AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, US STATE DEPARTMENT CALL FOR RELEASE OF BAHA'I
PRISONERS IN IRAN

GENEVA, 30 January 2008 (BWNS) -- In the wake of a US State Department
call for Iran to release Baha'i prisoners, Amnesty International has
issued an "urgent action" appeal on their behalf.

The three prisoners were taken into custody in Shiraz, Iran, last
November and are serving a four-year sentence on charges connected entirely
with their belief and practice in the Baha'i Faith.

"We urge the regime to release all individuals held without due process
and a fair trial, including the three young Baha'i teachers being held
in a Ministry of Intelligence detention center in Shiraz," said Sean
McCormack, a spokesman for the State Department on 23 January 2008.

Amnesty International issued its appeal on 25 January. It calls for
human rights activists around the world to write directly to Iranian
government officials on behalf of the Baha'i prisoners, asking why they have
been detained and calling on authorities not to ill-treat or torture
them.

"Haleh Rouhi Jahromi, Raha Sabet Sarvestani and Sasan Taqva, all
Baha'is (a religious minority), have been detained by the Ministry of
Intelligence in Shiraz since 19 November 2007," states the appeal, which was
posted on Amnesty International's Web site on 25 January 2008.

"Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in Persian,
Arabic, English or your own language," the appeal advises, "stating that
Amnesty International would consider them to be prisoners of conscience
if they are detained because of their Baha'i faith... calling for their
release if they are not to be charged with a recognizably criminal
offence and brought to trial promptly and fairly" and "calling on the
authorities not to torture or ill-treat them..."

The Amnesty International appeal recounts the story of the three
prisoners, who were initially part of a group of 54 Baha'is who were arrested
in May 2006 as they took part in an effort to educate underprivileged
children in Shiraz.

Most of the 54 were released after a few days, although Ms. Rouhi, Ms.
Sabet and Mr. Taqva were held for about a month. Then, in August 2007,
53 of those arrested were notified by a local court that they were
accused of "offenses relating to state security," according to the appeal.

Ms. Rouhi, Ms. Sabet and Mr. Taqva, moreover, were sentenced to four
years in prison, although they remained out on bail. Then, on 19 November
2007, the three were told by telephone to go to the Ministry of
Information office in Shiraz to retrieve items that had been confiscated in
the May 2006 arrests. Instead, they were incarcerated.

"When they did not return home, family members who had accompanied them
were given conflicting information by intelligence officials," says
the appeal. "The officials tried to claim that the three had not entered
the building, even though their relatives had seen them do so.
Eventually, their relatives were informed that the three were still being held
at the Office of the Ministry of Intelligence in Shiraz."

The appeal lists the ages of the prisoners as follows: Ms. Rouhi, 29;
Ms. Sabet, 33; and Mr. Taqva, 32.

According to the AI Web site, urgent action appeals are transmitted to
a network of more than 100,000 human rights activists in 70 countries.

Diane Ala'i, the representative of the Baha'i International Community
to the United Nations in Geneva, said that the BIC is gravely concerned
for the welfare of the three Baha'i prisoners.

"We hope that the urgent action appeal from Amnesty International, as a
signal from human rights defenders worldwide, and the US State
Department's statement, will help resolve their unjust detentions," she said.

Ms. Ala'i said the appeal was especially timely because Mr. Taqva has
an injured leg, from an automobile accident before his imprisonment,
which requires medical attention.

"The problem with his leg is extremely serious and painful," said Ms.
Ala'i. "It is understood that he requires surgery to remove a metal pin
that had been inserted previously."

Ms. Ala'i said that charges against the three, rather than involving
any legitimate concern over "state security" stem entirely from
accusations by the court that the Baha'is had been involved in the "indirect
teaching" of the Baha'i Faith.

"In fact," said Ms. Ala'i, "the three individuals were engaged in an
effort to help underprivileged children in their city, through a program
of training that emphasizes moral virtues.

"It is mind-boggling that the government of Iran would consider such
efforts to be any type of threat -- and wholly unwarranted that such
activities should result in lengthy prison sentence.

"There is no doubt that these three are prisoners of conscience, held
solely because of their belief in and practice of the Baha'i Faith,"
said Ms. Ala'i. "We know this because among those arrested in May 2006
were some individuals who are not Baha'is. They were released within a day
and have never faced charges."

The US State Department statement also took note of the "death under
suspicious circumstances" of Ebrahim Lotfallahi, an Iranian student of
Kurdish descent detained by the Ministry of Intelligence on January 6.
"We call on Iranian authorities to conduct a full investigation," said
Mr. McCormack. His statement also expressed concern over the continued
detention of three Amir Kabir University students.

