Noticias Bahá’ís

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Hace 100 anos, unos viajes historicos transformaron una Fe en su infancia

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HAIFA, Israel 30 August (BWNS) — One hundred years ago, ‘Abdu’l-Baha, the eldest son of Baha’u'llah and His appointed successor as head of the Baha’i Faith, embarked on a series of journeys which, over the course of three years, took Him from the Holy Land to the Nile delta, from the Pacific coast of North America to the banks of the River Danube.

Despite His advanced age, ‘Abdu’l-Baha set out in August 1910 to present Baha’u'llah’s teachings about the dawning of a new age of peace and unity, to high and low alike. These historic journeys launched a fledgling faith on its way to becoming a world religion.

“He was sixty-six years old,” the Universal House of Justice has written in a special message, dated 29 August, to mark the centenary, “an exile since childhood, with no formal schooling, a prisoner for forty years, in failing health, and unfamiliar with Western customs and languages. Yet He arose, without thought of comfort, undeterred by the risks involved…”

“With the inauguration of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s travels to the West, the Cause of Baha’u'llah, hemmed in for more than half a century by the hosts of enmity and oppression, burst its restraints.”

Breakthrough into new cultures

Following the Young Turk Revolution of 1908, when all political and religious prisoners of the Ottoman Empire – including ‘Abdu’l-Baha and His family – were set free, He began to plan sharing, in person, the Baha’i teachings with the world beyond the Middle East. Two years later He left the confines of the Holy Land, heading first to Egypt where he stayed for one year.

Then, in August 1911, ‘Abdu’l-Baha set sail for Europe, spending a month in London and two months in Paris. After returning to Egypt for the winter, He set off again in March 1912 for an eight-month long tour of North America, followed by second visits to London and Paris, as well as journeys to Austria, Germany, Hungary and Scotland.

“From the time of Baha’u'llah’s passing, the Baha’i Faith’s spread to North America and Europe had been a very significant development,” says Moojan Momen, an historian based in the United Kingdom, “but these communities were rather few in number.”

“So ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s visits not only saw Him generally proclaiming the Baha’i teachings further afield, but also consolidating the religion’s breakthrough into new cultures.”

At ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s first ever public talk – given at the City Temple church in London on 10 September 1911 – ‘Abdu’l-Baha told the congregation, “The gift of God to this enlightened age is the knowledge of the oneness of mankind and of the fundamental oneness of religion.”

“Over and over again, He stressed the need for understanding between people, for bringing religions together, for world peace,” explains Paris-based writer Jan Jasion, who is researching ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s travels in Europe. “He wanted to bring people closer to God and for them to understand the reality of religion and rid themselves of superstitions.”

‘Abdu’l-Baha was also able to participate comfortably in discourses about themes that lay outside of the Middle Eastern experience. “For example, the great dangers of racism;” notes Firuz Kazemzadeh, emeritus professor of history at Yale University, “the relationship between capital and labour, and the conflict between worker and employer; the impending Great War; and federalism as a solution to the problems among the States.”

For three years, ‘Abdu’l-Baha tirelessly addressed thousands of people – including clergymen, journalists, academics, diplomats, philosophers, suffragettes, and social reformers. He also – perhaps most importantly for Him – met with, and attended to the needs of, the poor.

Among those deeply impressed by Him was Dr. David Starr Jordan, the American scientist and university administrator, who famously said, “‘Abdu’l-Baha will surely unite the East and the West, for He walks the mystical path with practical feet.”

Dr. T. K. Cheyne of Oxford, the celebrated theologian, spoke of ‘Abdu’l-Baha as the “Ambassador to Humanity.”

“What is striking is that, while ‘Abdu’l-Baha had a great deal of praise for progressive thinkers, He was also very clear-eyed and uncompromising in His assessment of the ways in which they fell short of their own ideals,” says Kenneth E. Bowers, the current Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States. “He challenged people to rise above their own understanding of reality, to a higher level of realisation – a spiritual level as well as the social.”

There were other aspects of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s personality that further delighted those He met, says Mr. Bowers.

“He carried Himself remarkably well in cultures that were entirely alien to Him. I think one of the things we should remember about Him – and which we sometimes forget as a characteristic of a ’spiritual’ figure – is that He was someone who was extremely witty and charming.”

“A major religious event”

By the time ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s travels came to an end, the nascent Baha’i community had received a wider vision of their Faith, and citizens of nine countries, on three continents, had been informed of the Baha’i teachings for the first time.

“At the beginning of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s ministry, the Baha’i Faith was a fairly obscure religious movement. There was very little accurate information about it anywhere,” says Moojan Momen. “By the end of His life, not just in Europe and North America but all over the world - in Asia, the Pacific, Australia, South Africa, South America - large numbers of people knew about the Faith and had a positive impression of it.”

