Jun10
Reps. Wolf and Kirk speak out for Iranian Baha’i leaders ahead of June 12 trial
On June 10, U.S. Representatives Frank Wolf and Mark Kirk submitted statements to the Congressional Record, calling for renewed support of seven imprisoned Baha’i leaders in the days preceding their next court session, which is expected to occur on Saturday, June 12 in Tehran.
“The U.S. and the rest of the free world must continue to speak with one voice about the deplorable human rights situation in Iran,” Wolf said in his statement. “We must continue to advocate for due process and a fair trial for these seven Baha’i leaders and for basic rights for the community as a whole which according to the recently released report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, “has long been subject to particularly severe religious violations in Iran.”
“The world cannot turn a blind eye to this regime’s brutal repression of its own people.”
“The post-election crackdown fully exposed the Iranian regime’s continuing oppression of political dissidents as well as religious and ethnic minorities,” Kirk said in his statement for the Congressional Record.
“In the spring of 2008, seven leaders of the Baha’i community were arrested and detained in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison on charges of ‘‘spreading corruption on earth,’’ among other outrageous falsehoods. They have been incarcerated for 20 months before a show trial can even commence. Moreover, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, as many as 45 members of the Baha’i community are currently imprisoned in Iran solely on the basis of their religious identity. The fourth court appearance of the Baha’i leaders is scheduled for June 12 to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the stolen election.
“The cynicism of the Iranian regime knows no bounds.
“It is time that the United States and the international community hold Iran accountable for denying the fundamental freedoms to its people.”
Comments OffNEWS, PUBLIC STATEMENTS
