Take Action! Send e-letters in support of Iran’s 7 Baha’i Leaders (letters in English & Farsi)
Update September 18, 2010: The Baha’i leaders’ sentences have been “halved” to 10 years prison. The ENGLISH letters below have been edited to reflect these recent developments. Farsi updates coming soon.
[ ENGLISH: Send e-letters to WORLD LEADERS ]
[ ENGLISH: Send e-letters to IRI EMBASSIES & OFFICIALS ]
[ FARSI: Send e-letters to IRI EMBASSIES & OFFICIALS ]
Background
In early August 2010, after over two years of detention, Iran’s 7 Baha’i leaders were sentenced to 20 years prison. Considering the advanced ages of several of these spiritual leaders, the IRI has effectively dealt life sentences. These two women and five men formed the national leadership of the Baha’i community in Iran, known as ‘yaran’ or ‘friends,’ to tend to the spiritual needs of Iran’s largest religious minority. The Baha’i community faces systematic oppression and discrimination by the IRI, including denial of education and government jobs, home raids, arbitrary detention, cemetery desecration, and much more.
- One tireless Baha’i activist wrote:
As a Bahá’í I was deeply saddened to hear the news about the 20 year-prison-sentence dealt by Bahá’í leaders in Iran. The Bahá’ís of Iran are the most diverse minority group in Iran. Bahá’í faith, being the youngest of world religions, has members from different ethnic backgrounds – including Kurdish, Azeri, Balochi, and Turkmen. Iranian Bahá’ís also come from Muslim, Zoroastrian, and Jewish backgrounds. Members of the Bahá’í faith have unconditionally served their country from the inception of the Bahá’í faith.
These seven Bahá’ís were charged with engaging in “propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran” and “propaganda against Islam” – all of which are contrary to the teachings of the Bahá’í faith, which requires its members to abide by and respect the rules of the country in which they live, respect all religions, including Islam, and strive for unity of religions.
The IRI has declared illegal the administrative work of the community despite having a clear knowledge of the actions of the Bahá’í community for the past thirty years. Bahá’í institutions in Iran were disbanded in 1983, and the seven leaders who now face 20-year-prison terms formed an ad-hoc group that looked over the affairs of the community, including marriages, funerals, and monthly feasts. All this happened with the government’s knowledge.
It is really unfortunate to see that the nuclear dispute continues to overshadow severe, broad, and systematic human rights violations by the Islamic Republic, the ongoing oppression of minorities, and state of thousands of prisoners of conscience in Iran.
As an Iranian and a Bahá’í, I would like to encourage everyone to send letters to world leaders and IRI officials asking them to condemn the ongoing human rights violations of Bahá’ís and other prisoners of conscience in IRI prisons. Supporting these Bahá’í prisoners today and sending letters to world leaders on their behalf shows the government of Iran that Iranians and non-Iranians are working in solidarity with one another to address the human right violations of all Iranians irrespective of their faith, ethnicity, and ideological backgrounds.
Directions
To access the letters, see the links at the top of the page OR scroll down further. If you choose to add a personal message to the e-letter, please keep it polite, human-rights focused, and without rhetoric. To the right of the e- letter page are the various recipients of the e-mail you send — this way you don’t have to send a letter multiple times (one click will send your message to all of the listed embassies, consulates, interest sections, IRI authorities, and UN officials).
The recipients of this letter include ambassadors from IRI embassies, Navanethem Pillay (the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights), Ban Ki-Moon (Secretary-General of the UN), Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (President of the IRI), Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani (Head of the Judiciary of the IRI), and Mohammad Javad Larijani (High Council for Human Rights for the IRI), and several more.
Below the letter are personal fields to fill out. Enter as much information as you feel comfortable. A VALID e-mail address is required; however, if you don’t feel comfortable sharing your e-mail, consider making an e-mail account just to use for actions like this.
If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail us at info@united4iran.org
[ ENGLISH: Send e-letters to WORLD LEADERS ]
[ ENGLISH: Send e-letters to IRI EMBASSIES & OFFICIALS ]
[ FARSI: Send e-letters to IRI EMBASSIES & OFFICIALS ]
Learn More
Watch a video campaign highlighting the cases of the 7 Baha’i leaders (made in May 2010), including a background.
Free Them
this is wrong and it shouldnt be happen.
Please release them……………”..the quality of mercy is not strained”
Please be fair and release your kins, as The Holy Quran says:
“God doth not forbid you to deal with kindness and fairness towards those
who have not made war upon you on account of your religion, or driven you forth
from your homes: for God loveth those who act with fairness”.