“His travels were certainly a major religious event of the 20th century,” says Dr. Momen. “They had much the same sort of effect as St. Paul’s journeys which had a sizable impact on the spread of Christianity.”

Kenneth E. Bowers believes it is impossible to conceive of today’s American Baha’i community, for example, without taking ‘Abdul-Baha’s visit into account. “Through His life and words, He was the personification of Baha’u'llah’s teachings. He inspired the first handful of Baha’is not only to spread their Faith but, just as importantly, withstand all sorts of tests. In a very tactful, loving and wise way, He set the example to be followed.”

As a result of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s journeys, the Baha’i community began to propagate His ideas further and these became reinforced in the general population. “This is where the real impact of His visits lies - in the capacity of the community He raised to continue what He taught them after all these years,” says Firuz Kazemzadeh.

In its letter, the Universal House of Justice invites today’s worldwide Baha’i community to reflect not only upon what ‘Abdu’l-Baha achieved and set in motion, but on the work still left to do.

His words and actions during His travels, the Universal House of Justice writes, offer “an abundance of inspiration and manifold insights” for meeting the challenges of the present day.

To read the article online and view images, go to:
http://news.bahai.org/story/792

For the Baha’i World News Service home page, go to:
http://news.bahai.org/

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Un Panel de la ONU critica la Represion de Minorias en Iran

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UN panel criticizes Iran’s repression of minorities

GENEVA, 30 August (BWNS) – A United Nations panel of experts has expressed concern over Iran’s continued repression of ethnic and religious minorities, including members of the Baha’i Faith.

In conclusions issued Friday, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) questioned why Iranian minorities – such as Arabs, Azeris, Balochis, Kurds and Baha’is – are so poorly represented in Iran’s public life.

The Baha’i International Community has welcomed the panel’s findings that categorize Iran’s persecution of Baha’is as a matter of discrimination based on race, ethnicity or religion.

“This finding is important because it represents the opinion of a body of international experts on discrimination – including many from countries that are friendly to Iran,” said Diane Ala’i, the representative of the Baha’i International Committee to the United Nations in Geneva.

“As such, their criticism of Iran, even if couched in somewhat mild diplomatic language, represents further evidence that the world community will not turn a blind eye to Iran’s ongoing persecution of Baha’is, which are that country’s largest non-Muslim religious minority nor, for that matter, to the violation of the human rights of any of that nation’s citizens,” said Ms. Ala’i.

Committee’s concern

In its conclusions about Baha’is and other minority groups, CERD urged Iran to “carry out a study of members of all such communities that would enable the State party to identify their particular needs and draw up effective plans of action, programmes and public policies to combat racial discrimination and disadvantage relating to all areas of the public life of these communities.”

The recommendation followed a series of exchanges on 4-5 August with an Iranian delegation that came before the Committee to defend their human rights record.

Committee members appeared quite skeptical about Iran’s efforts to meet the mandates of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which the Committee monitors, including a number of members from countries that have generally friendly relations with Iran, such as Brazil, India, and Turkey.

Reports from human rights groups

Alternative reports submitted by human rights groups were more critical, noting that Baha’is have since 2005 faced an upsurge in arbitrary arrests and detentions, the demolition of properties, and the denial of rights to education, employment, and social participation.

“Since the beginning of 2010, numerous Baha’is have been sentenced to imprisonment,” said the the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the Iranian League for the Defence of Human Rights (LDDHI), and Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC) in a joint report.

Amnesty International noted that “derogatory articles and other media pieces” frequently appear in state-run media. “Such practices are of particular concern in relation to the Baha’i community.”

This is not the first time that the Committee has spoken out about Iran’s treatment of Baha’is. In similar concluding observations issued in 2003, the Committee noted with concern “the reported discrimination faced by certain minorities, including the Baha’is, who are deprived of certain rights” which “appear to be discriminatory on both ethnic and religious grounds.”

The Committee in 2003 went on to recommend that Iran “ensure that all persons enjoy their right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, without any discrimination based on race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin,” and also that Iran allow “students of different origins to register in universities without being compelled to state their religion.”

Ms. Ala’i noted that although the Committee’s primary concern is racial discrimination, that mandate is broadly interpreted by the United Nations as including all forms of discrimination, including religious discrimination.

“Members of the Baha’i Faith come from various ethnic backgrounds, but the fact that this committee has identified the intense religious discrimination against the Iranian Baha’i community as something it must look into shows from yet another angle how deep the oppression of Baha’is and other minorities is today in Iran,” said Diane Ala’i, the representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva.

