{"id":1200,"date":"2010-08-12T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2010-08-12T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/news\/australia-joins-international-outcry-over-sentences\/"},"modified":"2017-10-14T04:47:21","modified_gmt":"2017-10-14T04:47:21","slug":"australia-joins-international-outcry-over-sentences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/australia-joins-international-outcry-over-sentences\/","title":{"rendered":"Australia joins international outcry over sentences"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Australia
The seven Baha’i leaders sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in Iran<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Australian Government has expressed \u201cdeep concern\u201d following reports that seven Iranian Baha’i leaders have each received prison sentences of 20 years.<\/p>\n

Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States, the European Parliament and international human rights organisations have also issued strong statements of concern.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Australia\u2019s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said that Australia remains \u201cdeeply concerned about the treatment of the Iranian Baha\u2019i community\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Government has expressed its strong concerns about the treatment of Baha\u2019is, including the case of the seven community leaders, on many occasions with the Iranian Government,\u201d the spokeperson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Government has also raised these concerns in the UN Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe continue to call on Iran to ensure that all trials are fair and transparent and are conducted in accordance with Iran\u2019s international obligations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Appalled\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

The United Kingdom\u2019s Foreign Secretary, William Hague, said he was \u201cappalled\u201d to hear of the 20-year sentence. He described the continuing discrimination against Iranian Baha\u2019is as \u201ccompletely unacceptable\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Iranian judiciary has repeatedly failed to allay international and domestic concerns that these seven men and women are guilty of anything other than practising their faith,\u201d Mr Hague said.<\/p>\n

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States “strongly condemns” the sentencing of seven Iranian Baha’i leaders to 20 years imprisonment.<\/p>\n

Mrs Clinton described the act as a “violation of Iran’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”<\/p>\n

The United States is “deeply concerned with the Iranian government’s continued persecution of Baha’is and other religious minority communities in Iran,” Mrs Clinton said.<\/p>\n

Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lawrence Cannon, said that his country was “deeply disturbed” by the sentences that were “passed without either written judgements or due process.”<\/p>\n

He urged Iran to grant bail to the prisoners.<\/p>\n

Germany said Iran must annul the judgement and “provide a fair and transparent court procedure”.<\/p>\n

\u2018Consternation\u2019
\n<\/strong>
\nIn expressing France\u2019s “consternation” at the 20-year jail term, French Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Christine Fages, said Iranian authorities should stop persecuting Baha’is and other religious minorities.<\/p>\n

In calling for the release of the Baha’i leaders, the Netherlands Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maxime Verhagen, expressed his country’s concern about the judicial process and its fears that the arrest and sentence is “based solely on discrimination of religious belief”.<\/p>\n

The President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, called the sentences “a shocking signal and an immense disappointment for all who have hoped for an improvement of the human rights situation in Iran.”<\/p>\n

Human Rights Organisations
\n<\/strong>
\nInternational human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have joined the protest.<\/p>\n

Amnesty International described the Baha’i leaders as “prisoners of conscience jailed solely on account of their beliefs or peaceful activities on behalf of the persecuted Baha’i minority.”<\/p>\n

“The seven were held for months without charge before being subjected to a parody of a trial — they must be immediately released,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty’s Middle East and North Africa deputy director.<\/p>\n

Appreciation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Australian Baha\u2019i Community spokesperson Tessa Scrine said: “Australian Baha\u2019is greatly appreciate the support of the Government in light of the reports of these outrageous sentences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Baha\u2019i representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Diane Ala\u2019i said statements from governments and human rights organisations \u201cdemonstrate that increasing numbers of people of all races and religions throughout the world want to see justice done in Iran \u2013 not just for the Baha’is but all of its citizens who face gross human rights violations.”<\/p>\n

See Baha\u2019i World News Service<\/a> for further details<\/p>\n

Note: This story was updated on 16 August 2010 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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