Trial's Predetermined Outcome Evident from Pre-Trial Press Release

 
The Iranian government's unjust procedures are laid bare for all to see.
(Excerpt:)

The best example that reveals the true nature of the government’s intentions with this trial is text of the pre-written report that was inadvertently printed prior to the intended date. In one of its paragraphs, the text notes that the defendants had “confessed that they had held meetings at the homes of ambassadors from Western countries.”

A Major Gaffe Reveals the True Nature of The Show Trial of the Iranian Bahá'ís

Posted on Facebook Friday 15 January 2010 at 03:54 GMT-1

Written by Leva Mottahed
Translated by Nizam Missaghi

The Bahá'í Affairs Committee of the Human Rights Activists in Iran

January 14, 2010

The trial for the former Bahá'í leaders of Iran was finally held in Tehran’s Revolutionary Court on Tuesday January 12, 2010, after a 1.5-year detention period and postponing of three previous trial dates. This trial was held behind closed doors and the immediate families were not allowed to be present. Even the lawyers representing the defendants had to work their way into the courtroom after significant persistence. The lawyers were able to finally meet their clients in person for the first time on the day of the trial. Despite being held behind closed doors, there were camera crews present in the courtroom, although it was not immediately apparent with what agency they were associated or who had granted them permission to record the proceedings.

The most prominent feature of the trial was its true nature as a show trial. This was most apparent in the inadvertent release on January 11, 2010, of a report of this trial a day before its actual date. The report was apparently pre-written and sent to news outlets for publication on Tuesday afternoon, after the session’s adjournment. However, despite well-rehearsed “instructions” regarding the timing of the publication, a major semi-official news source entitled “Young Journalists” published the report at 17:50 on Monday, January 11, on its front page, and, within two hours, another website entitled fararu.com published the same article and referenced the original publication. The original article was available for viewing on the front page of “Young Journalists” website but was promptly removed at 09:05 on January 12, presumably once the gaffe was discovered. The site did not, however, realize that their article had been cross-posted and referenced on fararu.com. The original URL for the Young Journalists website http://www.yjc.ir/news/NewsDesc.aspx?newsid=264157 is now a broken link.

It is worth noting that the same exact article appeared the next day, January 12, after the court adjourned, on official and semi-official websites. This fact also reveals the true nature of the proceedings as a show trial since the authorities did not even bother to change the wording of a scripted report and re-published the same article. Farsnews and ISNA are the two sources that published the same article with the right timing:

http://www.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8810221294

http://isna.ir/ISNA/NewsView.aspx?ID=News-1472572&Lang=P

The above gaffes not only give credence to how this proceeding is nothing but a show trial with predetermined verdicts, but also present as strong evidence that the seven Bahá'í leaders are innocent. The regime has no document or evidence to present in support of its allegations against the Bahá'ís. Therefore, by holding the court session behind closed doors and presenting pre-written reports to the media, the regime is attempting to influence public opinion rather than ensuring justice. The best example that reveals the true nature of the government’s intentions with this trial is text of the pre-written report that was inadvertently printed prior to the intended date. In one of its paragraphs, the text notes that the defendants had “confessed that they had held meetings at the homes of ambassadors from Western countries.”

The intentions of the Iranian government toward the Bahá'í leaders are evident from the above. They have been held under “temporary detention” status for over 1.5 years with deplorable conditions and severed restrictions. Their dire situation is alarming and leaves these individuals vulnerable to significant danger at the behest of the Iranian government. It is incumbent upon all human rights activists and organizations to take action to ensure preservation of life and securing of freedom for these seven Bahá'ís.

Seven former leaders of the Baha'i Community in Iran

Photo copyright Bahá'í International Community 
 

Survey of Recent Government-Sponsored Schemes against Bahá'ís of Iran

 
An informed note from the the editors of Iran Press Watch.

