{"id":1230,"date":"2011-03-31T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-03-31T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/news\/reinstatement-of-20-year-sentences-dismays-australian-bahais\/"},"modified":"2017-10-14T04:52:08","modified_gmt":"2017-10-14T04:52:08","slug":"reinstatement-of-20-year-sentences-dismays-australian-bahais","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/reinstatement-of-20-year-sentences-dismays-australian-bahais\/","title":{"rendered":"Reinstatement of 20 year sentences dismays Australian Baha'is"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Reinstatement
The seven Baha’i leaders sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in Iran<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The reinstatement of 20 year sentences for seven Baha\u2019i leaders in Iran has \u201cstunned and appalled\u201d the Australian Baha\u2019i Community, spokesperson Tessa Scrine said today.<\/p>\n

A decision by the Appeal Court six months ago to reduce the sentences of the leaders to 10 years has been rescinded and the original 20 year term has been reinstated, Ms Scrine said.<\/p>\n

The seven were members of a national-level ad hoc group that attended to the needs of Iran’s Baha’i community, with the full knowledge and tacit consent of the Iranian authorities, until they were rounded up and jailed in 2008.<\/p>\n

Two of the leaders have siblings in Australia, and others have other relatives here.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are dismayed, stunned and appalled by this cruel treatment of people who the world knows have done no wrong and who should be released immediately,\u201d Ms Scrine said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt appears that the move has followed a challenge by the Prosecutor General who can appeal any court judgement he believes contradicts Shariah law,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe intervention by Iranian authorities to double what was already a completely unjustified sentence flies in the face of world opinion,\u201d Ms Scrine said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor some of the seven, a 10 year sentence, let alone a 20 year term, is effectively a life sentence,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis move comes as a campaign of terror and intimidation continues to be waged by the Iranian authorities against the 300,000 strong Baha\u2019i community, the biggest non-Muslim religious minority in that country.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese law-abiding people are facing arson attacks on their businesses, desecration of their cemeteries, dawn raids and arbitrary arrests, random assaults, and defamation by State-sponsored media. Some 79 Baha’is are currently in jail in Iran due to their faith.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms Scrine said Australian Baha\u2019is were grateful to the Australian Government and the Federal Parliament for their strong statements against the persecution of the Baha\u2019is in Iran.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe call on fair-minded people throughout Australia and the world to stand up in the name of justice for these oppressed, innocent people,\u201d Ms Scrine said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the past two weeks, there has been mounting international criticism of the treatment of the Baha\u2019is in Iran and that was even before this latest outrage was known.\u201d<\/p>\n

International condemnation<\/b><\/p>\n

In his report this month on Iran, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon specifically highlighted the case of its Baha’i community and the imprisonment of the seven Baha’i leaders.<\/p>\n

That was followed by the UN Human Rights Council voting to appoint a special investigator to monitor Iran’s compliance with international human rights standards.<\/p>\n

On 14 March, prior to the vote, Australia told the UN Human Rights Council that it was \u201cdeeply concerned\u201d at Iran\u2019s treatment of minorities, including Baha\u2019is.<\/p>\n

In his message of 20 March 2011 for the traditional Persian New Year, U.S. President Barack Obama highlighted human rights abuses in Iran, saying: \u201cThe world has watched these unjust actions with alarm … We have seen … the Baha\u2019i community and Sufi Muslims punished for their faith …”<\/p>\n

Read the Baha\u2019i World New Service story <\/a>on the \u201cduplicity, crass cynicism and vile motives\u201d of the Iranian authorities in this matter.<\/p>\n

