The Edmond Sun
OKLA. CITY —
Once again, the American Baha’i Community including Baha’is from the Oklahoma City metro area are calling on Congress for help in the case of the seven imprisoned Baha’is of Iran.
The international Baha’i community was outraged at the news of the 20-year sentence for the seven Baha’i leaders which was just recently confirmed. The five men and two women imprisoned were arrested in May 2008 and later falsely charged with “spying for foreigners,” as well as “spreading corruption on Earth” and “cooperating with Israel.”
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton condemned the sentencing of the Baha’is, calling it a “violation of Iran’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”
The sentences triggered protests from governments around the world, including Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany and the Netherlands. Many other human rights organizations have joined in denouncing the act as well.
International attention given to this issue is very effective and can help the innocent Baha’is in Iran in addition to upholding human rights issues globally, Baha’i leaders said. Many supporters have begun writing to their senators and representatives urging them to continue their support of the Baha’is of Iran. Currently, there are more than 50 Baha’is imprisoned in Iran with baseless or no charges at all, Baha’i leaders said.
Oklahoma’s congressional delegation had previously supported several measures condemning these types of actions against the Baha’is by the Iranian government.
Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, whose Defenders of Human Rights Center represented the Baha’i defendants, said she was “stunned” at the 20-year jail term.
In an interview, Ebadi told the BBC, “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.”
Diane Ala’i, Baha’i representative to the United Nations in Geneva, said the Baha’i International Community wonders how long the Iranian authorities can remain deaf to the concerns of the international community.
“These statements (of condemnation) demonstrate that increasing numbers of people of all races and religions throughout the world want to see justice done in Iran — not just for the Baha’is but all of its citizens who face gross human rights violations,” Ala’i said.
Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations, said, “That these manifestly innocent people should each be jailed for 20 years after a sham trial is utterly reprehensible. The pattern is clear: The Iranian government is systematically persecuting Baha’is for no reason other than their religious beliefs.”
Since 1979, the Baha’i Faith has been the object of many persecutions and executions under the Islamic Republic of Iran, particularly during the past five years.
The Baha’i Faith is the youngest of the world’s independent monotheistic religions and teaches the oneness of humanity, oneness of religions, eradication of prejudices, universal education and world peace among other tenets.