Editorial Note: Accusations against Baha’is

Posted: 12 Jan 2010

Since the very last days of December of 2009, the authorities in Iran, through statements and the State news media, have accused the Baha’is of being involved in many ways with the recent political and social unrest in Iran. This comes as no surprise to the Baha’is in Iran or to the Baha’is around the world. In fact, such accusations in order to use the Baha’is as scapegoats for any social or political unrest in Iran has been a practice for the past 165 years, since the inception of the Baha’i Faith in Iran, though admittedly, the current Islamic Republic government in Iran has developed this strategy into a systematic plan.

Even the claim that the opposition leader is a Baha’i is not a new tactic, and was no surprise. The hope of conservative elements in Iran in so doing is to portray him as being under the dark cloud that they have tried so hard to cast over the Baha’is, thereby turning public opinion against their rivals. How ironic that the same person – Mir-Hossein Musavi, as the Prime Minister during the time of Khomeni who arrested, jailed and killed so many Baha’is — is now being stigmatized and is suffering himself by the very scheme he help to establish! Of course, it is clear that these persons are not Bahai’s – either Mr.Musavi or the courageous attorney whose firm is representing the accused Baha’i leaders, Shirin Ebadi.

The list of baseless accusations, false representations and claims is very long, quite imaginative, and simply ridiculous. The Baha’is are referred to as a “colonialist sect,” who are responsible for “the desecration of religious sanctities” and “disturbances witnessed on `Ashura,” and who are “spying for the Zionist regime” and “speaking out against the Islamic government.” The volume of such accusations is so high that Iran Press Watch could never translate and publish all of them. We include a selection of the headings below:

Baha’ism, Led by Zionism, is Hatching Intrigue Behind the Scenes of the Recent Unrest ( http://www.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8810071122)

“It is evident that these inhumane and criminal acts, these nefarious deeds committed by deviant and misguided people, were designed and organized by global arrogance, international Zionism, the misguided Baha’i sect, and other shunned and condemned groups of traitors…” (http://www.irna.ir/View/FullStory/?NewsId=866869)

President of the Coordinating Council for Islamic Propagation in Western Azerbaijan: “Of course, this movement of hooligans and agents of (global) arrogance bent on desecrating religious sanctities has only one goal: to harm the Revolution and Islam and advance the objectives of America, Israel, and Baha’ism.” (http://www.isna.ir/isna/NewsView.aspx?ID=News-1464140)

Regarding the role of Baha’ism in desecrating religious sanctities, our expert in matters of security stated, “The path that the Musawi camp is taking in their attack on religious sanctities is the exact same path that the misguided Baha’i sect has been on for years.” (http://www.javanonline.ir/Nsite/FullStory/?Id=200302)

Iran State Media Blames the “Baha’i Sect” for Recent Unrest (http://www.bahairights.org/2009/12/29/iran-state-media-blames-the-bahai-sect-for-recent-unrest/)

Muhammad Karim Abedi, “..Zionism and Baha’is, the ill-wishers of Religion, tried all in their power to disturb Ashura” (http://www.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8810081569)

The list very long. In the interest of making this note short, the list has been limited to the above.

It is well known, and there has been a long and exhaustively documented history showing that two central tenets of the Baha’i Faith are obedience to the government of whatever country in which Baha’is reside, and reverence for the revelators of all major religions, especially for the Prophet Muhammad. The International Baha’i Community has rejected the above allegations in a detailed article at the following link: http://news.bahai.org/story/747

Interestingly enough, today, the Universal House of Justice, the world governing body of the Baha’i Faith, in a letter to the Baha’is of Iran, has clarified that the Baha’is, whereever they may live, must exert their utmost effort, shoulder to shoulder with their countrymen, for the betterment of that country. (see the letter here: http://www.universal-house-of-justice-messages.org/payam/2010-01-10.html ). “The betterment of the World” Baha’u’llah tells the people of the world, “can be accomplished through pure and goodly deeds, through commendable and seemly conduct.”

Iran Press Watch will continue to provide information regarding the context for this current discussion. We will soon be providing historical documentation to facilitate readers’ comprehension . This is the first in a series of Editorials to enable readers to understand the recent baseless fabrications by the government of Iran.

The Editor,

Iran Press Watch.

