A 24 October 2008 press release from the Bahá’í International Community’s UN Office in New York reveals that an Iranian “inspector and legal advisor” who was asked to re-examine the 2006 arrests of a group of young Bahá’ís in Shiraz, Iran, filed a confidential report dated June 2008 confirming what Bahá’ís have said all along: that their activities were strictly humanitarian in nature and did not involve the “illegal” teaching of the Bahá’í Faith.
The report was addressed to the “representative of the Supreme Leader in the province (of Fars) and the Imam Jum’ih of Shiraz,” and states that it was done at his request.
No mention of religion
The investigator concluded that not only was there no mention of religion in their activities, but that youths who attended the classes told him they wanted to continue. “They stated ‘We … truthfully learned a lot from this group and would like them to come back to us again,’” the investigator said in his report.
The report has been published by the Human Rights Activists of Iran.
Literacy and moral empowerment
The three Bahá’ís – Haleh Rouhi Jahromi, Raha Sabet Sarvestani, and Sasan Taqva – currently imprisoned in Iran were part of a group of 54 young Bahá’ís and a number of Muslim friends who had been engaged since 2004 in a series of humanitarian projects to promote literacy and moral empowerment among underprivileged young people in and around Shiraz. They worked in poor neighbourhoods, mostly through small classes on Friday mornings.
According to the press release:
“From the beginning of their activities…, these individuals held these charitable, humanitarian classes once a week, helping junior youth and youth,” the report said, quoting a retired police colonel by the name of Jeddi. “The activities of these classes were writing, drawing, and teaching hygiene and moral values, and there was no mention of religious or political matters. There was never any mention or any statement regarding Bahaism.”
Release the Shiraz three
It will be interesting to see if the publication of this report kicks the Iranian government into releasing the “Shiraz three”. Will the Iranian authorities admit their mistake?
Actually, it wasn’t a mistake, it was part of the Iranian authorities’ systematic plan to suppress the Bahá’ís in Iran.
These young Bahá’ís are being treated with manifest injustice and unconscionable cruelty.
They are serving their sentences under harsh conditions and are deprived of even basic prisoners’ rights.
Miss Rouhi and Miss Sabet are being held in solitary confinement, although they have been allowed out for various periods to visit their families (but only after depositing large sums of bail).
Mr Taqva and his family had to make repeated attempts to win him medical leave from prison so that he could have necessary surgery on his leg (he had been injured in a traffic accident in 2003 or 2004). At one point the prosecutor disagreed with the medical examiner’s recommendation that Mr Taqva be granted leave to have the surgery on the grounds that the medical examiner had not described the surgery as “necessary” in his written recommendation.
Release the Bahá’í leaders
And while they are about it, the Iranian authorities must release the national Bahá’í leadership group that was arrested earlier this year.
Will they? Hmm…
Read all about it
Read the whole story here.
Technorati Tags: Baha’i, Bahai, Iran, persecution, human rights, religious freedom, Shiraz, humanitarian, literacy
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It’s been four months since the report was presented and there is no sign that the three youth will be released. I can’t avoid quoting Gandhi:
«When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible but in the end, they always fall — think of it, always.»
Exactly so, Marco. However, the problem with Gandhi’s statement is that it focuses on the long term. Tyrants fall “in the end” – but they cruelly destroy the lives of those whom they hate and despise on the way. Right now the three Baha’is in jail in Shiraz are the victims of the hatred of the oppressor. Yes, they are Baha’is and turn to God and remember the sufferings of Bahá’u'lláh, but they are still the victims of gross and cruel injustice.
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