LONDON, 11 Oct – Dame Rosalyn Higgins QC, former President of the International Court of Justice, has joined Linda Lee, President of the Law Society, and Mark Muller QC, Chair of the Bar Human Rights Committee, in urging the Iranian authorities to ensure that the appeal by the seven imprisoned leaders of the Baha’i community in Iran against their 10-year prison sentence is conducted fairly. A letter signed by the three prominent lawyers, published in The Guardian on 9 October, expresses their serious concern about the lack of due process accorded to the seven during [...] Read more »
Harsh sentences for Baha'i leaders – a judgment against an entire religious community
NEW YORK — 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, [...] Read more »
British Foreign Secretary condemns sentencing of Iran's Baha'i leaders
LONDON, 11 August – On hearing the report that the seven leaders of the Baha’i community in Iran had each been sentenced to 20 years in prison, Foreign Secretary William Hague has issued a statement. “I was appalled to hear of the 20 year prison sentence handed out to the seven spiritual leaders of the Bahá’í faith in Iran,” said Mr Hague. “This is a shocking example of the Iranian state’s continued discrimination against the Bahá’ís. It is completely unacceptable. “The Iranian judiciary has repeatedly failed to allay international and domestic concerns that these seven [...] Read more »
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 [...] Read more »
Reports say Iran's Baha'i leaders "sentenced"
NEW YORK — 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. [...] Read more »
Judge extends detention of Iran's seven Baha'i leaders
The judge presiding over the trial of seven Baha’i leaders in Iran has extended their detention by two months. No verdict has been yet been handed down from the final session of the trial of the seven, which took place on 14 June. The seven were taken to the judge’s office on 28 July. The judge informed them in the presence of a member of their legal team that their detention had been extended for another two months as of 22 July. Lawyers for the Baha’i leaders have submitted a written objection to the ongoing [...] Read more »
Iran's Baha'i leaders face court for fourth time
Iran’s imprisoned leaders, l to r: Behrooz Tavakkoli, Fariba Kamalabadi, Vahid Tizfahm, Mahvash Sabet, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Saeid Rezaie, Afif Naeimi The seven Baha’i leaders in Iran, imprisoned for more than two years, face their fourth court appearance on 12 June, the Baha’i World News Service has reported. The trial of the seven began on 12 January after they had been incarcerated without charge in Tehran’s Evin prison for 20 months. Further hearings in Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran took place on 7 February and 12 April. “In the court sessions held so [...] Read more »
Iran's Baha'i leaders make second court appearance
The UK Baha’i community learned on Sunday 7 February that the seven imprisoned Baha’i leaders had appeared in court on Sunday in Iran for a second session of their trial. The session was once again closed, and family members were not permitted in the courtroom, the Baha’i International Community has learned. The hearing, which lasted just over one hour, does not seem to have gone beyond procedural issues. No date was given for any future sessions. The seven were arrested nearly two years ago and have been held in Tehran’s Evin prison since that time, [...] Read more »
Baha'is condemn lack of due process at trial in Iran
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 [...] Read more »
Baha'i leaders face next court session on 7 February
A report from the Baha’i World News Service indicates that the Iranian authorities have notified the lawyers of the seven imprisoned Baha’i leaders in Iran that their trial will continue in Tehran on 7 February. At their first court appearance, held 12 January in Tehran, the charges were read to the seven, who categorically denied the accusations. “While we know little about what actually took place inside the court, we can now say for certain that these seven innocent Baha’is stood up and firmly rejected all of the charges against them,” said Diane Ala’i of [...] Read more »