Source: Iran Press Watch
 

Who are the canaries in Iran's mineshaft?

A reflective article from this prominent professor on the background for the persecution of the Bahá'ís in Iran, in Canada's The Globe and Mail.
(Excerpt:)

We must raise our voices and cry out against the calumnies of this regime, not because we will influence its behaviour – I'm convinced we won't – but because it's our duty to speak truth to power even as power tramps on truth and persecutes the almost forgotten first victims of Iran's Islamic Revolution.

The canaries in Iran's cages

The canaries in Iran's cages: None are more persecuted than the Baha'i AP

In hard-line Iran, none are more persecuted than the Baha'i

Howard Adelman

Special to Globe and Mail Update Published on Monday, Jan. 11, 2010

The Islamic Republic of Iran is going to show any wavering authoritarian regime just how it's done. No “colour” revolution will be allowed. No surrender to the street. No departing on a quickly arranged flight to seek refuge, as the Shah did. This regime has no intention of playing “nice” with anyone, including those mullahs who used to back the regime. To stay in power, even in the age of tweeting, ignore the tweets. Pick up your clubs and throw them in jail. Some technologies don't change.

The few “moderates” left in the system have all been purged. Instead of a stick in one hand and an olive branch in the other, the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and his coterie of like-minded extremist ideologues project mistrust and defiance. ...

On Dec. 18, the United Nations General Assembly passed a strong resolution condemning Iran's human-rights abuses – including the denial of basic civil and political rights, the use of torture and rape, the excessive use of capital punishment, the execution of juvenile offenders, the increasing numbers of hanging and stoning, the brutal suppression of women's rights advocates, and discrimination against minorities. Not surprisingly, it made no difference. ...

Comprehensive international sanctions against the regime – for its nuclear weapons projects and its brutal human-rights violations – have become a necessary next step even as threats to destroy Israel and export terrorism to Lebanon, Gaza and Afghanistan have somewhat receded because of the distractions of the demonstrations in Iran. (The U.S., Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany have tentatively agreed to meet this weekend to discuss Iran's nuclear defiance.) ...

Amidst all this brouhaha, the canaries in their cages in Iran continue to suffer and die. Due to be put on trial today, in Revolutionary Court 28, are seven Baha'i members of Friends in Iran, the group that assumed the functions of the banned Baha'i National Spiritual Assembly. These leaders have been imprisoned for nearly two years.

Three previous trial dates in 2009 were postponed, adding to the psychological terror against Iran's largest religious minority. They will be represented by new lawyers. Their earlier ones, such as Abdolfattah Soltani or Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi (neither one a Baha'i), were imprisoned or forced to flee the country. ...

Last March, Canada's House of Commons unanimously condemned the persecution of Baha'is in Iran. Both the U.S. Congress and the UN General Assembly have also censured the persecution of Baha'is.

We must raise our voices and cry out against the calumnies of this regime, not because we will influence its behaviour – I'm convinced we won't – but because it's our duty to speak truth to power even as power tramps on truth and persecutes the almost forgotten first victims of Iran's Islamic Revolution.

Howard Adelman is professor emeritus of philosophy at York University; he founded the Centre for Refugee Studies.

Read the whole thing here: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/the-canaries-in-irans-cages/article1427611/

Cherie Blair urges international pressure for rights of Bahá'ís of Iran

A compelling statement from this prominent lawyer and public figure in defence of human rights in Iran in general and those of the Bahá'ís in particular.
(Excerpts:)

"The hostile environment raises new fears that the defendants will be denied even the semblance of a fair trial. ...
"The continued imprisonment of the leadership has already drawn international protest. But this pressure must be stepped up. ...
"International pressure does have an impact. The storm of protest over the sham trial and severe punishment of US journalist Roxana Saberi last year... led to the guilty verdict and eight-year sentence... being thrown out and the journalist freed. ...
"In Iran, for the Bahá'í community among others, the fight for human rights has become a matter of life and death."

