U.S. religious freedom commission “condemns 20-year sentence of Baha’is prisoners”

From Iran.Bahai.US

Today, August 11, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom joined the international outcry on behalf of seven Iranian Baha’is recently sentenced to 20 years in prison for their beliefs.

From the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom statement:

The five Baha’i men and two women had been charged with several baseless and unsubstantiated crimes which carry the death penalty, including espionage, propaganda activities against the Islamic order, and spreading “corruption on earth.” Their attorneys are in the process of filing an appeal.

“This is an outrageous miscarriage of justice and one more example of how the Iranian regime is a gross violator of human rights and religious freedoms,” said Leonard Leo, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) chair. “The prosecutions and sentences are, pure and simple, politically and religiously motivated acts, and the Commission calls for the unconditional release of these seven individuals.”

Secretary of State Clinton says, “We have not forgotten the Baha’i community in Iran.”

On Thursday, August 12, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton issued the following statement concerning the seven Iranian Baha’i leaders who have each been sentenced to 20 years in prison for their religious beliefs. According to new reports, the seven prisoners have been transferred from Evin prison in Tehran to Gohardasht Prison – also known as Rajaishahr Prison – in Karaj, some 20 kilometers west of the Iranian capital.

From Secretary Clinton’s statement “Persecution of Religious Minorities in Iran”:

The United States is deeply concerned with the Iranian government’s continued persecution of Baha’is and other religious minority communities in Iran.

This week, seven Baha’i leaders, who were incarcerated and held for nearly two years without due process, were each sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. The United States strongly condemns this sentencing as a violation of Iran’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Freedom of religion is the birthright of people of all faiths and beliefs in all places.  The United States is committed to defending religious freedom around the world, and we have not forgotten the Baha’i community in Iran.  We will continue to speak out against injustice and call on the Iranian government to respect the fundamental rights of all its citizens in accordance with its international obligations.

Please visit HERE for a summary of the case.