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Plight of Baha'is in Iran: July 18 at Patrick Henry Library
Posted by:
Don Osborn
()
Date: July 07, 2009 08:13AM
July 1, 2009
On May 14, 2009 Iranian intelligence officials arrested six leaders of the independent world religion, the Baha’i Faith, and took them to the notorious Evin prison in Tehran on false charges. The six men and women, all members of the national-level committee that coordinates the activities for the Iranian Baha’i community, were in their homes when government intelligence agents entered and spent up to five hours searching each home, before taking them away. The seventh member of the committee was arrested on March 5 in Mashhad after being summoned by the Ministry of Intelligence office there.
Arrested on May 14 were: Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm. All live in Tehran. The seventh member of the committee, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, also lives in Tehran although she has been detained in Mashhad. A photo depicting the leaders is attached to this letter.
These circumstances are very similar to incidents which occurred in the 1980s when many Iranian Baha’i leaders were rounded up and subsequently executed.
On August 21, 1980 all nine members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Iran, the national governing body, were abducted and disappeared without a trace. It is certain that they were killed. The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Iran reconstituted soon after those disappearances, and eight of those nine members were executed on December 27, 1981.
The latest arrests of Baha’is in Iran are the subject of recent resolutions in both the U.S., House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate condemning the mistreatment and unjust imprisonment of the Baha’is by the current regime.
The Town of Vienna and Greater Vienna (Virginia) Baha’i communities invite local local residents and others who believe in the freedom of religion and the protection of human rights to join them for an afternoon devoted to learning about the plight of the Baha’i Community in Iran and to pray for the protection and release of seven Baha’i leaders who have been imprisoned for one year simply because of their beliefs.
This special public presentation will take place on Saturday, July 18th, 2009 between 1 PM and 3 PM at the Patrick Henry Library, 101 Maple Avenue, Vienna, Virginia 22180-5794 [at the corner of Center Street and Route 123]. For more information and further directions, please contact the Baha’is of Vienna at 703-581-3993.
For information regarding the Baha’i Faith, please consult www.usbnc.org.
Sincerely,
John A. Russo Jr.
On Behalf of the Baha’i Communities of
The Town of Vienna and
The Greater Vienna
On May 14, 2009 Iranian intelligence officials arrested six leaders of the independent world religion, the Baha’i Faith, and took them to the notorious Evin prison in Tehran on false charges. The six men and women, all members of the national-level committee that coordinates the activities for the Iranian Baha’i community, were in their homes when government intelligence agents entered and spent up to five hours searching each home, before taking them away. The seventh member of the committee was arrested on March 5 in Mashhad after being summoned by the Ministry of Intelligence office there.
Arrested on May 14 were: Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm. All live in Tehran. The seventh member of the committee, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, also lives in Tehran although she has been detained in Mashhad. A photo depicting the leaders is attached to this letter.
These circumstances are very similar to incidents which occurred in the 1980s when many Iranian Baha’i leaders were rounded up and subsequently executed.
On August 21, 1980 all nine members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Iran, the national governing body, were abducted and disappeared without a trace. It is certain that they were killed. The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Iran reconstituted soon after those disappearances, and eight of those nine members were executed on December 27, 1981.
The latest arrests of Baha’is in Iran are the subject of recent resolutions in both the U.S., House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate condemning the mistreatment and unjust imprisonment of the Baha’is by the current regime.
The Town of Vienna and Greater Vienna (Virginia) Baha’i communities invite local local residents and others who believe in the freedom of religion and the protection of human rights to join them for an afternoon devoted to learning about the plight of the Baha’i Community in Iran and to pray for the protection and release of seven Baha’i leaders who have been imprisoned for one year simply because of their beliefs.
This special public presentation will take place on Saturday, July 18th, 2009 between 1 PM and 3 PM at the Patrick Henry Library, 101 Maple Avenue, Vienna, Virginia 22180-5794 [at the corner of Center Street and Route 123]. For more information and further directions, please contact the Baha’is of Vienna at 703-581-3993.
For information regarding the Baha’i Faith, please consult www.usbnc.org.
Sincerely,
John A. Russo Jr.
On Behalf of the Baha’i Communities of
The Town of Vienna and
The Greater Vienna