Faith, life and death in Iran

Bahá'í leaders are being made scapegoats. We must press Tehran to grant them a fair trial

Cherie Blair
The Guardian, Tuesday 12 January 2010

As the Iranian government struggles to contain growing demands for freedom and democracy from its courageous people, it is flailing around trying to deflect blame for the protests. Foreign media and other countries, including Britain, have been accused of encouraging unrest. But the regime is also ­worryingly turning on all too familiar scapegoats within Iran.

Once again, followers of the Bahá'í faith within the country are in the firing line. Fresh arrests and harassment of Bahá'ís in recent days have been accompanied by increasingly extreme proclamations in the state-run media against this gentle and unifying religion. Bahá'ís find themselves once more accused of co-operating with Israel to undermine their own country.

What is even more disturbing is news that the long-delayed trial of the country's seven-strong Bahá'í leadership is about to start. Lawyers acting for the five men and two women have been told that the revolutionary court will begin to hear the case today.

The Bahá'ís have learned to treat such announcements by the court with suspicion. Their leaders have been imprisoned now for almost two years without formal charge. Their lawyers have faced continual obstruction and harassment in preparing their defence, including long periods when they have simply been refused access to their clients. Repeated delays and rescheduling of the trial are another example of the authorities' contempt for justice.

The hostile environment raises new fears that the defendants will be denied even the semblance of a fair trial. Although it is not clear, it appears the Bahá'í leadership may face unwarranted charges such as espionage for Israel and "spreading corruption on earth", which both carry the death penalty.

The continued imprisonment of the leadership has already drawn international protest. But this pressure must be stepped up. The revolutionary court system is secretive; the only chance of justice being served is for the case to be held in open court so proceedings can be independently monitored. The Iranian government will be desperate to keep this abuse of justice quiet. They must be shamed into changing their mind.

International pressure does have an impact. The storm of protest over the sham trial and severe punishment of US journalist Roxana Saberi last year forced President Ahmadinejad himself to intervene. His move led to the guilty verdict and eight-year sentence imposed by the revolutionary court being thrown out and the journalist freed.

But along with demands for a fair trial, we need to step up pressure on the Iranian government to drop the intimidation and harassment of other religious minorities, too. When leading British Bahá'ís approached me last year for advice on human rights, I was shocked to hear about the record of persecution the followers of an intrinsically peaceful faith had suffered.

The Iranian constitution may promise religious freedom but the reality is different, as the 300,000-strong Bahá'í community knows to its cost. Bahá'ís have suffered persecution in Iran since the religion was founded, in the mid-19th century. But this has been stepped up since the Islamic revolution in 1979, with the elimination of the Bahá'í faith becoming state policy. Hundreds have faced torture and execution; thousands have been imprisoned; and arrests remain common and arbitrary.

At the heart of this persecution is theology. Bahá'ís see their faith as an independent world religion that builds on the prophets and scriptures of other faiths. This is anathema to the Iranian regime, which has designated them "unprotected infidels", giving the authorities a free hand to flout legal protections.

More than six decades ago the right of every individual to freedom of thought, conscience and religion was enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Bahá'ís are not asking for special privileges but just that this ­fundamental right is met.

The trial of the Bahá'í leaders should matter to all who care about human rights. In Iran, for the Bahá'í community among others, the fight for human rights has become a matter of life and death.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/jan/12/bahai-rights-on-trial-iran

Allegations Arrested Bahá'ís Possessed Weapons Latest Falsehood from Iran Government

From the Bahá'í World News Service.
(Excerpts:)

"This is nothing less than a blatant lie," said Diane Ala'i, the Baha'i International Community's representative to the United Nations...

"All of these latest accusations are so far-fetched as to be ludicrous if they were not so obviously aimed at putting innocent lives at risk," she said. ...

Baha'i International Community rejects allegations that arrested Baha'is had weapons in homes

9 January 2010

GENEVA — The Baha'i International Community today categorically rejected new allegations by the Iranian government that arms and ammunition were found in the homes of Baha'is who were arrested in Tehran last Sunday.