Read the reaction of an Australian Baha\u2019i whose brother is one of the seven imprisoned leaders on the ABC Religion and Ethics Web site<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The reinstatement of 20 year sentences for seven Baha\u2019i leaders in Iran has \u201cstunned and appalled\u201d the Australian Baha\u2019i Community, spokesperson Tessa Scrine said today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-media-releases","category-uncategorised"],"yoast_head":"\nReinstatement of 20 year sentences dismays Australian Baha&apos;is - Australian Baha'i Community<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/reinstatement-of-20-year-sentences-dismays-australian-bahais\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Reinstatement of 20 year sentences dismays Australian Baha&apos;is - Australian Baha'i Community\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The reinstatement of 20 year sentences for seven Baha\u2019i leaders in Iran has \u201cstunned and appalled\u201d the Australian Baha\u2019i Community, spokesperson Tessa Scrine said today.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/reinstatement-of-20-year-sentences-dismays-australian-bahais\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Australian Baha'i Community\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-03-31T00:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-10-14T04:52:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/Portals\/0\/friends_in_iran_collage.JPG\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"it-admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"it-admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/reinstatement-of-20-year-sentences-dismays-australian-bahais\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/reinstatement-of-20-year-sentences-dismays-australian-bahais\/\",\"name\":\"Reinstatement of 20 year sentences dismays Australian Baha'is - Australian Baha'i Community\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/reinstatement-of-20-year-sentences-dismays-australian-bahais\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/reinstatement-of-20-year-sentences-dismays-australian-bahais\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/Portals\/0\/friends_in_iran_collage.JPG\",\"datePublished\":\"2011-03-31T00:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-10-14T04:52:08+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/#\/schema\/person\/27e40e806cfb1ed651dbd81accc2b48f\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/reinstatement-of-20-year-sentences-dismays-australian-bahais\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/reinstatement-of-20-year-sentences-dismays-australian-bahais\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/reinstatement-of-20-year-sentences-dismays-australian-bahais\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/Portals\/0\/friends_in_iran_collage.JPG\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/Portals\/0\/friends_in_iran_collage.JPG\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/reinstatement-of-20-year-sentences-dismays-australian-bahais\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Reinstatement of 20 year sentences dismays Australian Baha'is\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/\",\"name\":\"Australian Baha'i Community\",\"description\":\"The official website of the Baha'is of Australia\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/#\/schema\/person\/27e40e806cfb1ed651dbd81accc2b48f\",\"name\":\"it-admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0defdebd8063ec2ce723629dbfefdb5171c04bb384ad103a85d694485f46ddbe?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0defdebd8063ec2ce723629dbfefdb5171c04bb384ad103a85d694485f46ddbe?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"it-admin\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/author\/it-admin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Reinstatement of 20 year sentences dismays Australian Baha'is - Australian Baha'i Community","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/reinstatement-of-20-year-sentences-dismays-australian-bahais\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Reinstatement of 20 year sentences dismays Australian Baha'is - Australian Baha'i Community","og_description":"The reinstatement of 20 year sentences for seven Baha\u2019i leaders in Iran has \u201cstunned and appalled\u201d the Australian Baha\u2019i Community, spokesperson Tessa Scrine said today.","og_url":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/reinstatement-of-20-year-sentences-dismays-australian-bahais\/","og_site_name":"Australian Baha'i Community","article_published_time":"2011-03-31T00:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2017-10-14T04:52:08+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/Portals\/0\/friends_in_iran_collage.JPG"}],"author":"it-admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"it-admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/reinstatement-of-20-year-sentences-dismays-australian-bahais\/","url":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/reinstatement-of-20-year-sentences-dismays-australian-bahais\/","name":"Reinstatement of 20 year sentences dismays Australian Baha'is - Australian Baha'i Community","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/reinstatement-of-20-year-sentences-dismays-australian-bahais\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/reinstatement-of-20-year-sentences-dismays-australian-bahais\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/Portals\/0\/friends_in_iran_collage.JPG","datePublished":"2011-03-31T00:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2017-10-14T04:52:08+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/#\/schema\/person\/27e40e806cfb1ed651dbd81accc2b48f"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/reinstatement-of-20-year-sentences-dismays-australian-bahais\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/reinstatement-of-20-year-sentences-dismays-australian-bahais\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/reinstatement-of-20-year-sentences-dismays-australian-bahais\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/Portals\/0\/friends_in_iran_collage.JPG","contentUrl":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/Portals\/0\/friends_in_iran_collage.JPG"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/reinstatement-of-20-year-sentences-dismays-australian-bahais\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Reinstatement of 20 year sentences dismays Australian Baha'is"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/#website","url":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/","name":"Australian Baha'i Community","description":"The official website of the Baha'is of Australia","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/#\/schema\/person\/27e40e806cfb1ed651dbd81accc2b48f","name":"it-admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0defdebd8063ec2ce723629dbfefdb5171c04bb384ad103a85d694485f46ddbe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0defdebd8063ec2ce723629dbfefdb5171c04bb384ad103a85d694485f46ddbe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"it-admin"},"url":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/author\/it-admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1230"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1230\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1636,"href":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1230\/revisions\/1636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}