“The intense questioning during the dialogue session with Iran, moreover, clearly displayed the skepticism with which the international community views Iran’s efforts to defend what is otherwise indefensible in terms of human rights violation,” she said.

To read the article online and view images, go to:
http://news.bahai.org/story/791

For the Baha’i World News Service home page, go to:
http://news.bahai.org/

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Copyright 2010 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/

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Se intensifica el apoyo global para los siete lideres baha’is en Iran

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Global support intensifies for Iran’s seven Baha’i leaders

GENEVA, 26 August (BWNS) – An increasing number of governments, human rights groups and prominent individuals are raising their voices against the harsh prison sentences handed down earlier this month to Iran’s seven Baha’i leaders.

As lawyers for the prisoners prepare to appeal against the 20-year jail terms, the government of New Zealand has voiced its concern that the trial “was conducted in a manner that was neither fair nor transparent.”

“New Zealand is dismayed that Iran has failed to uphold its international human rights commitments, and its own due legal processes in this case,” said Foreign Minister Murray McCully.

“The sentences appear to be based wholly on the fact that these people are members of a minority religious group,” said Mr. McCully, in a statement issued on 20 August.

“New Zealand calls on the Government of Iran to protect the fundamental rights of all its citizens, and to end its ongoing and systematic persecution of the Baha’i,” he said.

The governments of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and United States of America - as well as the European Union and the President of the European Parliament - have already condemned the sentencing of the seven.

In the wake of calls from numerous international organizations for the prisoners to be released, groups focused specifically on human rights abuses in Iran – such as the Human Rights Activists News Agency and United4Iran – as well as Amnesty International, have now launched letter-writing campaigns encouraging supporters to call for justice for the seven. Prominent individuals, including British barrister Cherie Blair, have also been raising their voices in support of the Baha’i leaders.

Minority Rights Group International (MRG) - which campaigns on behalf of disadvantaged minorities and indigenous peoples - has expressed it deep concern over the lengthy sentences.

“Given that independent observers were not allowed to attend the trial, and the history of persecution that the Baha’i community has faced in Iran, the outcome will do nothing to encourage faith in the Iranian justice system,” said Carl Soderbergh, MRG’s Director of Policy and Communications.

“MRG calls on Iran to quash the convictions and release the defendants immediately,” Mr. Soderbergh added.

Human rights campaigns

Before their arrest in 2008, the seven prisoners were all members of a national-level group known as the “Yaran” – or “Friends” – that helped to see to the minimum needs of Iran’s 300,000-strong Baha’i community.

Among the human rights groups now calling for justice for the seven, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) is asking people throughout the world to join a “We are Yaran” campaign of letter writing.

The HRANA draft letter states: “There is no evidence in support of the charges leveled against these Baha’is, and the ultimate judgment of imprisonment is unjust and insupportable.”

United4Iran – a non-partisan global network promoting fundamental human and civil rights in Iran – is requesting that visitors to its website call attention to the plight of the prisoners, by sending email letters to world leaders and Iranian officials.

“Considering the advanced ages of several of these spiritual leaders, the IRI (Islamic Republic of Iran) has effectively dealt life sentences,” says the group. A spokesperson for United4Iran said that, as of Wednesday, more than 1100 messages had been sent via the website link.

In the United States, Amnesty International is urging its members to write to the head of Iran’s judiciary to protest the trial and sentencing.

Prominent individuals speak out

Noted British barrister Cherie Blair described the legal proceedings against the seven as a “sham trial” in an article published on Wednesday by The Guardian newspaper in the UK.

“During two years of incarceration, lawyers working with [Nobel laureate Shirin] Ebadi were granted less than two hours with their clients,” wrote Ms. Blair. “They had only a few hours to examine the case files, comprising hundreds of pages. In the little time they were granted, they discovered the files were compiled by officials from the ministry of intelligence, despite Iranian law stipulating that such agents ’should not be entrusted with the investigation … of the accused.’

“The catch-all charge of espionage exposes the reality behind the regime’s cruel behaviour. Over the years, Baha’is have found themselves accused of being tools of Russian imperialism, British colonialism, American expansionism and most recently Zionism.

“But when we learn that Baha’is accused of spying for Israel are offered exoneration and the restoration of all the rights of citizenship if they will simply recant their faith, we can see such charges are totally baseless.

“The desecration of Baha’i cemeteries, the demolition of shrines and confiscation of Baha’i property are unlikely punishments for a band of spies.

“The truth behind this sentence is that it is an attempt to decapitate Iran’s 300,000 strong Baha’i community. As members of Iran’s biggest religious minority, they have suffered decades of discrimination, harassment and appalling treatment. Most recently, 50 Baha’i homes were razed in northern Iran, and we know of at least 47 other Baha’is currently imprisoned,” wrote Ms. Blair.

