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DemocracyAlerts

From time to time, the World Movement for Democracy issues alerts concerning participants and other colleagues who are, or may be, facing personal danger due to their work on behalf of democracy and for whom a vigorous response from around the world may be critical.

To see previous alerts go to www.wmd.org/democracyalerts/democracyAlerts.html.

(May 27, 2008)

DemocracyAlert: Six Bahá'í leaders arrested in Iran

Bahá’í World News Service reports that on May 14, Six Bahá’í leaders in Iran were arrested and taken to the notorious Evin prison.  The six men and women, all members of the national-level group that helped see to the minimum needs of Bahá’ís, the largest religious minority in Iran, were in their homes when government intelligence agents entered and searched each home for several hours before taking them away.  The six arrested were Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm.   The seventh member of the national coordinating group, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, was arrested in early March in Mashhad after being summoned by the Ministry of Intelligence office there on an ostensibly trivial matter.

On August 21, 1980, all nine members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Iran were abducted and disappeared.  It is certain that they were killed.  The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Iran was reconstituted soon after that but was again ravaged by the execution of eight of its members on December 27, 1981.  From 1979 to 1998, more than 200 Bahá’ís were killed or executed in Iran.  In 1983, the government outlawed all formal Bahá’í administrative institutions and the Iranian Bahá’í community responded by disbanding its National Spiritual Assembly, which is an elected governing council, along with some 400 local level elected governing councils.  The current informal national-level coordinating group, known as the Friends, was established with the knowledge of the government to help cope with the diverse needs of Iran’s 300,000-member Baháí community. 

Amnesty International believes that those arrested may be prisoners of conscience.  They are calling on all concerned individuals to send appeals immediately:

• Asking why the seven individuals have been detained by the Ministry of Intelligence;
• Stating that Amnesty International would consider them to be prisoners of conscience if they are detained because of their Baha’i faith or their peaceful activities managing the religious or administrative affairs of the Baha’i community in Iran;
• Calling for their release if they are not to be charged with a recognizably criminal offense and brought to trial promptly and fairly;
• Calling on the authorities not to torture or ill-treat them; and
• Urging the authorities to ensure that they are given immediate and regular access to their relatives and lawyers of their choosing.

Appeals should be sent to the following offices:

• Leader of the Islamic Republic, His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei,
The Office of the Supreme Leader, Islamic Republic Street - Shahid Keshvar Doust Street
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: info@leader.ir
Salutation: Your Excellency

• Minister of Intelligence
  Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie Ministry of Intelligence, Second Negarestan Street, Pasdaran Avenue, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
  Salutation: Your Excellency

• Head of the Judiciary, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh / Office of the Head of the Judiciary
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri, Tehran 1316814737, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: info@dadgostary-tehran.ir (In subject line write: FAO Ayatollah Shahroudi)
Salutation: Your Excellency

• President, His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
  The Presidency
  Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection
  Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
  Fax: + 98 21 6 649 5880
  Email: via website, www.president.ir/email

• Director, Human Rights Headquarters of Iran, His Excellency Mohammad Javad Larijani

C/o Office of the Deputy for International Affairs
Ministry of Justice,
Ministry of Justice Building, Panzdah-Khordad (Ark) Square,
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: + 98 21 5 537 8827

For more information from the Bahá’í World News Service, go to: http://news.bahai.org/story/632

For more information from Amnesty International, go to: www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE13/068/2008/en/25f1bbd2-2339-11dd-89c0-51e35dab761d/mde130682008eng.html