruhi and Ezzatu’llah Ahmadian were summoned to the Information Office of the Intelligence Ministry. Like other Baha’is brought in during the recent days, they too were asked to sign a surety guaranteeing that they would not participate in religious gatherings [related to the Baha'i religion].
However, the above named individuals stated that such a request was illegal and refused to sign the document. Thereupon, Ruhi and Ahmadian were threatened by the authorities who stated, “If you continue to refuse to sign this statement, your previous case will be opened again.” It should be noted that three years ago, these two Baha’is were arrested for copying religious documents and were incarcerated by the Ministry of Intelligence for 15 days in Mashhad.

Source:

Baha’is Continue to be Harassed in Mashhad | Iran Press Watch: The Baha'is

[arthra]

Fourth Charge added against Imprisoned Baha’i Leaders


April 27, 2009


Iran Press Watch has learned through reliable sources close to the seven (7) imprisoned Baha’i leaders (formerly known as Yaran) that the families of the incarcerated Baha’is were allowed to meet with them today, Monday, April 27, 2009.

In this meeting, the imprisoned Baha’is reported that last week they were interrogated by the judiciary official in charge of the preparation of the case against them. A new charge has been added to the previous three (3) charges against them, namely: Aiding, teaching and propagating the Baha’i religion in Iran.
This charge is equivalent to “mufsed fel-arz” [corrupt on earth], which historically has carried harsh penalties, including the death penalty.

One of the Baha’i leaders, Mr. Khanjani, however expressed his joy over this new charge as it makes it clear that the Baha’is are imprisoned because of their religious belief.

The family members have reported to Iran Press Watch that all seven imprisoned Baha’is appeared in good health and spirit.





Source:

Fourth Charge added against Imprisoned Baha’i Leaders | Iran Press Watch: The Baha'is

[arthra]

Download: NSA Iran 1980 (WMV)



All members of the 1980 National Spiritual Assembly of Iran "disappeared" and what happened to them remains a mystery but it is believed they were executed.

[arthra]

Iranian Baha'i leaders may face new accusation on anniversary of imprisonment

NEW YORK, 12 May (BWNS) - The seven Baha'i leaders currently imprisoned in Iran are facing the anniversary of their arrest this Thursday, along with new and extremely grave accusations, after spending a year in jail without formal charges or access to their lawyer, Shirin Ebadi.

"Despite their obvious innocence and the call by many for their immediate release, these seven men and women have been in legal limbo for a year now, against all international human rights standards," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.

"Moreover, their families have recently been told of a possible new charge - 'the spreading of corruption on earth,' which goes by the term 'Mofsede fel-Arz' in Persian and carries the threat of death under the penal code of the Islamic Republic of Iran," said Ms. Dugal.

"The sequence of events surrounding their detention exposes a shameless travesty of justice. Notwithstanding their having been subjected to intensive interrogations, it took a full seven months before they were given even a single pretext for their detention. On February 10, 2009, the Iranian Student News Agency quoted Tehran deputy prosecutor Hassan Haddad as having said that the investigation of these individuals was complete and that 'the case will be sent to the revolutionary court next week' and that these Baha'is are accused of 'espionage for Israel, insulting religious sanctities and propaganda against the Islamic Republic.' The international protest expressed by governments and civil society was immediate and widespread, causing the Iranian authorities to review their approach.

"Now a new wrongful accusation reportedly has been added some three months after the investigation was supposed to have concluded. The charge of being spreaders of corruption was used against the Baha'is who were executed in the years immediately following the Islamic revolution. That it may now be resorted to in this case is a further demonstration that the authorities have no basis for any allegation against these seven individuals, other than blatant religious persecution. This action against the Baha'i leadership reflects the government's sharply increased persecution of the entire Iranian Baha'i community of more than 300,000 members.

"The upcoming anniversary of their arrest offers an important milestone and we ask that the international community re-state once again in the strongest terms its demand for their immediate release, or, at least, for a fair and open trial that meets international standards of justice," said Ms. Dugal.

Ms. Dugal also noted that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has frequently emphasized the importance of "justice and human dignity" and "the establishment of a just world system," such as when he addressed the UN Durban Review Conference in Geneva last month.

"How can the calls of the Iranian leadership for justice in the international sphere be taken seriously if they do not grant justice to their own citizens? In Iran, by all accounts universally agreed upon human rights are routinely ignored, not only for Baha'is but also for women, journalists, and others who only seek dignity and justice," 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.

For more information, go to http://news.bahai.org.