The Amnesty International appeal can be read in full at
Iran: UA 25/08 - Possible prisoners of conscience/fear of torture or ill-treatment | Amnesty International

The US Department of State statement can be read at:
Death of Imprisoned Student in Iran


To view the photos and additional features click here:
Bahá'í World News Service - Bahá'í International Community

Iran judiciary confirms sentencing of 54 Baha'is
January 29, 2008 - 4:07pm
The Agence France-Presse reported today that Iran's judiciary has announced sentences for 54 members of the Baha'i Faith who were arrested in May 2006 in Shiraz while taking part in a project to educate underprivileged children.

According to AFP, judiciary spokesman Ali Reza Jamshidi told reporters that, "three Bahais have been sentenced to four years in prison for propaganda against the regime." Jamshidi said the other 51 Baha'is received suspended one-year jail terms conditioned on their attending courses held by state Islamic Propaganda Organisation.

Related media coverage:

Iran jails Bahai 'propagandists', BBC News, January 29, 2008

Iran Executes Bribery Convict, The New York Times, January 29, 2008

Tehran confirms arrest of members of Bahai religion, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, January 29, 2008

News Iran

New tactic obstructs Baha'i enrollments in Iranian universities
GENEVA
31 January 2008 (BWNS)

More than a million students take Iran's national university entrance examination each year. So Halaku Rahmaniyan was extremely pleased when he learned he had placed 76th from the top.

"I was happy, because I knew that it was a good result and that I could enter any subject in any university with that ranking," the 18-year-old student from Tehran wrote in a blog recently.

He did not understand why, then, he still had not been accepted anywhere by December. So Mr. Rahmaniyan called the national Education Measurement and Evaluation Organization (EMEO), which administers the exam, and spoke with a top official.

The official, too, was puzzled -- until Mr. Rahmaniyan said he was a Baha'i.

"Suddenly, after the word 'Baha'i,' he discontinued the call," wrote Mr. Rahmaniyan.

Then he received a letter from the EMEO.

"Respectfully, in response to your request for the issuance of a certificate of ranking for the year 2007, we would like to inform you that owing to you having an incomplete file, issuance of a certificate of ranking is not possible," stated the letter.

The story is one of many from Iran in recent months that highlight the latest tactic by the Iranian government in its long-running campaign to block Baha'is from access to higher education: to claim that their examination files are somehow "incomplete."

Almost 800 of the more than 1,000 Baha'is who sat for and properly completed the entrance exam in June 2007 have received word that their files are "incomplete" -- thus preventing their enrollment.

"These latest figures show that, despite its denials, the Iranian government is continuing its campaign to prevent Baha'is from going to university," said Diane Ala'i, the Baha'i International Community's representative to the United Nations in Geneva.

"The tactic of claiming that the examination files of Baha'i students are somehow 'incomplete' is yet another ruse by the government to act as if it respects human rights while covertly moving ahead with its persecution of Baha'is," said Ms. Ala'i, noting that none of the some 900 Baha'is who sat for the examination in 2006 received a notice of "incomplete files."

For more than 25 years, Baha'is have been banned from public and private universities in Iran. After pressure from the United Nations, governments, academic, educational, and human rights organizations, the government indicated in 2004 that it would stop asking university applicants about their religious affiliation, which seemed to open the door to Baha'i enrollments.

Each year since then, however, the government, which has been actively pursuing a campaign to identify all of the Baha'is in Iran and therefore is able to target Baha'i university students, has come up with some type of obstruction.

Iranian Baha'is sentenced to prison were helping underprivileged youth
GENEVA
6 February 2008 (BWNS)
Accusations by the Iranian government that 54 Baha'is were engaged in anti-regime "propaganda" when they were arrested almost two years ago are patently false, the Baha'i International Community said today.

In November, three of that group were re-arrested and imprisoned for four years. The others have reportedly been given suspended one-year sentences.

"Far from working against the government, the Baha'is who were arrested in May 2006 were engaged in a humanitarian project aimed at helping underprivileged young people in the city of Shiraz," said Diane Ala'i, the Baha'i International Community's representative to the United Nations in Geneva.

"Charges by the government that suggest otherwise are nothing less than an attempt to repress Iranian Baha'is generally and to deflect international criticism of Iran's human rights record," she said.

Concern over the status of the Baha'is sentenced in Shiraz was highlighted last week after an Iranian government spokesperson accused them of engaging in anti-government "propaganda," according to wire service reports. (While those reports put the total arrests at 54, Baha'i sources indicate that only 53 Baha'is were arrested in May 2006.)

That charge of anti-regime propaganda came several days after the US State Department and Amnesty International expressed concern over the fact that three of the Baha'is arrested had been summarily imprisoned in November for terms of four years.


