Statement by NGO Leaders Calling for the Immediate Release of the Seven Imprisoned Baha’i Leaders in Iran
Statement by NGO Leaders
Calling for the Immediate Release of the Seven Imprisoned Baha’i Leaders in Iran
May 2016
On the eighth anniversary of their imprisonment, we add our voices to the global chorus urging the immediate release of the seven Baha’i leaders who are behind bars in Iran. As supporters of religious freedom and human rights, we stand in solidarity with the Baha’is in Iran. We ask for nothing less than the full and unconditional inclusion of Baha’is in all spheres of Iranian life.
Since May 14, 2008, the leaders of Iran’s Baha’i community have been punished and imprisoned for their beliefs. Their names are Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaie, Mahvash Sabet, Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Vahid Tizfahm. These individuals were initially sentenced to the longest prison terms of any Iranian prisoners of conscience. Their twenty-year sentences have reportedly been reduced to ten years, but not terminated. This is not adequate, nor is it just.
These seven courageous souls – along with hundreds of thousands of Baha’is in Iran – have proven to be great friends of their country. No matter how poorly they are treated, they are law-abiding and shun all forms of violent or political protest. Moreover, Baha’is seek to serve their communities as active and informed citizens – despite being refused equal treatment under the law.
Officially-sanctioned repression of Baha’is ranges the entire lifespan, from birth to death.
Children are bullied and youth are denied higher education. Parents are thrown in jail. Baha’i-owned businesses are shut down. Their homes are raided and their property confiscated. Their holy places and cemeteries are defaced or destroyed. Hate speech against Baha’is and fear-inciting propaganda are widespread in state-sponsored media.
Nor are Baha’is alone in the abuses they face. Human rights in Iran are truly in crisis as executions have reached staggering levels, journalists are imprisoned, women are attacked and discriminated against, human rights lawyers and defenders face crackdowns, dissidents are targeted, and religious and ethnic minorities are persecuted.
We call on the Iranian government: Free the seven Baha’i leaders. Respect and protect all Iranian citizens who have a common desire for justice and peace.
Randall Everett
President
21st Century Wilberforce Initiative
Zainab Al-Suwaij
Executive Director
American Islamic Congress
Anthony Vance
Director of Public Affairs
Bahá’ís of the United States
David Harris
Chief Executive Officer
AJC (American Jewish Committee)
Marjan Keypour Greenblatt
Director
Alliance for Rights of All Minorities (ARAM) Iran
Jonathan Greenblatt
Chief Executive Officer
Anti-Defamation League
Roya Boroumand
Executive Director
Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation
Mervyn Thomas
Chief Executive Officer
Christian Solidarity Worldwide – UK
Patrick Carolan
Executive Director
Franciscan Action Network
Mark Lagon
President
Freedom House
Diane Randall
Executive Secretary
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Mark Hetfield
President & Chief Executive Officer
HIAS
Suhag A. Shukla
Executive Director & Legal Counsel
Hindu American Foundation
Hadi Ghaemi
Executive Director
International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
Jeff King
President
International Christian Concern
Rod Sanjabi
Executive Director
Iran Human Rights Documentation Center
Ann Buwalda
Executive Director
Jubilee Campaign
Gerry Lee
Executive Director
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Jim Winkler
President & General Secretary
National Council of Churches
Kristin Wright
Advocacy Director
Open Doors USA
Sr. Patricia Chappell
Executive Director
Pax Christi USA
Rev. Gradye Parsons
Stated Clerk of the General Assembly
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Stephen McInerney
Executive Director
Project on Middle East Democracy
Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner
Director
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
Brian Grim
President
Religious Freedom & Business Foundation
Mariam Memarsadeghi & Akbar Atri
Co-Founders & Co-Directors
E-Collaborative for Civic Education / Tavaana
Firuzeh Mahmoudi
Executive Director
United for Iran
Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe
General Secretary, General Board of Church and Society
The United Methodist Church
Rev. Peter Morales
President
Unitarian Universalist Association