The following updates were provided by the Persian page of Baha’i World News Service on September 16, 2009, and appear below in translation:
Kashan (bwns1)
Baha’is Summoned for Interrogations
On August 19, 2009, Mr. Vahid Haqiqi and his son, Sina, and Mrs. Mona Rouhani – all three residents of Kashan in the province of Isfahan – were arrested, but released the following day by posting bail and cash surety, (see ipw1). Since then, they have been summoned to Kashan’s magistrate, where they were questioned, but allowed to return home.
Mrs. Shahrzad Mahjur, the wife of Mr. Haqiqi, and Mr. Fereydun Fattah, a former Baha’i organizer in Kashan, were also summoned to the office of the Ministry of Intelligence on Sept 5 and 6, respectively.
Kerman (bwns2)
Baha’is Summoned for Interrogation
On August 11, 2009, Mr. Vahid Payandeh, a resident of Rafsenjan (in the province of Kerman), and his wife, Mrs. Aqdas Emani, were summoned for questioning to the office of the Ministry of Intelligence. Afterwards, they were released.
Qa’emshahr (bwns3)
Imprisonment of a Baha’i
Mr. Saman Sabeti who was arrested on February 4, 2009, has been sentenced to six-month imprisonment, (see ipw2). Previously, the date of the arrest of Mr. Sabeti was reported as February 2 instead of February 4.
Sanandaj (bwns4)
Pro Bono Lawyer for Imprisoned Baha’i
Mr. Zabiu’llah Raufi, a resident of Sanandaj (in the province of Kurdistan), who was arrested on August 21, 2009, (see ipw3), has not accepted any of the pro bono lawyers presented to him by the court. However, a renowned local lawyer has accepted his case.
Sari (bwns5)
Release of 4 Baha’is
Mrs. Vesal Yusufi and her son, Mr. Payam Yusufi of Mahforuzak, in the vicinity of Sari (in the province of Mazandaran), and Mr. Anvar Moslemi and Mrs. Didar Heshemi, both of Sari, were all released on September 9, 2009, (see ipw4). Mr. Payam Yusufi was found innocent of charges brought up against him, but it is not clear if the other 3 Baha’is were released on bail or were also found not guilty.
Semnan (bwns6)
Temporary Release of a Baha’i Prisoner
Mrs. Sahba Rezvani-Fanaian (ipw5), a Baha’i resident of Semnan who has been incarcerated since December 15, 2008, has been given a temporary leave of 10 days commencing September 1, 2009. This leave has been renewed for a second 10-day period.
Temporary Release of another Baha’i Prisoner
Mr. Pooya Tebyanian, a 24-year old Baha’i who has been incarcerated since March 8, 2009, was given a temporary leave of 20-days commencing August 29, 2009.
Shiraz (bwns7)
Temporary Leave of 2 Baha’i Prisoners
Miss Raha Sabet and Miss Haleh Rouhi, who are imprisoned in Shiraz, have been given a temporary leave of 5 days commencing September 8, 2009.
Yasuj (bwns8)
Temporary Release of a Prisoner
Mrs. Ruhiyyih Yazdani (Bagha’i), a Baha’i prisoner in Yasuj (see ipw6), has been given a temporary medical leave of 5 days from September 5, 2009. Mrs. Yazdani is completing a 4-year sentence, of which 2 years of it has been changed to a 5-year suspended sentence.
September 19, 2009 8:16 pm
The standard practice in Iran, of giving prisoners occasional leave, is so basic to their wellbeing that we should pray that all countries adopt some version of this or of extended family visits. The lack of such health-promoting acts in circumstances of ‘temporary’ imprisonment (when repeatedly extended), in secret detention in unauthorised facilities, and so forth, is a strong argument against such practices.
Let us also pray that the information being gathered from these innocent people is considered by the administrators of justice, rather than by those who consider themselves only prosecutors of general policies of suspicion.