Cherie Blair condemns Iran's treatment of its Baha'i minority

Cherie Blair has published an excellent article on The Guardian's Comment is Free blog condemning Iran's treatment of its Baha'i minority and particularly the utterly unjust and cruel imprisonment of the Yaran (aka the Friends in Iran, often referred to as Iran's Baha'i leaders) for 20 years.

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The sham trial of seven Bahá'í leaders is a violation of Iran's international human rights obligations and the country's own law

The sentences follow a sham trial in which the accused faced a variety of charges ranging from spreading propaganda against the state and engaging in espionage, to conspiring to commit offences against national security. Unless international pressure can force a change of mind, many of the Bahá'í leaders are doomed to die in prison. The oldest – Jamaloddin Khanjani – is already 77 years old.

Their former lawyer, the Nobel peace prizewinner Shirin Ebadi, who has herself been forced into exile because of her outspoken criticism of the Iranian regime's record on human rights, has said that there is no evidence to support the charges or claims of the prosecutor. What is also clear is that the trial comes after over two years of harsh and illegal detention and unfair treatment which violated not just international norms but also Iranian law.

The five men and two women had already spent eight months in jail before they were charged with any offence. Though Iranian law grants the accused the right to have a lawyer present during the investigation, this right was denied the prisoners.

 

The imprisonment of these seven innocent people for no good reason other than that they are Baha'is seems to be part of a wider strategy on the part of the Iranian authorities.

The truth behind this sentence is that it is an attempt to decapitate Iran's 300,000 strong Bahá'í community. As members of Iran's biggest religious minority, they have suffered decades of discrimination, harassment and appalling treatment. Most recently, 50 Bahá'í homes were razed in northern Iran, and we know of at least 47 other Bahá'ís currently imprisoned.

Yet the Bahá'í faith, which has its roots in Iran, is a gentle religion which emphasises the spiritual unity of all humankind and builds on the prophets of many faiths, including Jesus and Mohammed. It poses no threat to the Iranian regime. The peaceful, constructive lives led by millions of Bahá'ís in other countries contradict the fears of the Iranian regime. Iran's disregard for its own laws, let alone its human rights obligations, exposes its religious fanaticism.

There have been some very strong statements from senior government figures around the world, including the UK's Foreign Secretary, William Hague, and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, condemning the imprisonment of the Baha'i leaders in forthright terms.

The foreign secretary, William Hague, has already said he was "appalled" at this "shocking example of the Iranian state's continued discrimination against the Bahá'ís". The US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, called the sentence a "violation" of Iran's international obligations. Australia, Canada, the European parliament and European Commission, France, Germany and the Netherlands have expressed their concern as have, among others, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

A chorus of condemnation is reminding Iran that it signed and ratified the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, in which Article 18 upholds the right to adopt and practice a religion or belief. The Iranian authorities, despite what they pretend, are not deaf to international criticism. We must all add our voices on this latest abandonment of Iran's human rights obligations so the regime hears us loud and clear.

It's worth reading the whole of Cherie Blair's article here.

Picture © Baha'i International Community 2010

 

Is redemption possible for a child who committed murder?

The murder of toddler James Bulger was an appalling crime, of that there can be no doubt.

The question raised and thoughtfully discussed in this article by Brian Masters is this: can we allow that there might be redemption for Jon Venables, who was 10 years old when he and Robert Thompson, also 10, took James Bulger on the long walk to his death?

The British public has remained fascinated, horrified, by this murder. Many still bay for the blood of Jon Venables. There's a nasty, prurient, salacious character to this fascination, and the calls for vengeance against the two murderers express a kind of self-righteousness that defends against the fear that, given different circumstances, those who call for vengeance could themselves have committed the same murder.

 

Jon Venables is no longer the guilty boy who killed James Bulger

The child 'Jon Venables' has become someone else now but public indignation demands that he remain the bewildered boy who could barely see out of the dock at his trial. Have we really so little belief in redemption, asks Brian Masters.

 

By Brian Masters
Published: 6:45AM GMT 04 Mar 2010

Jon Venables, one of the killers of toddler James Bulger, has returned to prison after breaching the conditions of his release.
Jon Venables, 10 years of age in 1993 Photo: GETTY IMAGES

A 27-year-old man who used to be known as Jon Venables has been taken into custody for an undisclosed reason at an unknown location. That is all there is to say, or it should be. But this simple news item has been wilfully exploded into a stream of righteous wrath owing to what this man did 17 years ago. It is as well we should remind ourselves what that was, and examine why we should delight in recalling the horror all over again. For that is what is happening.

via telegraph.co.uk

I don't for one moment condone the atrocious acts perpetrated by the boys Venables and Thompson. Nor do I doubt the strength of the grief and anger that James Bulger's mother may well still feel, even after 17 years.