Tutors and children gathered for class in Sahlabad, outside Shiraz, Iran. Such classes were shut down by the government in 2006.
According to Agence France-Presse, an Iranian judiciary spokesman, Ali Reza Jamshidi, confirmed the prison sentences for the three and also told reporters on 29 January that 51 others had received suspended one-year jail terms, conditional on their attendance of courses held by the state's Islamic Propaganda Organization.

"The accounts emerging from Iran tell of a government that is desperate to justify its actions in the jailing of three innocent people by accusing them of teaching the Baha'i Faith, which is synonymous with 'anti-regime propaganda' in the government's twisted perspective, said Ms. Ala'i. "This is further evidenced by the requirement that the others attend re-education classes, which are clearly aimed at coercing them away from their religious beliefs.

"While teaching the Baha'i Faith cannot be considered a crime of any sort, given that freedom of religion is protected by international law, the fact is that the Baha'is who were arrested almost two years ago in Shiraz were not working to spread Baha'i teachings -- rather they had initiated and were participating in a number of literacy and youth empowerment projects in various locations in and near Shiraz.


Class in Sahlabad, outside Shiraz, Iran.
"Moreover, the group had introduced the projects to the Islamic Council of the city of Shiraz in 2005 and had subsequently received a letter from the Cultural Commission granting permission to continue their activities," said Ms. Ala'i.

Ms. Ala'i also discussed charges, made in court documents, that the use of a workbook titled "Breezes of Confirmation," which focuses on teaching language skills and basic moral principles, constitutes part of the evidence that Baha'is were teaching the Baha'i Faith.

"The fact is," said Ms. Ala'i, " 'Breezes of Confirmation' makes no direct reference to the Baha'i Faith -- and its lessons reflect moral lessons common to all religions.

"In view of the government's continued rebuff of international appeals for the immediate release of the three prisoners, it is important to provide a detailed account, so as to set the record straight," said Ms. Ala'i. The names of the three are Haleh Rouhi Jahromi, 29; Raha Sabet Sarvestani , 33; and Sasan Taqva, 32.

Read an account of the development of the social service projects initiated by the Baha'i community of Shiraz.

View a sample lesson from the workbook "Breezes of Confirmation".


Related Photos
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Supporting documents
Chronology of the social service projects initiated by the Baha'i community of Shiraz
Document 1: English
(Adobe Acrobat 237KB)
Document 1: Persian
(Adobe Acrobat 98KB)
Sample lesson from the workbook "Breezes of Confirmation"
Document 2: English
(Adobe Acrobat 288KB)
Document 2: Persian
(Adobe Acrobat 207KB)
Background
History of persecution of Baháís in Iran – 1844 to present: A short summary

BWNS Story:
Amnesty International, US State Department call for release of Baha'i prisoners in Iran

Persian
Read this story in Persian

Source:

Bahá'í World News Service - Bahá'í International Community - Iranian government campaign against Baha’is shows new facets

07.02.2008


Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the deteriorating situation of the religious minority Baha’i in Iran
The EU expresses its serious concern at the worsening situation of ethnic and religious minorities in Iran, in particular to the plight of the Baha’i. According to reliable reports, the Iranian Judiciary confirmed that 54 Baha’is were sentenced by a court in Shiraz for ‘propaganda against the regime’. Three of the convicted Baha’is were sentenced to four years in prison, while 51 were given one year suspended prison terms.

The EU is concerned about the ongoing systematic discrimination and harassment of Baha'is in Iran, including the expulsion of university and high school students, restrictions on employment and anti-Baha'i propaganda campaigns in the Iranian media.

The EU wishes to express its firm opposition to all forms of discrimination, in particular regarding freedom of religion. In this context, the EU urges the Islamic Republic of Iran to release the Baha’i prisoners and stop prosecuting members of the Baha’i minority due to their belief and practice of the Baha'i Faith.

The Candidate Countries Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova align themselves with this declaration.

* Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

Draft Iranian law threatens gross human rights violations
NEW YORK
22 February 2008 (BWNS)

The Iranian Parliament is considering legislation that would institutionalize a series of gross human rights violations, affecting not only Baha'is but many others, even outside of Iran, the Baha'i International Community said today.

Of greatest concern is a section that would mandate the death penalty for anyone who converts from Islam to another religion, a provision that would affect not only Baha'is but also Christians, Jews, and others.

"This proposed law goes against all human rights norms and standards, including international treaties that Iran itself has agreed to," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.

"It is important for the international community to speak out, now, before it is too late and the draft code becomes Iran's law of the land."

The proposed law also would extend the government's reach over alleged security violations outside the country, give legal effect to discriminatory practices already in wide use against Baha'is and others, and redefine a series of "religious" and other crimes so vaguely as to place in jeopardy virtually any group facing government disapproval.

