Video: "A Voice From Prison": Poem dedicated to imprisoned Baha'i leaders

A poem from the heart - to the seven imprisoned former Bahá'í leaders of Iran.

Voice From Prison is a poem dedicated to the seven Baha'i leaders of Iran, who are currently imprisoned and who faced the anniversary of their arrest on Thursday 14 May 2009, along with new and extremely grave accusations, after spending a year in jail without formal charges or access to their lawyer, Shirin Ebadi.

"Despite their obvious innocence and the call by many for their immediate release, these seven men and women have been in legal limbo for a year now, against all international human rights standards," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.

In Persian:

"Moreover, their families have recently been told of a possible new charge - 'the spreading of corruption on earth,' which goes by the term 'Mofsede fel-Arz' in Persian and carries the threat of death under the penal code of the Islamic Republic of Iran," said Ms. Dugal.

"The sequence of events surrounding their detention exposes a shameless travesty of justice. Notwithstanding their having been subjected to intensive interrogations, it took a full seven months before they were given even a single pretext for their detention. On February 10, 2009, the Iranian Student News Agency quoted Tehran deputy prosecutor Hassan Haddad as having said that the investigation of these individuals was complete and that 'the case will be sent to the revolutionary court next week' and that these Baha'is are accused of 'espionage for Israel, insulting religious sanctities and propaganda against the Islamic Republic.' The international protest expressed by governments and civil society was immediate and widespread, causing the Iranian authorities to review their approach.

"Now a new wrongful accusation reportedly has been added some three months after the investigation was supposed to have concluded. The charge of being spreaders of corruption was used against the Baha'is who were executed in the years immediately following the Islamic revolution. That it may now be resorted to in this case is a further demonstration that the authorities have no basis for any allegation against these seven individuals, other than blatant religious persecution. This action against the Baha'i leadership reflects the government's sharply increased persecution of the entire Iranian Baha'i community of more than 300,000 members.





Poem & Music: Written & read by Mrs Shahla Ghotbi-Nabilzadeh Video by Sabbynur

A Voice From Prison (Text in Persian)

خواهي اگر شادم كني

آه .... دلتنگم و
يك چيز مرا شاد كند
كه تو ابلاغ كني حرف خدا
وبگويي كه چرا در بندم
سخن از صلح بگو با دنيا
سخن از عشق بها
كه به او دلبندم
سخن از يك وطن و
وحدت انسانها يش
علت خلقت ما انسانها
عشق خداست
مهر او, عهد و پيمانهايش
گوشه اين تاريك
زندگي جز لغت عشق ندارد مفهوم
ور نه هر لهظه به بام زندان
سايه اي هست سايه اي شوم
گوشه اين تاريك
عشق معناي جديدي دارد
رنگ قشنگي دارد
رنگ زندان
با همه تيرگي و بد رنگي
چون براي يار است
چون بنام يار است
ساز و آهنگ قشنگي دارد
گاه از درد نمي خوابم من
سينه از بغض نفس كم دارد
چشمها قطره شبنم دارد
شايد اين درد ز عشق است
كه پروانه شوم
پر و بالي بزنم آتش و
ديوانه شوم
باز دلتنگم و
يك چيز دلم شاد كند
كه تو ابلاغ كني
لازمه صلح جهان
و بگويي كه به آشفتگي
وضع جهان,نگرانيم,نگران
عشق بر عالم و بر انسانها
درس اين مكتب و اين راه بود
آنكه جز صلح و صفا راه رود
اي دريغا كه در اين
غافله گمراه بود
از تو خواهم كه
بجاي من و همراهانم
پيك شادي برساني
به همه پير و جوان
و مرا شاد كني
با كلامي از حق
باز مرا ياد كني
با بشارات خدا
خلق خدا شاد كني
وچنين باز مرا ياد كني
قلب بشكسته من شاد كني
+ + + + + + +
11/August/2008
(Shahla Ghotbi-Nabilzadeh)

VIDEO marking anniversary of Bahá'í leadership's arrest

Two articles: a video (2 min.) about developments since the Yaran's (group of seven) arrest and timeline for their imprisonment. From iranpresswatch.org.

Video marking the Anniversary of the Yaran Incarceration

Posted: 14 May 2009 12:18 PM PDT

Today marks the anniversary of the incarceration of the seven Baha'i leaders in Iran.

This video is also available on Vimeo and on Youtube.

In March and May 2008, the leaders of the Bahai Community in Iran ( Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm) were arrested by the Iranian authorities. The seven have since been held in the notorious Evin Prison without access to to lawyers and very limited contact to their families.
In February, authorities finally announced the charges against the leaders: espionage for Israel, insulting religious sanctities, and propaganda against the Islamic republic.
Their detention and pending trial constitute one step in a 30-year-long systematic campaign orchestrated by the government to eliminate the Baha'i community as a viable entity in Iran, the birthplace of the Baha'i Faith.
The background track used in this clip is O Saya from the Slumdog Millionaire.

