The trial of seven Baha’i leaders in Iran set for 18 October 2009 has been postponed without any new date given.
Australian Baha’i Community spokesperson Tessa Scrine said the failure by the authorities to set a new date for the trial or to properly notify lawyers is a violation of Iran’s own legal procedures and a breach of due process rules under international law.
“These Baha’is, who have been imprisoned in poor conditions for more than 17 months, are clearly innocent of any crime and should be released immediately on bail,” Ms Scrine said.
“It is contrary to the accepted norms of justice that there have been trial dates seemingly set and then postponed and now no new date set at all,” she said.
Three of the accused have close family members in Australia, where the Government and the Federal Parliament have publicly called for the release of the seven leaders and expressed their serious concerns about the situation of the Baha’is in Iran.
The seven Baha’i leaders have been held at Tehran’s notorious Evin prison without formal charges since March and May 2008.
Official Iranian news accounts have said the seven are to be accused of “espionage for Israel, insulting religious sanctities and propaganda against the Islamic republic.”
The Baha’i International Community categorically rejects all charges against the seven, stating that they are held solely because of religious persecution.
For more information, visit the Baha’i World News Service.