"If adopted, the code will permit the government and the clergy to act with impunity against Iran's citizens on the sole basis of their religious affiliation," said Ms. Dugal. "This is not only an affront to the people of Iran; it is an offense to all who seek to uphold fundamental human rights."

Ms. Dugal said the new section on religious conversion -- defined as apostasy -- is especially severe, in that its language mandates the death penalty for anyone who converts from Islam to another religion and does not immediately recant.

"The text uses the word Hadd, meaning that it explicitly sets death as a fixed punishment that cannot be changed, reduced or annulled," said Ms. Dugal. "In the past, the death penalty has been handed down -- and also carried out -- in apostasy cases, but it has never before been set down in law.

"The law also extends to naming as apostate any follower of a religion other than Islam who had one parent who was a Muslim at the time of his or her conception. Thus, for instance, the child of a Muslim and a Christian who chooses to adopt the Christian faith would be considered an apostate under the terms of the law and therefore subject to execution," Ms. Dugal said.

Another troubling section of the proposed code would extend "security" laws outside the country, exposing those outside Iran to the government's reach.

"Iran is apparently not content with targeting those it considers its opponents only within its borders," said Ms. Dugal, explaining that Article 112 of the proposed code refers to actions "against the government, the independence and the internal and external security of the country."

"Since the notion of 'security' is not defined in the law, any action can be qualified as such," Ms. Dugal said. "Indeed, many Iranian Baha'is have been falsely accused of activities against the security of the state.

"If the new penal code is adopted, Iranian Baha'is -- and others -- all over the world would likewise be liable for actions taken outside Iran that are considered contrary to Iran's security."

The code's vagueness with respect to "offending the sacred" and other crimes would give the government free license to act against any group it disapproves of, said Ms. Dugal. "The code includes articles that refer to the commission of unspecified crimes or felonies, as well as articles referring to those guilty of 'corruption and mischief on the earth,'" she said.

"It would also institute capital punishment for anyone who 'insults the Prophet,'" Ms. Dugal explained. "Such provisions place many groups, including Baha'is, in an extremely vulnerable position, since an 'insult' to the Prophet can be defined in almost any context, especially where religious belief is concerned."

In related developments, the president of the European Union recently expressed "serious concern" over the "deteriorating situation" of the Baha'i community in Iran.

"The EU expresses its serious concern at the worsening situation of ethnic and religious minorities in Iran, in particular to the plight of the Baha'i," said Dr. Dimitrij Rupel of Slovenia, the president of the EU.

"The EU is concerned about the ongoing systematic discrimination and harassment of Baha'is in Iran, including the expulsion of university and high school students, restrictions on employment and anti-Baha'i propaganda campaigns in the Iranian media."

This video "Quenching the Light" is a good summary of the oppression of Baha'is in Iran. I haven't heard of some of tehse accounts so thought it should be added here:

http://youtube. com/watch? v=EA1t1caL9L8

Thanks for posting that link. It was wonderful to see these videos being posted where people can see them.

What puzzled me after looking at a couple of them was the negativity, hostility and sheer obtuseness of some of the responses.

We are such fragile creatures that the suffering of others actually makes us defensive and angry. I think it's part of the dehumanization process that some people seem to need to keep then from identifying with or feeling compassion for a group they believe they must be in conflict with.

Thanks for the post Kaath!

and Happy Ridwan!

- Art

No doubt I'll be condemned for this observation, but at the very least, the reason that B'hai's are more disliked than "people of the Book" by Muslims should be fairly obvious. Jews and Christians appear, to the Muslim view, to at least be worshipping the same God, and Islam recognizes the prophets Moses and Jesus, and that they had some good things to say.

In the best possible light in Islam, then, the Jews and Christians just missed noticing the appearance of Muhammad, who is the last and greatest prophet sent by this god of all. They may be misguided, but they can surely be forgiven that.

B'hai's, on the other hand, by their belief that there was yet another prophet create a direct affront to the most central of all Muslim beliefs -- that Muhammad was the last prophet -- there will be no more.

It would, therefore i think, be much, much more difficult for Muslims to be accepting of the B'hai faith. To accept such a faith would be tantamount to at least opening up the possibility of prophets after Muhammad, and that would be intolerable.

(This, by the way, is another one of the many reasons that I constantly ask, and am constantly ignored, how one is to know when someone claims to have received a revelation from God, that they did in fact do so, and it isn't either a deliberate ruse or a delusion.

Also, it is my stake in the ground that, as there is no possible way to differentiate between them -- assuming that revelations actually do occur -- then there is no possible way to assess even one's own religion as being more likely than any other. That one believes it anyway is what faith is about, but that must remain an ultimately private issue, which can have no claim on any other person, for any purpose under heaven.)