"This is nothing less than a blatant lie," said Diane Ala'i, the Baha'i International Community's representative to the United Nations in Geneva. "Baha'is are by the most basic principles of their faith committed to absolute nonviolence, and any charge that there might have been weapons or 'live rounds' in their homes is simply and completely unbelievable.

"Without doubt, these are baseless fabrications devised by the government to further create an atmosphere of prejudice and hatred against the Iranian Baha'i community. For more than a century Baha'is have suffered all manner of persecution in Iran and have not resorted to armed violence, and everyone knows this. Unfortunately, the Iranian government is once again resorting to outright falsehoods to justify its nefarious intentions against the Baha'i community. It should know that these lies will have no credibility whatsoever.

"We are particularly concerned by the fact that these accusations come just days before the scheduled trial of seven Baha'i leaders, who have been locked up for nearly two years on equally unfounded charges," she said.

"All of these latest accusations are so far-fetched as to be ludicrous if they were not so obviously aimed at putting innocent lives at risk," she said. "As we have said before, rather than accepting responsibility for the turmoil in the country, the Iranian government seeks to lay the blame on others, including foreign powers, international organizations and media outlets, students, women, and terrorists."

On Friday, several news agencies reported that Tehran's general prosecutor, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, said the Baha'is who were arrested on Sunday "were arrested because they played a role in organizing the Ashura protests and namely for having sent abroad pictures of the unrest."

"They were not arrested because they are Baha'is," said Mr. Dolatabadi, according to Agence France Presse. "Arms and ammunition were seized in the homes of some of them."

Ms. Ala'i also rejected Mr. Dolatabadi's assertions that Baha'is were involved in the planning of the Ashura demonstrations, or in any violent or subversive activity related to the recent turmoil in Iran.

"For the past 30 years, Iranian Baha'is have been subjected to the worst forms of persecution, ranging from arbitrary execution to the exclusion of their children from school," said Ms. Ala'i. "Yet they have responded only through means that are peaceful and legal."

Seven Baha'is leaders are scheduled to go on trial on Tuesday on trumped-up charges of espionage, "insulting religious sanctities," and "propaganda" against the government. They have been held in Evin prison since mid-2008. 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.

On Sunday, 13 Baha'is were arrested in early morning raids on their homes in Tehran. Three have been released but 10 remain detained at Evin prison.

They are: Leva Khanjani, granddaughter of Jamaloddin Khanjani, and her husband, Babak Mobasher; Jinous Sobhani, former secretary of Mrs. Shirin Ebadi, and her husband Artin Ghazanfari; Mehran Rowhani and Farid Rowhani, who are brothers; Payam Fanaian; Nikav Hoveydaie; and Ebrahim Shadmehr and his son, Zavosh Shadmehr.

Source: http://news.bahai.org/story/747

Iran Rights Organization Alerts to Seriousness of Charges Facing Bahá'ís

Further to the week's news of the intensified campaign against Bahá'ís in Iran, and the upcoming trial against the former Bahá'í "leaders" scheduled for 12 January (read article on that here), voices are being raised in their defence, as below.

Fear of Imminent Executions of Baha’is

Baha’i Community at High Risk as State Exploits Political Unrest

(7 January 2010) Iranian authorities have added new charges against 7 Baha’i leaders detained since 2008, under which they could be executed if convicted, and have arrested at least 12 more members of the religious minority, while desensitizing the Iranian population with propaganda campaigns against the Baha’is, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said today. In news reports broadcast nationally, commentators have claimed that recent Ashura demonstrations were masterminded by Baha’is, although no evidence has been produced to support the accusations.

“Iran and the world are again confronted by the specter of Bahai’s being executed, this time on charges trumped up in the context of current widespread political unrest,” said Aaron Rhodes, a spokesperson for the Campaign.

Since Ashura (27 December), Baha’is known to have been arrested include Jinoos Sobhani, Leva Khanjani, Babak Mobasher, Payam Fanaian, Nika Hoveydai, Mona Hoveydai, Artin Ghazanfari, Farid Rohani, Ahmad Rohani, Negar Sabet, Ebrahim Shadmehr, and Zavosh Shadmehr.

