All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Prevention of Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity

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Update on the situation of the Bahá’ís of Iran

27 January 2010

On 12 January 2010, the seven former members of the ad hoc group that coordinated the affairs of the Bahá’í community in Iran were formally arraigned in a closed session. A provisional translation of the charges listed in the bill of indictment follows:

- espionage for the benefit of foreigners;

- spreading anti-government propaganda;

- organizing and propagating an illegal administration;

- collaboration with Israel;

- collecting classified documents and providing them to foreigners with the intention of disturbing the country’s security;

- conspiracy to undermine the internal and external security of Iran and to tarnish its reputation in the international arena;

- spreading corruption on earth.

The lawyers acting on behalf of Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm denied each and all of these charges when they were read. They have since received written notification that the next session of the trial will take place on 7 February 2010. The judge has indicated that, unlike the arraignment, this next session of the trial will be open and the families of the seven prisoners will be permitted to attend.

Canada and other members of the international community have made public statements calling upon Iran to respect international standards of justice, to conduct a fair and open trial and to respect the human rights of all Iranian citizens, including Iranian Bahá’ís. This effort must be sustained.

There is increasing concern for the wellbeing of the ten Bahá’ís who were arrested on 3 January 2010 in Tehran on a general warrant related to the Ashura demonstrations. The names of those to be apprehended were not listed on the warrant. The names of the Bahá’ís arrested are:

Mrs. Liva Khanjani [Leva Khanjani], granddaughter of Mr. Jamalu’d-Din

Khanjani [Jamaloddin Khanjani], and her husband,

Mr. Babak Mubashshir [Babak Mobasher];

Mrs. Zhinus Subhani [Jinous Sobhani], former secretary of Mrs. Shirin Ebadi, and her husband

Mr. Artin Ghadanfari [Artin Ghazanfari];

Mr. Mihran Rawhani [Mehran Rowhani] and  his brother

Mr. Farid Rawhani [Farid Rowhani],

Mr. Payam Fana’iyan [Payam Fanaian];

Mr. Nikav Huvayda’i [Nikav Hoveydaie];

Mr. Ibrahim Shadmihr [Ebrahim Shadmehr]; and his son,

Mr. Zavush Shadmihr [Zavosh Shadmehr].

In the three weeks since their detention, these ten Bahá’ís have had no contact with their families, aside from a single brief telephone message which was conveyed to one family on 11 January. A cellmate of some of the Bahá’í prisoners contacted one of the families after his release to inform them that the ten Bahá’ís had been transferred to Gohardasht prison in Karaj.  Shortly after the news of the transfer, some families brought clothes and money to the prison to be given to the imprisoned Bahá’ís.  The money was accepted by the authorities, but not the clothing.  The long delay in allowing visitors has caused great worry to their families.

Equally, if not more concerning, have been the reports in government controlled media following the 3 January arrests, alleging that these ten Bahá’ís had played an organizing role in the Ashura demonstrations and that arms and ammunition had been found in their homes.  It has not yet been determined whether any of the ten were even present during the Ashura demonstrations. However, these completely baseless allegations against them have raised fears that, in the absence of any evidence against the seven former members of the ad hoc group that had coordinated the affairs of the Bahá’í community of Iran*, the authorities may be attempting to build a case by forcing these ten Bahá’ís to “confess” that they were involved in organizing the Ashura demonstrations under orders from their ‘leadership’.

* On 12 January, 2010 Washington TV – a web-based news service in the United States quoted Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, who is one of their lawyers, as saying that she had carefully read the dossier of charges against the seven Baha’is and had “found in it no cause or evidence to sustain the criminal charges upheld by the prosecutor.” Mrs. Ebadi also said; “If justice is to be carried out and an impartial judge should investigate the charges leveled against my clients, no other verdict can be reached save that of acquittal”. http://televisionwashington.com/floater_article1.aspx?lang=en&t=1&id=17143