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, the Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, today called the 20-year jail terms for the Baha’i leaders “a most appalling transgression of justice and at heart a gross violation of the human right of freedom of belief.”

“I unite myself in prayer for those of the Baha’i Faith who are suffering at this present time in Iran and also to the many other peoples of goodwill who are suffering for their faiths in other parts of the world,” said Cardinal Keith Patrick O’Brien.

In a video statement posted on YouTube, the actor and comedian Omid Djalili said he was “very upset” by news of the prison sentences.

“The Baha’i Faith is a peaceful religion with a world embracing vision of unity for all people, of all faiths. It is a staunch defender of human rights. So the fact that these seven are held in prison as if they are perpetrators of the most heinous crimes is just ridiculous,” said Mr. Djalili, whose clip received more than 8,000 views in its first few days.

“International outcry will continue”

The prisoners – Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaie, Mahvash Sabet, Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Vahid Tizfahm – denied all the allegations made against them which included espionage, propaganda against the Islamic republic and the establishment of an illegal administration. They are now incarcerated in Gohardasht prison in Karaj, some 20 kilometers west of Tehran.

“By all accounts, the charges against them were utterly baseless, and the trial itself was nothing but a charade,” said Diane Ala’i, representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva.

“For as long as they are held in prison, this international outcry will continue,” said Ms. Alai.

To read the article online and view images and links, go to:
http://news.bahai.org/story/790

For the Baha’i World News Service home page, go to:
http://news.bahai.org/

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Copyright 2010 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/

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El funeral por Ataollah Taefy, intérprete asesinado en Afganistán, tendrá lugar este viernes a las 13:00 horas en el Auditorio de Cuarte de Huerva, en una ceremonia bahá’í.

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Madrid (26 de agosto de 2010).- La Comunidad Bahá’í de España, al mismo tiempo que lamenta el fallecimiento de los dos guardias civiles en el atentado de ayer en Afganistán y les da las más sentidas condolencias a sus familiares y amigos, comunica que el funeral y el posterior entierro del tercer fallecido, el intérprete Ataollah Taefy, que pertenecía a la Comunidad Bahá’í de España, tendrá lugar mañana viernes en el Auditorio de Cuarte de Huerva (Zaragoza) en una ceremonia bahá’í.

Ataollah, de 54 años de edad, nació en Irán, lugar de origen de la religión bahá’í, dónde en la actualidad esta comunidad sufre persecución a pesar de ser la minoría religiosa más numerosa del país*. Vivía en España desde hacía 33 años, tenía nacionalidad española, estaba casado con una española y tenían dos hijos, de 21 y 16 años, todos ellos miembros de la Comunidad Bahá’í de Zaragoza.

El intérprete fallecido se trasladó a España con el objetivo de divulgar los principios de unidad en diversidad enunciados por Bahá’u’lláh, el fundador de la Fe Bahá’í, religión que ya profesaban sus padres y abuelos. Durante todos estos años en España, Ataollah dedicó su tiempo y energías a trabajar por los principios bahá’ís de unidad del género humano, eliminación de prejuicios, igualdad entre el hombre y la mujer, unidad de las religiones y educación universal, entre otros.

La Fe Bahá’í es una religión independiente establecida en España desde 1948, tiene presencia en todas las provincias y los bahá’ís de España desarrollan actividades para promocionar el establecimiento de una nueva sociedad basada en la armonía y la unidad del género humano.

Según los principios bahá’ís, el alma del ser humano no termina con la muerte física, sino que sigue progresando en el mundo espiritual. Por ello, las ceremonias bahá’ís del funeral y del entierro consisten en la lectura de textos sagrados y oraciones que ayuden al progreso del alma del fallecido.

Para más información:
Departamento de Comunicación de la Comunidad Bahá’í de España
comunicacion@bahai.es
Página web: www.bahai.es

José Luis Fanlo: 609 036 596
Mamen Pueyo: 645 415 510
Cristina Marqués: 606 247 397

* Para más información sobre los últimos acontecimientos de las persecuciones que sufren los bahá’ís en Irán, pueden consultar www.bahai.es/iran.

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Los EEUU se une a Holanda, Reino Unido y la UE en una condena de las sentencias de cárcel

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U.S.A. joins Netherlands, U.K. and European Union in chorus of condemnation at prison sentences

GENEVA, 13 August (BWNS) — The United States of America has said it “strongly condemns” the sentencing of seven Iranian Baha’i leaders to 20 years imprisonment.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described the act as a “violation of Iran’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”

In a statement dated 12 August, Secretary Clinton said that the United States is “deeply concerned with the Iranian government’s continued persecution of Baha’is and other religious minority communities in Iran.”

