Why are Baha’is the world over holding their breath?
Well, it seems possible that the seven Baha’i leaders in Iran may go on trial in Tehran as early as tomorrow (Sunday).
Action so far
Governments and parliamentarians in various countries, prompted by the Baha’is, have swept (or lumbered) into action, assessed what they could do, issued statements, drawn up démarches. They will do more in the coming week.
Stories have appeared in the media and on blogs. More will appear in the coming week.
Fair trials? Unlikely
But in the end, the safety of these innocent souls will be in the hands of a regime riven with internecine tensions, whose stated policy is to eradicate the Baha’is, and of a judicial system that is not known for its devotion to due process.
Fair trials? Very unlikely. In fact, there is no cause for any kind of trial, since the seven are guilty only of being Baha’is. They should not be on trial. They should not have been in jail for more than eight months.
Oh, and it’s kind of convenient that Mrs Shirin Ebadi, the Nobel Peace Prize winning human rights lawyer and campaigner, who is their defence lawyer, has found her offices closed by the authorities and her access to necessary papers for the defence of the seven completely blocked.
Will history repeat itself?
For those of us who’ve been around a while, this is all scarily reminiscent of the abduction and execution of the National Spiritual Assembly (the national Baha’i governing council) of Iran in the 1980s.
At least one of the seven has family members here in the UK. They are, as you may imagine, worried sick.
Technorati Tags: Baha’i, Bahai, Iran, persecution, trial, human rights, Shirin Ebadi
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