The seven Baha’i leaders arrested in the spring of 2008, Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaie, Mahvash Sabet, Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Vahid Tizfahm, are due to stand trial on Tuesday, 19 January. The charges in their cases have been expanded since their arrest and now include those that can carry the death penalty.

“Given the totally unjustified executions of two national Baha’i leadership groups that took place in the early 1980s, and the inciting rhetoric of the government against Baha’is following Ashura, there is a real concern for the lives of the Baha’i leaders about to be tried,” Rhodes said.

More than 200 Baha’is have been killed by the State following the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Thousands more have been arrested, harassed, surveilled, dismissed from their jobs, or had their finances and property confiscated by the government. Baha’is are prohibited from holding government jobs and their children are not allowed to attend university.

The Campaign calls on the international community and organizations to condemn the actions of the Islamic Republic against the Baha’i community, to release all Baha’is who have been arrested because of their beliefs, and to cease its targeting of Baha’is throughout Iran.

Source: http://www.iranhumanrights.org/2010/01/fear-executions-bahais/

LATEST: Events in Iran moving towards climax

A confluence of alarming developments in Iran -

• Government forces killing at least eight in the streets
• Leading clerics voicing death sentences against all dissenters

and 88 prominent citizens, all university professors at Tehran University, the latest to raise their voice in protest. Can there be any more doubt that a tipping point is nearing?

Not to mention the intensifying blaming (scapegoating) in Iranian news media of the Bahá'ís of Iran for the recent public unrest (read below), and the incarceration on 3 January of 10 more Bahá'ís (according to a Bahá'í International Community interviewed on bahairadio.org [in Persian] on 5 January), many of whom are relatives of the seven former Bahá'í leaders who are still behind bars.

CNN, 5 January:

The 88 professors -- all of whom are considered employees of the Islamic republic -- who signed the letter [criticizing the government's violent handling of student protesters] are "risking their jobs and God knows what else," said Ali Alfoneh, a research fellow at the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute...

Read the full article, Tehran professors decry handling of protesters, here.

More on the appalling harrassment of civilians in Iran here.

Faces of Iran: Iranian protesters hold a rally on the Shi'ite mourning day of Ashoura in central Tehran, Iran December 27, 2009. (REUTERS/Stringer)

Iranian riot police run towards opposition protesters during clashes in central Tehran December 27, 2009. (REUTERS/Stringer)

Below on the situation of the Bahá'ís.

The seven Baha'i "leaders" scheduled to go on trial on 12 January, photographed several months before their arrest in the spring of 2008.

Bahá’í World News Service, 5 January:

Trial of seven Baha'i leaders in Iran looms

"The Baha'i community in Iran has all too often been subjected to campaigns of vilification and false charges devised to deflect the attention of a disquieted population onto the Baha'is and away from those in power," said Diane Ala'i, the Baha'i International Community representative to the United Nations in Geneva. "And now, in these days leading to the trial, there are signs that once again the Baha'is are being made scapegoats.

"Rather than accepting responsibility for the turmoil in the country, the Iranian government seeks to lay the blame on others, including foreign powers, international organizations and media outlets, students, women, and terrorists. Now the Baha'is have been added to this long list of alleged culprits," she said.

"Over the past several days, Iranian state-sponsored media have accused the Baha'is of being responsible for the unrest surrounding the holy day of Ashura," said Ms. Ala'i. "This is clearly aimed at rousing public sentiment against the seven Baha'is being held in Evin prison. We are particularly concerned that the government, or ultraconservative elements within it, may use the turmoil in Iran as cover for extreme measures against these wrongly imprisoned individuals.

This concern deepened on Sunday, she said, when authorities rounded up 13 Baha'is from their homes in Tehran, took them to a detention center, and tried to get them to sign a document saying that they would not engage in any future demonstrations.

"Putting two and two together, the situation facing these Baha'i leaders is extremely ominous. We are deeply concerned for their safety.

"We expect their trial to be nothing but a show trial, with a predetermined outcome," she said. ...

Read the full article here

Photo of Bahá'í "leaders" copyright Bahá’í International Community.