(The Holy Qur’an, Sura 60 – She Who is Tried)
They are in my daily prayers.
simply this is not fear and we have to make a powerfull low for any goverment intending to do so to any human this is so aganist the human rights
Not long ago I visited Iran.
I have seen their good people suffer for the folly of a few heartless.
I firmly believe that the international community owes a debt to the people of Iran.
That the Iranians deserve to choose freely, honestly, who governs.
Many years ago I had a brother Bahai, the son of a martyr, whose teachings I was not prepared to understand, were it a few days in the shade of sex and youth would not let me see issues more important.
Honestly think now that I’m older wiser that the Bahais have suffered as they did in their day my Jewish brothers.
Hopefully soon to be free Baha’is live in Iran if they wish.
The Iraninn Baha’is have been deprived of the very basic human rights and dignities. Religous freedon does not even exist in Iran if you are a moslem of a different sect! It is abondently clear that the Islamic goverment of Iran is trying to systematically eliminate the Baha’is and the Baha’i faith in Iran. The peace-loving people of the Baha’i faith seek to create harmony and friendship amongst the peoples of this world. The Islamic republic does not see it that way. The Romans treated the Christians better than the Iranian government is treating the Baha’is. People of this world should protest the treatment and imprisonment of the baha’is in Iran. Silence and Apathy contributes to the demise of the world civilization.
Please free these innocent Bahai’s, for otherwise what justice can you expect for yourselves, They deserve justice just as you would expect for you.
Which age Iraninn are living in stone age… what a cheep mantality. immediately release them. Which part of Iraninn relegion is written that no respect to other and religion. Shame on you.
بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم يجب معرفة من هم الأشخاص المحكوم عليهم و ما هو الجرم المقترف ان كان في حق الله أم الجرم كان في حق العباد ثم الحكم بما يرضي الله و السملا عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته توقيع شريط سفيان
bonjour je ne sai pas de quél genre de détenus vous parléz il ya des détenus politique et des détenus de droit commun par éxemple les détenus pour crime ou térrorisme ou la drogue il faut précisé monsieur .
Dans ce cas ci il s’agit de détenus innocents de quelque crime que ce soit.
Justice is at the heart of the teachings of Muhammad, God’s Divine Messenger:
“O ye who believe! stand out firmly for God, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to piety: and fear God. For God is well-acquainted with all that ye do.” Quran, Surih 5:9
The Baha’is deserve justice.
Bonjour madame cheriet, pour plus d’informacion des détenus allez à http://news.bahai.org/human-rights/iran/yaran-special-report/
May all the people of Iran, of all religions, be given the opportunity to live in freedom and dignity instead of oppression and injustice.
Oh ye fearless ones, have you forgotten the history? why are you repeating what brought pain and suffering to the humanity? this shall come to you too. Be just and forget not that God the Almighty is just. Free the Baha’is for the love of God.
Free the Baha’is. Let religion be the cause of unity.
I used to defend Islam and the teaching of it’s prophet, but now I am ashamed to call myself Moslem. What have you done? and for what reason you are atracting all the hatred feelings? Let the world live in compfort of freedom and love. Go back to where you are from and let the Iranian enjoy their life.
I wish to express from China my deep-felt admiration for my fellow believers in Iran who suffer great injustice in the hands of a despotic regime. I am awed by their steadfastness and courage in the face of massive persecution. If there were not an outcry by the world, the Baha’is would probably be exterminated like the Jews during the Nazi regime. I feel empathy for all people of this world who are unjustly persecuted based on prejudice and blind imitation – be they Baha’is or not. It is really a shame that the freedom of faith (or the freedom not to have a faith) or changing it is not universally respected, nay, it seems to me, among all the human rights the freedom of belief (and practice of one’s belief system) is one of the most violated one.
However, the day will come when oppression and ignorance will have been swept away from the earth…
Thanks so much for these moving words, Daniel.
what use do they have by keeping this people in jale?
so, please, ignorant people: let those people free…..
Who killed the family of beloved Mohamad (pbuh) ?
Who killed Ali Muhamad (The Bab) descendent of The Rasul (pbuh) in 1844 ?
My brothers in Iran, my tears fail to flow for you. Have you not learnt by what the hands
of your forefathers have done? God’s Will, be done!
Like your forefathers, you will be punished!
“The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens”. We’re all brothers and sisters on this planet and we’re one race – the human race. Please release immediately these innocent Bah’ais. You gain nothing from this in the eyes of our one and only God.
1-iam sory for bahai leaders at iran &Rozita waseghi@her mathers 2 iam wory for yang bahai &peroblem uwever sity work &live maryam kamali 10/7/89
government jobs are still the best when it comes to job security ;:~
it is really great to get government jobs because the government can give you a good job security .’-