Send e-Letters to World Leaders highlighting the case of the 7 Baha'i Leaders

Updated 2/18/2011

Background
In early August 2010, after over two years of detention, Iran's 7 Baha'i leaders were sentenced to 20 years prison. Considering the advanced ages of several of these spiritual leaders, the IRI has effectively dealt life sentences. These two women and five men formed the national leadership of the Baha’i community in Iran, known as ‘yaran’ or ‘friends,' to tend to the spiritual needs of Iran's largest religious minority. The Baha'i community faces systematic oppression and discrimination by the IRI, including denial of education and government jobs, home raids, arbitrary detention, cemetery desecration, and much more.

Please read an update about the case here: http://news.bahai.org/story/807

UPDATE SEPTEMBER 27, 2010: The 20 year prison sentences have been "halved" to 10 year prison sentences. Read more about this here: http://united4iran.org/2010/09/iran-halves-jail-terms-for-seven-bahai-followers/

Directions
The letter is below. If you choose to add a personal message to the e-letter, please keep it polite, human-rights focused, and without rhetoric. To the right of the e- letter page are the various recipients of the e-mail you send -- this way you don't have to send a letter multiple times (one click will send your message to all of the listed embassies, consulates, interest sections, IRI authorities, and UN officials). The recipients include ambassadors from IRI embassies, Navanethem Pillay (the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights), Ban Ki-Moon (Secretary-General of the UN), Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (President of the IRI), Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani (Head of the Judiciary of the IRI), and Mohammad Javad Larijani (High Council for Human Rights for the IRI), and several more. Below the letter are personal fields to fill out. Enter as much information as you feel comfortable. A VALID e-mail address is required; however, if you don't feel comfortable sharing your e-mail, consider making an e-mail account just to use for actions like this.

If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail us at info@united4iran.org

Subject:

Your Letter:

Your Excellency,

Religious freedom is a cornerstone of democracy as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Unfortunately, in the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI), members of the Baha'i community are denied education, have had their homes razed, are frequently detained arbitrarily, face cemetery desecration, home raids, property confiscation, work expulsion, are denied government jobs, and suffer discrimination at private businesses because of their faith. There are currently 62 Baha’is in detention throughout Iran, and those released face offensively high bail amounts.

The August 2010 verdict dealt by the IRI sentencing Iran's seven Baha'i leaders to 20 years in prison makes even more evident the IRI's policy of oppression and systematic denial of rights to members of the Baha’i Faith.  In mid-September 2010, after a large amount of international attention, their sentences were "halved" to 10 years prison. The truth remains, however, that any length prison term dealt because of one's beliefs continues to be an affront to the human and civil rights community. The imprisoned Baha'i leaders include Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaie, Mahvash Sabet, Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Vahid Tizfahm.

After over two years of arbitrary detainment and with no access to their lawyers, the seven spiritual leaders face a politically motivated 10 year prison sentence based on such charges as "espionage, propaganda against the Islamic order, and establishment of an illegal administration,” as well as with “corruption on Earth” and for “waging war against God” (Moharebeh).

The Baha'i International Community (BIC) continues to emphasize that these charges have been completely and categorically denied.

Noble Laureate Shirin Ebadi, one of the lawyers on the case, publicly stated, “As their lawyer, I should have had access to my clients from the time of their detention and I should have known of the charges against them. But I was not allowed to see them."  Ms. Ebadi has continually pointed out that given the advanced age of several of the Baha’i leaders, the prison sentence is effectively a life sentence as it is unlikely they will survive beyond their prison terms. A court system that lacks independence and increasingly under the control of intelligence and security forces cannot guarantee fair trials.

Over the past few weeks, especially, concern over their personal security has grown because they have been moved from the quarters they had occupied since their arrival there. On 23 January 2011, the five men were moved to “Section 4” of the prison, which houses political prisoners.

Three of them are being held in one cell, with the other two sharing another cell.  There are only two beds in these cells, so one of the men has to sleep on the floor each night. Inmates in this part of the prison are permitted to go into the prison yard for fresh air only at designated times, whereas previously they could do so whenever they wished.  Inmates confined to the political wing are under much closer surveillance by the Intelligence Ministry than the general prison population.

On 12 February 2011, the two women were transferred to “Section 200” of the prison, where it is far more brutal than the (already very harsh) conditions that the two women have faced thus far. Reports indicate that since being moved to Gohardasht, the two woman have been a source of comfort to their fellow inmates, and the number of prisoners who sought them out had increased over time. Recently, the authorities made an announcement to the prison population that they were to avoid contact with the two Bahá’í women. Undeterred, many prisoners continued to visit them.

On 12 February, prison officials informed Mrs. Kamalabadi and Mrs. Sabet that they were being moved because they had been “teaching” their faith to other inmates. They were also told that the inmates in Section 200 had been “warned” about them before the transfer.
 
We are appealing for urgent action on your part because there are indications that the lives of Mrs. Kamalabadi and Mrs. Sabet may be in danger.  In this wing of the prison there is a great deal of tension and animosity among the inmates, such that the atmosphere is highly charged.  Shortly after the transfer, Mrs. Kamalabadi was physically threatened by a large group of fellow prisoners.

We are gravely concerned that the transfer may have been orchestrated as a means of creating an insecure environment that could threaten the lives or physical well-being of the two women.

With the integrity of international human rights standards at stake, I plead that you and your government work with the global community and use your influence to bring about the release of these seven and all other prisoners of conscience, urge a fair appeals process with access to legal representation, and ensure they – and all of the IRI’s prisoners of conscience – receive their due rights and are treated with the dignity every human deserves.

I plead with you: take action and loudly condemn the 10 year prison sentence and the dangerous prison conditions they are now facing. Use every mechanism at your disposal to highlight these gross human & civil rights violations systematically employed by the Islamic Republic. Please, do everything you can to demand that the IRI adheres to its international human rights obligations, releases the seven leaders and all other prisoners of conscience, and respects the rights to religious freedom and human dignity.

Yours Faithfully,

William Hague

United Kingdom

Beatriz Lorenzo

Spain - Human Rights Office

Michael Spindelegger

Austria

Steven Vanackere

Belgium

Alain Juppe

France

Guido Westerwelle

Germany

George Papandreou

Greece

Peter Balazs

Hungary

Michael Martin

Ireland

Franco Frattini

Italy

Jonas Gahr Store

Norway

Sergey Lavrov

Russia

Carl Bildt

Sweden

Micheline Calmy-Rey

Switzerland

Ahmet Davutoglu

Turkey

Dilma Rousseff

President - Brazil

Stephen Harper

Canada - Prime Minister

David Cameron

Prime Minister

GB

Ban Ki-Moon

United Nations Secretary-General

UN

Navanethem Pillay

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Kathy Stewart

US Bureau of Democracy & Human Rights

S. M Krishna

India

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