Prison conditions sickening for 7 former Baha'i leaders, possible trial date set

Three articles giving updates on the situation of the imprisoned 'Yaran'.

Reports of a trial date for Baha'i leaders falsely accused of espionage

24 June 2009

According to information conveyed by the authorities in Evin prison to the family members of the seven Baha'is who have been imprisoned in Tehran, Iran, for over a year, their trial date has been set for 11 July 2009. This information has been provided to the family members only orally and, as information conveyed by officials concerning the judicial process has often proved unreliable, it is possible that the Iranian authorities may find some reason to change the trial date.
The seven were arrested in the spring of 2008 and have been held more than a year without formal charges or access to their attorneys. Official Iranian news reports have said the Baha'is will be accused of "espionage for Israel, insulting religious sanctities and propaganda against the Islamic Republic."

The trial is apparently scheduled to be held at Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court. This is where American-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi was recently convicted of espionage and sentenced to 8 years imprisonment. She was eventually released, but only after an international outcry at the clear politicization of the case and manifestly unjust legal procedures.
"These seven individuals are facing completely false charges," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations. "They - along with the some 30 other Baha'is currently in prison in Iran - are innocent of any wrongdoing and are being held solely because of their religious beliefs."

From http://news.bahai.org/story/719

Update on the Situation of the Yaran
Posted: 23 Jun 2009

On Tuesday, June 23, 2009, Human Rights Activists in Iran provided an alarming update on the situation of the former Baha’i leaders, known as Yaran, which appears below in translation:

After more than a year of incarceration, the situation of the [former] leaders of the Baha’i community of Iran appears to be of profound concern.
According to reports received [by HRA], the seven leaders of the Baha’i community continue to languish in “temporary” incarceration in a high-security section of Evin prison, known as section 209. These seven are: Mahvash Sabet (since Mar. 2008), Jamaloddin Khanjani (May 2008), Saeid Rezaie (May 2008), Fariba Kamalabadi (May 2008), Vahid Tizfahm (May 2008), Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Afif Naeimi.
In addition to psychological pressures, such as, routinely renewing their “temporary” imprisonment, or keeping them in a high-security facility which naturally imposes considerable restrictions on the seven individuals, it is reported that their meal portions has now been reduced considerably to the point that their health is at serious risk. At the same time, prison authorities refuse to permit the families of prisoners to provide the much-needed provisions which would enable them to sustain the brutal conditions of their imprisonment.
Moreover, with the massive arrest of political and civil activists in recent days in Iran and curtailment of telephonic contact of prisoners in Evin with the outside world, the families of these prisoners of conscience have become deeply worried about the condition of their loved-ones.

[Source: http://www.hra-iran.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1312:546&catid=84:502&Itemid=219. Translation by Iran Press Watch.]

Worrisome prison conditions for Yaran

Posted: 23 Jun 2009

Further to our earlier report, Kavian S. Milani on the Newnegah site offered the following on Tuesday, June 23, 2009, based on reports he has received from Iran and promised to offer further details in a few days. Milani also asked that these details be shared with human rights activists, responsible agencies, those interested in improving the situation of civil and human rights in Iran and all other sites and blogs. The following report was shared with Milani:

In a meeting we had with the former Yaran in prison, we learned that their situation in prison is most worrisome to the point that during the entire last year, they have been deprived of such things as even a bed or chair. They have spread a thin blanket on the cement floor where they sit and sleep.

During this whole year, their food has been served in unwashed dishes. It is evident that such unhygienic conditions over a sustained period have had a deeply negative impact on their health. The bread given to them is rotten.

Despite these conditions, the authorities have not given permission for us to bring them food provisions, or for the guards to purchase things they need. The situation has reached the point that one of the former Yaran stated, "It appears that they are determined to kill us by slow death."

At the same time it appears that the legal case of the former Yaran has been transferred from the Ministry of Intelligence and is now in the hand of the Judiciary. Most likely, their trial will take place in about the end of Tir [circa July 21]. Therefore, their file has been given to the defense attorneys to study and prepare for the trial.

It should be noted that during their entire period of incarceration, these prisoner of conscience have not seen the evidence file against them, nor have they been given an opportunity to meet with their lawyers.

[Source: http://www.negah35.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1100&Itemid=24. Translation by Iran Press Watch.]

