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Los baha’is denuncian la falta de garantias procesales en el juicio en Iran

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Baha’is condemn lack of due process at trial in Iran

NEW YORK, 31 January (BWNS) - 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 follows:

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 and raise their voice to protest against the blatant violations of human
rights in Iran, of which yesterday’s trial is only the most recent example.

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