Timeline of the Imprisonment of the Yaran

Posted: 14 May 2009

The following provides an overview of the months since the initial imprisonment in March and May 2008 of the seven Iranian Baha'is, known as the Yaran ('Friends'), who had previously functioned as an adhoc coordinating body for the Baha'i community of Iran.

• March 5, 2008: Mahvash Sabet, one of the Baha'i leaders, was arrested in Mashhad.
• May 14, 2008: The remaining six Baha'i leaders - Behrouz Tavakkoli, Saeid Rezaie, Fariba Kamalabadi, Vahid Tizfahm, Jamaloddin Khanjani, and Afif Naeimi - were arrested at their homes in Tehran. They were charged with "espionage on behalf of Israel", "insulting the sacredness of Islam", and "propaganda against the regime."
• September 2008: After being held in solitary confinement for about 4 months, the Yaran were relocated to a normal prison cell in Tehran's Evin Prison, where they have been held ever since.
• October 2008: The Yaran were separated from other prisoners, where the five men have been kept in one cell and the two women in another, isolated from others.

• February 11, 2009: The legal reporter of ISNA, Judge Hassan Haddad stated that the Yaran would be tried within the coming week. This did not take place.
• February was marked by strong condemnation of the case of the Yaran throughout the world press and governments. A list of the most significant articles and statements can be found here.
• February 25, 2009: The Yaran were allowed to meet with their families. Their trial was also said to be postponed for another two weeks, but again, this did not hold up.
• February 27, 2009: Iran's Attorney-General, Qorban-Ali Dorri-Najafabadi, declared that the Yaran have confessed to the charges leveled against them, obviously a blatant lie.
• March 2009: The Yaran decided that as a measure of goodwill to disband all Baha'i organizations in Iran. This decision was ratified by the Universal House of Justice.
• April 27, 2009: A fourth charge was leveled against the Yaran: "Aiding, teaching and propagating the Baha'i religion in Iran." This is tantamount to "mufsed fel-arz" [corrupt on earth] which has historically carried harsh consequences, including the death penalty. This report was confirmed by the Baha'i World News Service on May 12, 2009.

Video in remembrance of 1980 National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Iran - disappeared tracelessly

From iranpresswatch.org.

Remembering Iran’s 1980 National Spiritual Assembly

Posted: 30 Apr 2009



Following the Islamic revolution in 1979, the Baha’is of Iran, who had long been the victims of periodic outbreaks of violence, the later rounds of which had been instigated by the notorious SAVAK, were subjected to a fresh wave of persecution.
In August 1980 all nine members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Iran — a national council whose election and functioning are prescribed in the Baha’i teachings and which forms part of the Baha’i administrative structure in all countries — were abducted and disappeared without a trace. Undoubtedly they were executed.
Members subsequently elected to this council, as well as scores of individuals with influence in the Baha’i community, including several members of Local Spiritual Assemblies — councils operating at the local level — were executed by the government in the years immediately after.
The following video is a remembrance of the 1980 National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Iran.
Download: NSA Iran 1980 (WMV)

Related posts
What is There to Celebrate? (2)
Violations of the Rights of our Baha’i Countrymen (2)
Trial of Iranian Baha’i leadership: An Open Letter to Ayatollah Dorri-Najafabadi (15)

Video (3min): Story of sufferings of Baha'is in Iran since Revolution, in a nutshell

A powerful and truthful video produced by the The Muslim Network for Baha’i Rights regarding the persecution of the Baha’is in Iran:



Sequel to Persepolis exposes the reality of the suffering of the Baha'is in Iran since the Revolution and until today, and calls for action on their behalf. Note: The images for this clip were borrowed from Marjan Satrapi's film "Persepolis", an admirable work which serves as inspiration to us all.

2,500 years ago, Cyrus the Great penned down what is regarded as the first declaration for human rights, affirming the right of freedom of worship. But centuries later, what is the condition of Iran's largest religious minority?

For more information on Baha'i human rights abuses please visit: www.bahairights.org

To see more of our work please visit: www.mideastyouth.com/censeo

Video 4 min. - GENOCIDE - Bare facts of the persecutions in Iran

Murder with Impunity from Bobby Aazami on Vimeo.

This video shows commentaries about the persecution of the Baha’is. The term 'genocide' is used to describe what is happening in Iran to the followers of this peaceful religion at the hands of the authorities, which is entirely warranted according to its dictionary meaning, "the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group."1

The Iranian government is currently intensifying its persecution of its largest religious minority, the Baha'is. Please watch and consider what you might do to stop the murder in the dark - of Baha'is AND of other peoples persecuted solely on account of their religious beliefs.

Notes:

1. genocide. (2009). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
Retrieved March 9, 2009, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/genocide