However, Jon Venables, who now lives under a new identity, is not, as Brian Masters points out, the boy of 10 who did what he did:

'...he cannot be the warped and skewed child who shared in that dreadful crime all those years ago. It is just not possible. He is somebody else now. We all of us change and develop as we pass into adulthood and beyond, and there is no reason to suppose that a child who murders should be exempt from this inevitability.'

Sadly, some of those calling for vengeance claim to be adherents of one or other religion and that their religion justifies their calls for vengeance. In reality, though, genuine religion is centrally about the possibility of change, of transformation, of redemption.

Without wishing to undermine justice, which is the foundation of the possibility of a cohesive society, I share Brian Masters' hope that:

'Surely our society is mature enough to permit religious wisdom to prevail rather than let intelligent thought be swamped by quivering fascination with wickedness.'

Iran's Baha'i leaders make second court appearance

The Baha'i World News Service reports that seven imprisoned Baha'i leaders appeared in court on Sunday 7 February  in Iran for a second session of their trial.

The session was once again closed, and family members were not permitted in the courtroom, the Baha'i International Community has learned.

The hearing, which lasted just over one hour, does not seem to have gone beyond procedural issues. No date was given for any future sessions.

The seven were arrested nearly two years ago and have been held in Tehran's Evin prison since that time, spending the first year there without formal charges or access to lawyers.

After several postponements, their trial officially began on 12 January, when the seven were arraigned in Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran.

That session was also closed to the public, but accounts in government-sponsored news media said the defendants were formally charged with espionage, propaganda activities against the Islamic order, the establishment of an illegal administration, cooperation with Israel, sending secret documents outside the country, acting against the security of the country, and corruption on earth.

All the charges have been categorically denied. The defendants are Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm.

An Open Letter to My Judicial Colleagues in Iran

They that are just and fair-minded in their judgement occupy a sublime station and hold an exalted rank. The light of piety and uprightness shineth resplendent from these souls. We earnestly hope that the peoples and countries of the world may not be deprived of the splendours of these two luminaries. Baha’u'llah, Bahai writings

The seven Baha’is who have been in Evin prison in Tehran since spring 2008 today appeared in court for a second time. At the first hearing, in January, they were formally charged with espionage, propaganda activities against the Islamic order, the establishment of an illegal administration, cooperation with Israel, sending secret documents outside the country, acting against the security of the country and corruption on earth. Both hearings were held in camera, so we do not have many details. It appears that the proceedings today were procedural. The Baha’is –Mrs Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr Afif Naeimi, Mr Saeid Rezaie, Mrs Mahvash Sabet, Mr Behrouz Tavakkoli and Mr Vahid Tizfahm – have pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

In light of the long persecution of the Baha’is in Iran, pre-dating the Iranian Islamic Revolution of 1979 by more than a hundred years, the worldwide Baha’i community is convinced that the Baha’is have been charged solely because of their religious beliefs.

We who are judges and magistrates hold justice as the highest of standard of civilization. The principles of the independence of the judiciary, the primacy of the rule of law — which was formulated in Islamic jurisprudence before the twelfth century — fairness, equality, due process, impartiality, trustworthiness, openness and consistency are at the heart of every judicial system worthy of the name. We align ourselves to these principles — without them our own integrity is compromised.

Those of you who are hearing the case of the Baha’is in Iran have a unique opportunity to demonstrate that you too align yourself with these principles. As all trustworthy judges do, you will want to listen to both sides. You will not be persuaded by rhetoric — you will want to ascertain the facts. You will need more than allegations — you will need robust evidence. You will be suspicious of concocted `evidence’. You will consult not only your books but your conscience. You will not allow yourself to be manipulated by vested interests. You will look beyond the prejudices that drive lesser men and hear with your own ears and see with your own eyes. You will recognize that these Baha’is have served the people of Iran, your citizens, and have always had their best interests, and yours, at heart.

We, your judicial colleagues, are willing you to treat your judicial position with respect and to discharge your responsibilities with honour. Your personal integrity and reputation, and the integrity of your judicial system and its reputation, are at stake. No doubt, when you apply the principles we all hold so dear, you will find the Baha’is before you innocent.

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via wendimomen.com

This is an excellent letter by a very good friend of mine who is a long-serving magistrate. I hope the message gets through to the judiciary in Iran who are handling the case of the seven Baha'i leaders who have been in jail in Tehran for almost two years and whose case is being dragged through the Revolutionary Court system with many delays.