“Freedom of religion is the birthright of people of all faiths and beliefs in all places,” she said.

“The United States is committed to defending religious freedom around the world, and we have not forgotten the Baha’i community in Iran.”

“We will continue to speak out against injustice and call on the Iranian government to respect the fundamental rights of all its citizens in accordance with its international obligations,” said Secretary Clinton.

The statement from the United States came as reports reached the Baha’i International Community that the seven Baha’i leaders have been transferred from Tehran’s Evin Prison, where they had been incarcerated for more than two years.

They have been taken to Gohardasht Prison - also known as Rajaishahr Prison - in Karaj, some 20 kilometers west of the Iranian capital.

Other support

Support for the prisoners has also been expressed by the European Union, in a statement made by Baroness Catherine Ashton, the E.U.’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

“The European Union expresses its serious concern about the sentencing of seven Baha’i leaders in Iran to 20 years imprisonment and calls for their immediate release,” the declaration said.

“The verdict appears to be based on the defendants belonging to a religious minority and the judicial process was seriously flawed, respecting neither Iran’s international commitments under the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) nor its national legislation regarding fair trial rights.”

“The EU recalls that freedom of thought, conscience and religion are fundamental rights which must be guaranteed under all circumstances according to article 18 of the ICCPR which the Islamic Republic of Iran has signed up to and ratified.”

“The EU calls on Iran to put an end to the persecution of the Baha’i community,” said Baroness Ashton.

In the United Kingdom, Foreign Secretary William Hague said he was “appalled” to hear of the prison sentences, describing them as a “shocking example of the Iranian state’s continued discrimination against the Baha’is.”

“It is completely unacceptable,” said Mr. Hague in a statement released on Wednesday.

“The Iranian judiciary has repeatedly failed to allay international and domestic concerns that these seven men and women are guilty of anything other than practicing their faith. It is clear that from arrest to sentencing, the Iranian authorities did not follow even their own due process, let alone the international standards to which Iran is committed. The accused were denied proper access to lawyers, and there is evidence that the trial was neither fair nor transparent.”

“I call on the Iranian authorities urgently to consider any appeal against this decision, and to cease the harassment of the Baha’i community. I further call on the Iranian Government to ensure that the rights of all individuals are fully protected, without discrimination, and that it fulfils its obligations to its own citizens as set out in the Iranian constitution,” said Mr. Hague.

The Netherlands’ Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maxime Verhagen, expressed his country’s concern at “the poor execution of the judicial process in the case of the seven Baha’i leaders” and its fears that the arrest and sentence is “based solely on discrimination of religious belief.”

“That these people seem to be condemned because of their faith is shocking,” said Mr. Verhagen.

“I urge the Iranian authorities to abide by their international human rights obligations. The Baha’i leaders have a right to a fair trial and they must be released as soon as possible.”

Australia, Canada, France, Germany and the President of the European Parliament earlier expressed strong statements of concern at news that Iran’s seven Baha’i leaders have each received prison sentences of 20 years, as reported by the Baha’i World News Service on 11 August.

Human rights organizations

Human rights organizations - including Amnesty International, FIDH and Human Rights Watch - have issued calls for the prisoners to be released, for the judgment to be annulled, and for Iran to demonstrate that the trial was fair and in accordance with international standards.

“This is an outrageous miscarriage of justice and one more example of how the Iranian regime is a gross violator of human rights and religious freedoms,” said Leonard Leo, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. “The prosecutions and sentences are, pure and simple, politically and religiously motivated acts, and the Commission calls for the unconditional release of these seven individuals.”

Diane Ala’i, representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva said the actions of the Iranian authorities, against individuals who are innocent of any crime, represent an “outrageous travesty of justice that defies adequate description.”

“At every stage of the case - from their illegal detention and the brutal conditions of their confinement, through the trial, and now to a completely unlawful imprisonment - not even the most basic and fundamental norms of justice were respected.”

“We welcome the message coming loud and clear from governments and human rights organizations throughout the world. It is time for Iran to right the wrongs it has done.”

To read the article online and view images and links, go to:
http://news.bahai.org/story/788

For the Baha’i World News Service home page, go to:
http://news.bahai.org/

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Copyright 2010 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/

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Las duras sentencias son un juicio contra una comunidad religiosa entera

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Harsh sentences are a judgment against an entire religious community

NEW YORK, 15 August (BWNS) – The harsh prison sentences handed down to seven Iranian Baha’i leaders who are absolutely innocent of any wrongdoing is a judgment against an entire religious community, the Baha’i International Community said today.

Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, whose Defenders of Human Rights Center represented the Baha’i defendants, said she was “stunned” by the reported 20-year jail terms.

