Trial of seven Baha'i leaders in Iran looms

, , 4 Comments

(BWNS) Recent developments in Iran have raised grave concern about the ultimate fate of the seven Baha’i leaders who are scheduled to go on trial next Tuesday.

“The Baha’i community in Iran has all too often been subjected to campaigns of vilification and false charges devised to deflect the attention of a disquieted population onto the Baha’is and away from those in power,” said Diane Ala’i, the Baha’i International Community representative to the United Nations in Geneva. “And now, in these days leading to the trial, there are signs that once again the Baha’is are being made scapegoats.

“Rather than accepting responsibility for the turmoil in the country, the Iranian government seeks to lay the blame on others, including foreign powers, international organizations and media outlets, students, women, and terrorists. Now the Baha’is have been added to this long list of alleged culprits,” she said.

Read Full Story on BWNS

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin
 

4 Responses

  2. Bill

    January 6, 2010 6:20 pm

    Is it possible that the document which the 13 arrested Baha’is refused to sign was a clumsy false admission of guilt, intended to trap them into an admission of guilt? If it said “We’re sorry we caused all those riots, and they were all our fault, but we promise not to do it again,” then it would be obvious why they refused to sign. there anay journalist left aliave in Tehran who could ask to see the statement in question, and find out what it says?

    As anyone who has even briefly read of the Baha’i Faith knows, one of its rules of conduct is that members of that religious persuasion have absolutely nothing to do with divisivee and partisan political activity. They do not join and do not campaign for or support political parties, left, right center, up or down. They vote at election time, but they do not advocate one side or the other in political disputations.

    Are the facts available, please?

    Reply
  3. sb

    January 7, 2010 7:48 pm

    No Baha’i could affix his or her name to a document that is untruthful and damaging to the essence of Baha’i Teachings. Seven million Baha’is across the globe testify to the sacredness of these words: “We should at all times manifest our truthfulness and sincerity, nay rather, we must be constant in our faithfulness and trustworthiness, and occupy ourselves in offering prayers for the good of all. (from ‘Abdu’l Baha, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 294).

    The Baha’i prisoners of Evin and across Iran are persecuted simply for believing in sincerity, faithfulness, and trustworthiness! This may be Iran’s national tragedy, that it so carelessly persecutes those who would gladly serve the nation and offer peaceful support. Let the present day evildoers try, the Baha’i prisoners of Iran are well-known internationally as models of conscience.

    Reply

Leave a Reply