Filmmaker's open letter re imprisoned fiancé; not only Bahá'ís accused of spying - a respected US-Iranian journalist is as well

Two soul-stirring articles: one from the attentive blog of David Henderson - consultant, author, journalist; the other a post to the intelligent blog Kids Side by Side by Keyvan.

Iran … Where Americans are Imprisoned

In January, a journalist named Roxana Saberi - who grew up in Fargo, North Dakota; was crowned Miss North Dakota; attended Northwestern University in Chicago; and, holds dual U.S.-Iran citizenship - was arrested in Iran, accused of spying for the U.S....

Ms. Saberi's financee - Bahman Ghobadi - is an Iranian filmmaker who has released the following open letter to the woman he loves in an attempt to get world attention on her plight.

(Excerpt:)

It is with tears in my eyes that I say she is innocent and guiltless. It is me, who has known her for years, and shared every moment with her, who declares it. She was always busy reading and doing her research. Nothing else. During all these years I've known her, she wouldn't go anywhere without letting me know... To her friends, her family, everyone that surrounded her, she had given no signs of unreasonable behavior. How come someone who would spend days without going out of her apartment, except to see me; ...had sometimes trouble making a living; someone who was looking for a sponsor to get in contact with a local publisher so her book would be printed here (in Iran); could now be charged with a spying accusation?! We all know – no, we have all seen in movies – that spies are malicious and sneaky... and that they are very well paid. And now my heart is full of sorrow.

My letter is a desperate call to all statesmen and politics, and to all those who can do something to help. From the other side of the ocean, the Americans have protested against her imprisonment, because she is an American citizen. But I say no, she is Iranian, and she loves Iran. I beg you, let her go! I beg you not to throw her in the midst of you political games! ... Let me be present at her trial...and testify she is without guilt or reproach.

However, I am optimistic about her release, and I firmly hope the verdict will be cancelled in the next stage of the trial.

My Iranian girl with Japanese eyes and an American ID, is in jail. Shame on me! Shame on us!

Bahman Ghobadi

Read the whole story here.

8 year old Bahá'í boy misses his imprisoned mom! Can any one help?

Yesterday I was watching KCET T.V. news and was quite saddened to hear about the situation of the NPR reporter Roxana Saberi who is now in the notorious Evin Prison of the Islamic Republic Regime of Iran. Because of what? Because the Islamic Republic Regime of Iran has its own agenda that no other International body or authority seems to respect or understand. Because of the same reasons, the 7 members of the ad-hock committee of the Bahaís of Iran are in the Evin prison. What a shame that Roxana, a dedicated journalist, a talented musician, a loving and young servant of humanity who is respected by all who know her and work with her, be put behind the bars of the notorious Evin prison, and subjected to hours of psychological torture and interrogation. I said a prayer for her protection.

Seeing her parents siting next to each other on a couch and with great concern for her safety and life, pleading for the supreme leaders compassion and reason swelled my eyes with tears! I felt their agony, watching what her poor mother and father, so helpless, so worried, so desperate, yet hopeful for a glimmer of sense from the senseless!! It also reminded me of Fariba Kamal-Abadi and the other Bahaís prisoners in that prison, interrogated for hours and subjected to inhumane treatment for over a year now.

It is the period of Ridvan and the Bahaís from all religious, racial and national background, all over the world are celebrating the Festival of Ridvan when Bahaú'llah declared His message of oneness, unity and peace for all. But these innocent human beings whose only crime is their beautiful and humane belief are withering in the Evin prison. May God watch over them and protect them from the claws of their enemies because human beings appear helpless to do so.

From a different corner, the beleaguered Baha'is of Shiraz are crying out to us for help [more on this here - Editor], and all humanity is feeling helpless!! They are writing; "The Imprisoned Bahais in Shiraz are being kept under inhumane conditions. They are held in small cells, in solitary confinement. These cells are about 2.2 meters x 2.2 meters wide, with an open washroom at the corner, and without any sort of windows, openings or ventilation system. Their bedding consists merely of two blankets on the cement prison floor. At present, there are seven Bahai detained in the city of Shiraz. The Baha'i way of thinking and believing, about religion is threatening to the Islamic Republic Regeme, you can see.