“I have read their case file page by page and did not find anything proving the accusations, nor did I find any document that could prove the claims of the prosecutor,” said Mrs. Ebadi in a television interview, broadcast on 8 August by the Persian-language service of the BBC.

The flagrantly unjust sentence has provoked vehement protest from governments throughout the world – including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the U.K. and the U.S.A. The European Union and the President of the European Parliament have also joined the chorus of condemnation, along with numerous human rights organizations – including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and FIDH – as well as other groups, and countless individuals.

“The trumped-up charges, and the total lack of any credible evidence against these seven prisoners, reflects the false accusations and misinformation that Iran’s regime has used to vilify and defame a peaceful, religious community for an entire generation,” said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations.

Ms. Dugal noted that the seven have reportedly been transferred to Gohardasht Prison in Karaj, a facility about 20 kilometers west of Tehran. “The reason for the move is not yet known and it is too early to assess the implications for the prisoners,” she said. “It does, however, clearly impose an added burden to their families, who now have to travel outside Tehran to visit their loved ones.”

The seven - Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaie, Mahvash Sabet, Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Vahid Tizfahm - were all members of a national-level group that, with the government’s knowledge, helped see to the minimum spiritual needs of Iran’s Baha’i community.

“That these manifestly innocent people should each be jailed for 20 years after a sham trial is utterly reprehensible,” said Ms. Dugal. “We ask the Iranian government: Does such a callous disregard for justice contribute to the advancement of Iranian society? Or does it, rather, further diminish your credibility among your own people and among the nations of the world?”

Ms. Dugal said the Baha’i International Community condemns the widespread injustice perpetrated by the Iranian authorities against others throughout Iran, whether religious minorities, journalists, academics, civil society activists, women’s rights defenders, or others.

A catalogue of abuses

Even before the sentences were pronounced, the arrest, detention and trial of the seven leaders was a two-year long catalogue of abuses and illegal actions, both under international law and Iranian statutes.

“Iranian law requires that detainees be quickly and formally charged with crimes. The seven Baha’is were held at least nine months before any word of the charges against them were uttered by officials, and even then it was at a press conference, not in a court setting,” said Ms. Dugal.

“For a long time, the seven were also denied access to lawyers. When they were allowed contact, it lasted barely an hour before their so-called trial began,” she said.

“Detainees who have been charged also have the right to seek bail and to be released pending trial. The seven have continually been denied bail, despite numerous requests.”

“These are black and white concerns, not subject to interpretation,” she said.

Systematic persecution

Since 1979, Iran’s 300,000-strong Baha’i community has endured a government-sponsored, systematic campaign of religious persecution. In its early stages, more than 200 Baha’is were killed and at least 1,000 were imprisoned, solely because of their religious beliefs.

In the early 1990s, the government shifted its focus to social, economic and cultural restrictions aimed at slowly suffocating the community and its development. Measures included depriving Baha’is of their livelihood, destroying their cultural heritage, and barring their young people from higher education.

Since 2005, there has been a resurgence of more extreme forms of persecution, with increasing arrests, harassment, violence, and arson attacks on Baha’i homes and businesses.

This systematic campaign of attacks has included:

- the creation and circulation of lists of Baha’is with instructions that the activities of the members of the community be secretly monitored;
- dawn raids on Baha’i homes and the confiscation of personal property;
- summary arrest and interrogation of Baha’is throughout the nation;
- daily incitement to hatred of the Baha’is in all forms of government-sponsored mass media;
- the holding of anti-Baha’i symposia and seminars organized by clerics followed by
orchestrated attacks on Baha’i homes and properties in the cities and towns where such events are held;
- destruction of Baha’i cemeteries across the country;
- demolition of Baha’i Holy Places and Shrines;
- acts of arson against Baha’i homes and properties;
- denying Baha’is access to higher education;
- vilification of Baha’i children in their classrooms by their teachers;
- the designation of numerous occupations and businesses from which Baha’is are debarred;
- refusal to extend bank loans to Baha’is;
- the sealing of Baha’i shops;
- refusal to issue or renew business licenses to Baha’is;
- harassment of landlords of Baha’i business tenants to force their eviction.

Specific examples of persecution in recent weeks include:

- homes belonging to some 50 Baha’i families in the remote northern village of Ivel being demolished as part of a long-running campaign to expel them from the region;
- the intelligence service that has an office in every university and governmental organization in Iran instructing university officials at Shaheed Beheshti University not to have any business dealings with companies owned by Baha’is;
- two Baha’i-owned optical shops in Tehran receiving warning letters from the Opticians’ Trade Union to close down, after similar shops in Khomein and Rafsanjan were forced to close;
- an anti-Baha’i tract, titled Supporters of Satan, being widely distributed in the city of Kerman. The tract purveys misrepresentations of Baha’i history, including falsely asserting that the Baha’i Faith was a creation of the British;
- truckloads of construction refuse and soil being dumped on graves in the Baha’i cemetery of Boroujerd. Buildings in the Baha’i cemetery in Mashhad - including the place where the prayers were recited - were severely damaged by heavy machinery

Currently, including the seven leaders, some 50 Iranian Baha’is are in prison, some of them incarcerated for months at a time in solitary confinement cells, designed only for temporary detention.

