Violations of internationally-accepted rules for fair trials have been reported at the trial of seven long-imprisoned Baha’i leaders which opened in Iran yesterday.
Obstruction of defence lawyers and the exclusion of neutral observers points to a highly irregular trial, a spokesperson for the Australian Baha’i Community, Natalie Mobini, said today.
Dr Mobini said that an indication of the way the trial was being handled lay in the fact that defence lawyers had to argue their way into the courtroom.
“This follows a trend of giving the Baha’is virtually no access to lawyers during their imprisonment since March and May in 2008,” Dr Mobini said.
“The exclusion of independent observers at the trial means that any objective description of the proceedings or outcome is not available internationally,” she said.
“The trial is following a pattern very similar to other show trials held in Iran in recent months.”
The charges of espionage, insulting religious sanctities, propaganda against the Islamic republic and spreading corruption on earth are completely baseless, Dr Mobini said.
“The seven on trial are innocent people who have been imprisoned only because of their religion,” she said.
“Their trial symbolises the persecution of an entire religious community and is an attempt to intimidate and stigmatise Iran’s biggest religious minority.”
Dr Mobini said it had been reported that Iranian authorities said yesterday’s proceedings were merely the first session of the trial and that no date for future sessions was given.
Australian Government
“We are grateful to the Australian Government for its statement yesterday expressing its concern about the treatment of these Baha’is,” Dr Mobini said.
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade yesterday said the Government has expressed deep concern about the treatment of the Iranian Baha’i community including the arrest of seven leading members.
“We urge the Iranian Government (to ensure) that any trial be fair and transparent and conducted in accordance with Iran’s international obligations,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said the Government was concerned at reports that at least 10 more Baha’is had been arrested early this month.
The Australian Government and the Federal and State parliaments last year called for the release of the seven Baha’is.
Cherie Blair
Dr Mobini said the unjust treatment of the Baha’is had drawn international condemnation, including in an article published this week by Cherie Blair, a human rights lawyer who is the wife of former United Kingdom prime minister Tony Blair.
“The continued imprisonment of the (Baha’i) leadership has drawn international protest, but this pressure must be stepped up,” Mrs Blair said in the article, published in the Guardian and in Australian metropolitan newspapers.
“The revolutionary court system is secretive; the only chance of justice being served is for the case to be held in open court so proceedings can be independently monitored,” she said.
“The trial of the Baha’i leaders should matter to all who care about human rights. In Iran, for the Baha’i community among others, the fight for human rights has become a matter of life and death.”
Relatives in Australia
Dr Mobini said three of the accused have close relatives who are members of the Australian Baha’i community and who are extremely anxious about the fate of their loved ones.
“There are Baha’is in all parts of Australia and we are watching news about this trial with great concern,” she said.
For more information, visit the Baha’i World News Service