20 AUGUST, 2010
Foreign Minister Murray McCully today expressed deep concern at the 20-year prison sentences handed down by the Government of Iran to the leadership of the Bahá’í faith.
“New Zealand is dismayed that Iran has failed to uphold its international human rights commitments, and its own due legal processes in this case. I would hope to see the Government of Iran grant the Bahá’í Yaran immediate bail, pending an appeal of the sentence,” Mr McCully said.
“The sentences appear to be based wholly on the fact that these people are members of a minority religious group. It is apparent that the trial was conducted in a manner that was neither fair nor transparent.
“New Zealand calls on the Government of Iran to protect the fundamental rights of all its citizens, and to end its ongoing and systematic persecution of the Bahá’í,” Mr McCully said.
Source: http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/mccully+condemns+sentences+bahá039%C3%AD+leadership
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