“The pattern is clear: the Iranian government is systematically persecuting Baha’is for no reason other than their religious beliefs,” said Ms. Dugal.

“The government knows that the Baha’i teachings advocate non-violence and non-involvement in politics. Yet this campaign is rigorously pursued with one aim in sight –
the eradication of the Baha’i community as a viable entity in Iran,” she said.

“In this light, the imprisonment of the seven must be seen as an attempt to decapitate a community’s leadership, and strike a devastating blow to Iran’s largest non-Muslim religious minority.”

To read the article online and view photographs, go to:
http://news.bahai.org/story/789

For the Baha’i World News Service home page, go to:
http://news.bahai.org/

For a special report including articles and background information about the seven Iranian Baha’i leaders, go to:
http://news.bahai.org/human-rights/iran/yaran-special-report/.

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Copyright 2010 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/

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El ‘Baha’i World News Service’ publica un infome especial sobre los siete lideres baha’is iranies

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Baha’i World News Service publishes special report on seven Iranian Baha’i leaders

15 August (BWNS) – The Baha’i World News Service has published a special online report comprising articles and background information about the seven Iranian Baha’i leaders – their lives, their detention, trial and reported sentencing.

The report includes a chronology of the milestones in the case, profiles of the seven prisoners, statements made by the United Nations General Assembly and Secretary-General, a collection of expressions of support by governments, organizations and prominent individuals, and background materials on the persecution of Iran’s Bahai community. It also offers printable articles and photographs for news media and other uses.

“The trial of Iran’s seven Bahai leaders” can be accessed at: http://news.bahai.org/human-rights/iran/yaran-special-report/

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Copyright 2010 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/

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Clamor internacional sobre las sentencias de carcel para lideres baha’is iranies

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International outcry at prison sentences for Iranian Baha’i leaders

GENEVA, 11 August (BWNS) – Reports that seven Iranian Baha’i leaders have each received prison sentences of 20 years have been met with condemnation from governments and human rights organizations around the world.

Australia, Canada, France, Germany – and the President of the European Parliament – have all expressed strong statements of concern.

They are calling for the prisoners to be released on bail, for an annulment of the judgment, and for Iran to demonstrate that the trial was fair and in accordance with international standards.

Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lawrence Cannon, said that his country was “deeply disturbed” by the sentences that were “passed without either written judgments or due process.” He urged Iran to grant bail to the prisoners.

Germany described the outcome of the trial as a “massive setback for all those who engage themselves for the promotion of human dignity and human rights in Iran.”

Markus Loning, commissioner for human rights and humanitarian aid at Germany’s Foreign Office, said Iran must annul the judgment and “provide a fair and transparent court procedure.”

“There are major doubts as to the compliance with the basic legal rights during the judicial proceedings,” he said.

France expressed its “consternation” at the 20-year jail term.

At a press briefing, Christine Fages, a French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, stated that Iranian authorities should stop persecuting Baha’is and other religious minorities and “respect the freedom of religion and conscience as defined by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran has freely signed up.”

Australia has also shared its deep concern at the sentences. “We continue to call on Iran to ensure that all trials are fair and transparent and are conducted in accordance with Iran’s international obligations,” said a spokesman for the Australian government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

In a statement issued today, the President of the European Parliament – Jerzy Buzek – called the sentences “a shocking signal and an immense disappointment for all who have hoped for an improvement of the human rights situation in Iran.”

“Iran has committed itself to international standards and I underline that this includes also the respect and protection of religious freedom,” he said.

International human rights organizations have additionally joined the chorus of protest against the reported prison sentences.

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said the sentencing of the Baha’i leaders was “politically motivated, discriminatory, unjust, and illegal under Iranian and international law.”

“They have been sentenced for being Baha’is, nothing else, and their incarceration thus expresses a policy of oppression of the Baha’i Faith and its members,” said Aaron Rhodes, spokesperson for the Campaign.

Amnesty International described the Baha’i leaders as “prisoners of conscience jailed solely on account of their beliefs or peaceful activities on behalf of the persecuted Baha’i minority.”

“The seven were held for months without charge before being subjected to a parody of a trial. They must be immediately released,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty’s Middle East and North Africa deputy director.