[arthra]

I am Haleh Rouhi, a Baha’i Prisoner

By Haleh Rouhi-June 12th, 2009



Editor’s Note: In May 2006, a group of over 80 dedicated individuals were arrested in and around the city of Shiraz. They were involved in a teaching project benefiting underprivileged children of several neighborhoods. The volunteers taught the children basic personal hygiene, moral principles and kind ways to interact with others, including parents and siblings. At first children came only slowly to the volunteers, some with their pocket knives ready! Their attitude soon changed. They even started getting up early on the days of their class to tidy the open field, clearing away the garbage and debris, sprinkling water to reduce the dust in their gathering area and generally preparing the field for their class.


The volunteers had obtained permission from the Islamic authorities of the city to conduct their activities. Muslim members of the group were immediately released. However, 54 Baha’is were detained for a few days, but later released on bail. In August 2007, these Baha’is were tried by Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court. They were charged with “offences relating to state security”.

Three of them, namely, Raha Sabet, Haleh Rouhi and Sasan Taqva, were sentenced to four years imprisonment for “organizing illegal groups” and “propaganda on behalf of groups that are opposed to the Islamic regime”. The other Baha’is in the group received a one year suspended sentence provided they participate in a three year “Islamic studies’ course, much of which consists of anti-Baha’i propaganda, to which students are not allowed to respond.The essay below is written by Haleh Rouhi, one of the three Baha’is sentenced to 4 years of imprisonment. Translation is by Iran Press Watch.

By Haleh Rouhi ( on May 21, 2009)

With utmost sincerity, I traveled for a year to a district near Shiraz known as Sahl-Abad in order to help a small group of underprivileged residents, hoping that I could bring joy to a heart, comfort a soul and help a weak spirit.

One day, as I was driving home alone in the car, I was stopped and arrested by Islamic authorities. When I asked for an arrest warrant, I received a harsh reaction, and was taken into custody without seeing any warrant. On the same day, a few Islamic militants showed up at my home while my mother was alone. They forced their way inside, took all my personal belongings and all our family photos. To this date none of the items have been returned.

I was interrogated for 28 days at the detention centre of the Ministry of Intelligence. During the whole process, I explained with the greatest honesty all the activities in which we had been engaged. Again, at the court proceedings, I clearly explained in detail all the humanitarian services we performed to the respected judge assigned to my case.
In October 2007, after interrogations were concluded, I was sentenced to four years of imprisonment. I could not believe what I was hearing. I appealed, requested a revision of my case and of the charges against me. As I was waiting for the result, I was summoned to the office of the Ministry of Intelligence by a phone call. Upon arrival, I was taken to a cell and two days later, I was told: “you are here to serve your jail term and you will remain here for four years”.

Today over 18 months have passed since that day.

During these months:


I have been deprived of contact with other prisoners and have been denied even the social life to which regular prisoners are entitled. I have only been granted a 5 minute family visit each week. Prisoners are allowed daily phone contacts with their families; however, I have been denied this. For the first 8 months, I was even deprived of having a book.

Prisoners are entitled to family leave, they are granted 5 days for every 25 days of imprisonment. The leave has turned into a struggle for me and my family. For no valid reason, and for a long time, the intelligence office and the courts force my family to go from one government office to another, before I am finally granted a leave. The time between my leaves is generally 3 or 4 months and sometimes even longer. In order to renew my family leave, we have to spend hours and hours in the courts with the hope of obtaining permission for an additional 5 days or a week with my family.


A prisoner has to be in jail, but I am kept in a detention centre that is normally used only for initial questioning. My cell has no openings; my food is left for me behind the door. If I need to get out of the cell, that is not possible. I have to spend the whole day in the confined area. If I am taken out at any time, I am blindfolded. I am only allowed 10-20 minutes a day out of my cell, in an enclosed area without a roof, for fresh air. Even the timing of this short break is determined by the prison guards; nor is there any possibility to extend these few minutes.
<LI class=txt>Is a ten minute break sufficient for a person who is kept 24 hours a day in a closed cell?

I have let go of whatever happened before the issuance of my prison verdict. Today, if I am a prisoner, treat me like one. If I am a prisoner, take me to a prison, let me get fresh air, let me have access to a telephone, let me have contact with others, let me have the same social life and rights to which prisoners are entitled, etc. Did the organization in charge of overseeing the prisons include this detention centre (called Plock 100) in its list of prisons? Does the prisons organization accept the conditions of the detention centre in which I am held as a prisoner? Does the organization accept this detention centre as a prison?

Signed Haleh Rouhi


Source:

I am Haleh Rouhi, a Baha?i Prisoner - Iran Press Watch