Among them, the situation of Haleh Houshamandi-Salehi (arrested March 18, 2009), is the gravest. She has a heart ailment and her physician has stated that any stress or trauma will have an extremely serious impact on her health. Under the intense psychological and physical pressures of solitary confinement and ongoing interrogations, she developed numbness on the left side of her body to the point that she could not get herself up from the floor. After 22 days in solitary confinement, authorities transferred Halah Ruhi (detained since October 2007), to Halehs cell. Although Haleh Houshamandi-Salehi is being given some medication in the prison, she is in urgent need of proper medical care and the attention of a heart specialist. Her family has taken her medical records to the detention center, hoping for compassion and understanding.

However, in response to her family's ongoing inquiries into Halehs condition, the judiciary investigator recently said: Who cares about what happens if one of you dies, one less the better!! I say woe, for the cause of justice, the Luke Sky Walkers of humanity that have become the prisoners of the dark forces, the Dart-waders of history of humanity.

Haleh Houshmadi-Salehis 8-year old son, Sooren, traumatized by the raid of his home and the detainment of his mother, often bursts into tears. The mothers of his classmates help their children with their homework, drop them off and pick them up from school, but the authorities have left Sooren without his mother. He says, I feel like crying, but I try very hard and stop myself. I worry that my classmates will make fun of me. He often asks when his mother will be home, but no one has any answers to comfort this broken-hearted child." Is this the religion of peace that the Prophet of Islam suffered to bring? Who is responsible for the protection of the human rights of innocent children in Iran today?

"Iran Watch reports that on April 4, a bail was set by the Prosecutor General of Fars province for the release of four of the prisoners arrested in the last two months. However, the judiciary investigator stated that under no condition would he accept the instructions of the Prosecutor General and allow these Bahais to be discharged on bail.

A few days ago, an arrest order was briefly shown to a Bahai that was being questioned by Islamic authorities. The arrest order was entitled: Arrest Warrant of all Connected Individuals. This revelation is very alarming as it indicates the authorities intentions to use such broad reaching statements to justify numerous arrests. With such a vague and ambiguous warrant, any and all family members of the detained Bahais can be considered connected individuals and any Bahai can be considered a connected individual by virtue of their faith and their common beliefs. Their use of elusive terminology on warrants allows them to detain, question and arrest any individual for any period of time, at will, and without any further justification or clarification.

It is the urgent hope of the detainees families that the ongoing atrocities against Bahais are stopped, and that their loved ones, detained solely because of their beliefs, are released."
It looks like all humanity who has humanity is feeling helpless in releasing these birds of God's love from the claws of the inhumanity of those who are thirsty for their blood and hungry for their flesh.
let us ask for help from the Supreme Protector of all.
Please join me in crying out for justice and compassion for all children:

O Lord! Draw up the people from the abyss of the ocean of hatred and enmity, and
deliver them from this impenetrable darkness. Unite their hearts, and brighten
their eyes with the light of peace and reconciliation. Deliver them from the
depths of war and bloodshed, and free them from the darkness of error. Remove
the veil from their eyes, and enlighten their hearts with the light of guidance.
Treat them with Thy tender mercy and compassion, and deal not with them
according to Thy justice and wrath which cause the limbs of the mighty to quake.

O Lord! Wars have persisted. Distress and anxiety have waxed great and every
flourishing region is laid waste.
O Lord! Hearts are heavy, and souls are in
anguish. Have mercy on these poor souls and do not leave them to the excesses of
their own desires.
O Lord! Make manifest in Thy lands humble and submissive
souls, their faces illumined with the rays of guidance, severed from the world,
extolling Thy Name, uttering Thy praise, and diffusing the fragrance of Thy
holiness amongst mankind. 58
O Lord! Strengthen their backs, gird up their
loins, and enrapture their hearts with the most mighty signs of Thy love.
O
Lord! Verily, they are weak, and Thou art the Powerful and the Mighty; they are
impotent, and Thou art the Helper and the Merciful.
O Lord! The ocean of
rebellion is surging, and these tempests will not be stilled save through Thy
boundless grace which hath embraced all regions.
O Lord! Verily, the people
are in the abyss of passion, and naught can save them but Thine infinite
bounties.

('Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of the Divine Plan, p. 57)

Keyvan

Source is here.