From Iran Press Watch

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.

Anniversary of arrest, without charges, of 7 imprisoned former Bahá'í leaders in Iran

A timely update on the latest developments in the decades long persecution of the Bahá'ís in Iran - one an article by Barney Leith from his blog Barnabas quotidianus; the other the official report from the Bahá'í International Community.
(Excerpt from the former:)

Why are they in jail? Because they are Baha'is

Have they been formally charged? No.

Why not? Well, what would they be charged with? They've committed no crimes.

"Spreading corruption on earth" - new accusation against Iran's Baha'i leaders

Posted: 12 May 2009

Who is "spreading corruption on earth"?

Come Thursday, six of the members of the ad hoc group that coordinated the life of the Baha'i community of Iran - the Yaran - will have been in jail for exactly a year. They are Mrs Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr Afif Naemi, Mr Saeid Rezaie, Mr Behrouz Tavakkoli and Mr Vahid Tizfam.

The seventh member, Mrs Mahvash Sabet, has been in jail since 5 March 2008.

All seven are in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison.

Legal limbo

For a whole year the authorities have not seen fit to treat these leading Baha'is with anything remotely like justice.

Why are they in jail? Because they are Baha'is

Have they been formally charged? No.

Why not? Well, what would they be charged with? They've committed no crimes.

Charging madness

They may not have been formally charged, but they have certainly been publicly accused of "espionage for Israel" (they communicated with the Baha'i World Centre, which has been located in what is now Israel since the late 1806s), of "insulting religious sanctities" (they are Baha'is), and of "membership in an illegal body" (they were members of the Yaran, a body about which the Iranian authorities have known for many many years).

It took seven months of intensive interrogations to get to this point.

The Yaran voluntarily gave up their coordinating role in the Baha'i community so that the Iranian government would not be able to hold anything against them.

Except one thing: they are Baha'is.

And now, a year after their original detention, the authorities have told their families that the seven may face the more sinister charge of Mofsede fel-Arz - "spreading corruption on earth".

What is "spreading corruption on earth"?

It's one of those charges that covers anything the [persecutors] in the Iranian government don't like. If they can't get you for a sensible charge, they'll sure get you for "spreading corruption on earth".

Especially if you're a Baha'i.

And these seven Baha'i leaders could face...death. After all, "spreading corruption on earth" was the charge used against the Baha'is who were executed in the years immediately after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

One thing this clearly demonstrates: the authorities have no basis for any allegation against these individuals, other than blatant religious persecution.

Tip of the iceberg

The seven members of the Baha'i leadership are the tip of a large iceberg. There are more than 300,000 Baha'is in Iran - the community is the largest non-Islamic religious minority in Iran - and they are all facing increased persecution by a government that claims to be a paragon of justice and human rights, but which routinely abuses the rights of women, children, journalists and others who seek dignity and justice.

Time for international action

I hope that the world's governments will tell Iran in no uncertain terms what they think about this utter injustice. I hope that the world's governments will demand the immediate release of Mrs Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr Afif Naemi, Mr Saeid Rezaie, Mrs Mahvash Sabet, Mr Behrouz Tavakkoli and Mr Vahid Tizfam. Or at least for a fair trial.

Iranian Baha'i leaders may face new accusation on anniversary of imprisonment

12 May 2009

NEW YORK — The seven Baha'i leaders currently imprisoned in Iran are facing the anniversary of their arrest this Thursday, 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.

"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.

"The upcoming anniversary of their arrest offers an important milestone and we ask that the international community re-state once again in the strongest terms its demand for their immediate release, or, at least, for a fair and open trial that meets international standards of justice," said Ms. Dugal.

Ms. Dugal also noted that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has frequently emphasized the importance of "justice and human dignity" and "the establishment of a just world system," such as when he addressed the UN Durban Review Conference in Geneva last month.

"How can the calls of the Iranian leadership for justice in the international sphere be taken seriously if they do not grant justice to their own citizens? In Iran, by all accounts universally agreed upon human rights are routinely ignored, not only for Baha'is but also for women, journalists, and others who only seek dignity and justice," she said.

The seven are Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm. All but one of the group were arrested on 14 May 2008 at their homes in Tehran. Mrs. Sabet was arrested on 5 March 2008 while in Mashhad.

For more information, go to http://news.bahai.org.