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24HourForums.com > The Top 10 Supported Forums > 24's Religion & Philosophy > Update on Baha`i Persecution in Iran |
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Popeyesays Guardian1000© Member
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Bahá'í World News Service Last updated: 19 June 2008 Note: This report, updated regularly, is provided as a service to news media and others desiring details of the situation of the Baha'is in Iran. All information has been verified by the Baha'i International Community. All seven members of national coordinating committee still in prison. The seven members of the committee that had seen to the minimum needs of the 300,000-member Baha’i community of Iran are still being held by the government. No formal charges have been filed against them, and none of them have been allowed contact with an attorney. The Baha’i International Community has learned, however, that all seven have now had very brief telephone contact with their families. After being held incommunicado – Mrs. Mahvash Sabet since her arrest on 5 March and the other six since their arrests on 14 May – on 3 June 2008 Mrs. Sabet and Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi were each permitted to make a short phone call to their families. Since then, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm also have had brief phone contact with their families. Mrs. Sabet had been held in the city of Mashhad but on 26 May was transferred to Evin Prison in Tehran. It is believed that the other six people are also in Evin Prison. See Baha'i World News Service articles of 27 May, 21 May, and 15 May for information about the arrests and detention. More than 20 Baha’is currently detained. More than 20 Baha’is are incarcerated, many without any specific charges. Dozens more are out on bail and awaiting trial on various charges. In a few instances, there have been trials followed by convictions and prison sentences, but it is clear that the reason for all the arrests in question is the fact that the individuals are Baha’is. No credible charges have ever been stated. Examples of some recent detentions: § Mr. Mehran Bandi of Yazd was arrested and taken away on 29 May 2008. His whereabouts are unknown. On the day of his arrest, his computer company was raided and searched by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence; computers and CDs were seized and the premises locked and sealed. Mr. Bandi’s home and workplace had been subjected to raids several times previously. § On 22 May 2008, Mr. Foad Naeemi of Sari in Mazandaran province began serving a prison sentence for his conviction last September of “being active in the Baha’i sect.” His sentence is two and a half years in prison followed by two years banishment to a small town in Fars province. § In late May, in Vilashahr, five Baha’is – three men and two women -- were called in for questioning by the Ministry of Intelligence, purportedly about an “illegal burial” in a Baha’i cemetery that has been in use for 15 years. The men were subsequently subjected to a hearing and then locked up until they were able to post bail. A trial presumably will be held at some point, but no details have been given as to the charges against the men. § In Ghaemshahr in Mazandaran province, two Baha’i men were taken into custody on 19 May 2008 to serve prison sentences following rejection of their appeals of earlier convictions. Mr. Changiz Derakhshanian was convicted of “propagation on behalf of an organization which is anti-Islamic” – a charge the Baha’is categorically deny – and sentenced to five months in prison. Mr. Ali Ahmadi was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment plus one year in exile. Examples of other incidents: § In Kerman on 29 May 2008, unknown arsonists set fire to the car of a person attending a Baha’i holy day commemoration. The owner of the car had been receiving phone threats for two months. § In Shiraz on 19 March 2008, Masoud Imani, a 53-year-old businessman, was attacked by people on the street and chained to a tree. The attackers then poured gasoline on him and attempted to light a fire. Fortunately, the matches either didn’t light or went out before hitting the gasoline. A cyclist passing by noticed something was wrong and came over to help. The assailants fled, and neighbors then assisted Mr. Imani and notified the police. § Between 18 November 2007 and 10 January 2008, “Kayhan,” a government-backed national newspaper, published a series of 40 articles about the Baha’is in pre-revolutionary Iran, portraying the community as a powerful and wealthy group that was bent on undermining the teachings of Islam. Baha’is are described as cruel and dishonest, ruthless in business, tax-evaders, of dissolute character, involved in drugs, and long known as looters and murderers. The articles also alleged that the Baha’is are part of a political