In a statement, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Iranian League for the Defence of Human Rights (LDDHI) asked for the Iranian government to “act in conformity with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as international human rights instruments ratified by the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Human Rights Watch demanded the Iranian judiciary to release the seven immediately “given that no evidence appears to have ever been presented against them, and they have not been given a fair and public trial.”

“For more than two years now the Iranian authorities have utterly failed to provide the slightest shred of evidence indicating any basis for detaining these seven Baha’i leaders, let alone sentencing them to 20 years in prison,” said Joe Stork, deputy director of the Middle East division at Human Rights Watch.

Iran should take concrete steps that show it is committed to protecting the fundamental rights of Baha’is, said Mr. Stork

“The immediate and unconditional release of the seven Baha’i leaders would be a good start,” he said.

Diane Ala’i, Baha’i representative to the United Nations in Geneva, said the Baha’i International Community deeply appreciates the committed support offered so far by governments and human rights organizations.

“These statements demonstrate that increasing numbers of people of all races and religions throughout the world want to see justice done in Iran – not just for the Baha’is but all of its citizens who face gross human rights violations,” said Ms. Ala’i.

“For how much longer will the Iranian authorities remain oblivious to these upraised voices?” she said.

To read the article online and view pictures, go to:
http://news.bahai.org/story/787

For the Baha’i World News Service home page, go to:
http://news.bahai.org/

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Copyright 2010 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/

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Los informes dicen que los siete lideres Baha’is de Iran han recibido “sentencias”

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Reports say Iran’s seven Baha’i leaders “sentenced”

NEW YORK, 8 August (BWNS) - The Baha’i International Community has received reports indicating that seven Iranian Baha’i leaders have each received jail sentences of 20 years.

The two women and five men have been held in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison since they were arrested in 2008 - six of them on 14 May and one of them two months earlier.

“If this news proves to be accurate, it represents a deeply shocking outcome to the case of these innocent and harmless people,” said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations.

“We understand that they have been informed of this sentence and that their lawyers are in the process of launching an appeal,” said Ms. Dugal.

The prisoners - Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaie, Mahvash Sabet, Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Vahid Tizfahm - were all members of a national-level group that helped see to the minimum needs of Iran’s 300,000-strong Baha’i community, the country’s largest non-Muslim religious minority.

The trial of the seven consisted of six brief court appearances which began on 12 January this year after they had been incarcerated without charge for 20 months, during which time they were allowed barely one hour’s access to their legal counsel. The trial ended on 14 June.

The defendants were accused of espionage, propaganda activities against the Islamic order, and the establishment of an illegal administration, among other allegations. All the charges are completely and categorically denied.

To read this article online and view the photograph, go to:
http://news.bahai.org/story/786

For the Baha’i World News Service home page, go to:
http://news.bahai.org/

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Copyright 2010 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/

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Se alarga la detencion de siete lidreres baha’is en Iran

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Detention extended for seven Iranian Baha’i leaders

GENEVA, 5 August (BWNS) – The imprisonment of seven Baha’i leaders in Iran has been extended for a further two months, the Baha’i International Community has learned.

The trial of the seven concluded on 14 June. No verdict has yet been given.

“These innocent Baha’is have now been held for more than two years under a series of successive orders for their ‘temporary’ detention, which by law must not exceed two months,” said Diane Ala’i, representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva.

On 24 July, two days after the most recent two-month prison term concluded, the defense attorneys for the seven once again issued a formal request that the prisoners be released on bail, as permitted under Iranian law.

Since then, the judge presiding over the case has told the prisoners that their detention had once again been extended for two months.

The attorneys have now submitted a written objection to the extension, said Ms. Alai.

“There is no legal basis whatsoever to refuse the request that the defendants be released on bail,” she said.

The seven prisoners are Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaie, Mahvash Sabet, Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Vahid Tizfahm. They categorically deny charges of espionage, propaganda activities against the Islamic order, and “corruption on earth,” among other allegations.

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

Their trial consisted of six brief court appearances which began on 12 January after they had been imprisoned without charge for 20 months, during which time they were allowed barely one hour’s access to their legal counsel.

“That these people – held purely for their religious beliefs – have now entered the third year of their so-called ‘temporary’ incarceration under such inhumane conditions constitutes a deplorable violation of their human rights,” said Ms. Ala’i.

“The Iranian government must know that its actions are under close international scrutiny and that it is held wholly responsible for this terrible injustice,” she said “Once again, we call upon the authorities in Iran to take immediate action to release them.”

To read this article online and view a photograph, go to:
http://news.bahai.org/story/784

For the Baha’i World News Service home page, go to:
http://news.bahai.org/

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Copyright 2010 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/

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