movement against Islam that introduced western ideologies to Iran, as evidenced by their support of the removal of the hijab policy in the Pahlavi era. Summary: Harassment of Baha’is is pervasive and becoming worse. In recent months, many, many incidents of the following types of persecution have been reported all across Iran: § Arrests and detention, with imprisonment lasting for days, months, or years. In cases where the Baha’i is released, substantial bail is often required. § Direct intimidation and questioning by authorities, sometimes with the use of high-intensity lights and physical mistreatment. § Searches of homes and business, usually with Baha’i books and other items confiscated. § School expulsions and harassment of schoolchildren. § Prohibition on Baha’is attending universities. § Court proceedings where Baha’is are accused of promoting propaganda against the government “for the benefit of the Bahaist sect. § Monitoring of the bank accounts, movements, and activities of Baha’is, including official questioning of Baha’is requiring them to give information about their lives, actions, neighbors, etc. § Denial or confiscation of business licenses. § Denial of work opportunities in general. § Denial of rightful inheritances to Baha’is. § Physical assaults, and efforts to drive Baha’is out of towns and villages. § Desecration and destruction of Baha’i cemeteries, and harassment over burial rights. § Dissemination, including in official news media, of misinformation about Baha’is, and incitement of hatred against Baha’is. § Evictions from places of business, including Baha’i doctors from their offices and clinics. § Intimidation of Muslims who associate with Baha’is. § Attempts by authorities to get Baha’is to spy on other Baha’is. § Threatening phone calls and letters to Baha’is. § Denial of pension benefits. § Denial of access to publishing or copying facilities for Baha’i literature. § Confiscation of property.
For more information go to: http://news.bahai.org/human-rights/iran/iran-update.html
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Popeyesays Guardian1000© Member
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NOBEL LAUREATES CALL FOR RELEASE OF IRANIAN BAHA'I PRISONERS NEW YORK, 30 June 2008 (BWNS) -- Six Nobel Peace Prize laureates have issued a statement calling on the Iranian government to free immediately seven prominent Iranian Baha'is imprisoned in Tehran. The six Nobel winners, under the banner of the Nobel Women's Initiative, called on the Iranian government to guarantee the safety of the Baha'is -- being held in Evin Prison with no formal charges and no access to lawyers -- and to grant them an unconditional release. "We are thankful to these internationally prominent activists for calling publicly for the release of our fellow Baha'is, who are detained for no reason other than their religion," said Bani Dugal, principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations. The Nobel laureates supporting the statement are: -- Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan Maguire, founders of the Peace People in Northern Ireland and winners of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1976; -- Rigoberta Menchu Tum, a leading advocate of ethno-cultural reconciliation in her native Guatemala and Nobel winner in 1992; -- Professor Jody Williams, international campaigner for the banning of land mines, winner in 1997; -- Iranian human rights lawyer Dr. Shirin Ebadi, winner in 2003; -- Kenyan environmental activist Professor Wangari Muta Maathai, Nobel winner in 2004. Their statement, issued on the letterhead of the Nobel Women's Initiative, reads: "We note with concern the news of the arrest of six prominent Baha'is in Iran on 14 May 2008. We note that Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm are members of the informal group known as the Friends in Iran that coordinates the activities of the Baha'i community in Iran; we further note that another member of the Friends in Iran, Mrs Mahvash Sabet, has been held in custody since 5 March 2008; we register our deepest concern at the mounting threats and persecution of the Iranian Baha'i community. "We call on the Iranian Government to guarantee the safety of these individuals (and) grant their immediate unconditional release." The Nobel Women's Initiative was established in 2006 by the six women laureates - representing North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa - to contribute to building peace by working together with women around the world. Only 12 women have ever won the Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Women's Initiative maintains an office in Ottawa, Canada.
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24HourForums.com > The Top 10 Supported Forums > 24's Religion & Philosophy > Update on Baha`i Persecution in Iran | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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