Amnesty International Launched post initiative for Bahai prisoners in Iran

Amnesty International has launched an action for Naw Ruz, which requests

its members to send a card to seven prisoners of conscience. Seven is in fact a group,
the former Friends in Iran

Seven Baha'is

Seven leaders of Iran’s Baha’i community are currently on trial on serious, but baseless, charges that could lead to the imposition of the death penalty. Although they have done nothing more than peacefully practice their religion, they have been charged with spying for Israel, for “insulting religious sanctities,” with “propaganda against the system” and with being “mofsed fil arz” or “corruption on earth.” They have denied all charges.

The seven include two women, Fariba Kamalabadi and Mahvash Sabet, and five men: Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaei, Behrouz Tavakkoli and Vahid Tizfahm. All are leading members of a group responsible for the Baha’i community’s religious and administrative affairs. Mahvash Sabet who acted as the group’s secretary, was arrested on 5 March 2008. The others were arrested on 14 May 2008. All seven are held in Section 209 of Evin Prison in Tehran, which is run by the Ministry of Intelligence. They have only been allowed very limited access to their lawyers while they have been in custody.

The first session of their trial—which had been repeatedly postponed—finally began before a Revolutionary Court in Tehran on 12 January 2010. Their next court date is scheduled for 10 April. Amnesty International has repeatedly criticized proceedings held in Iran’s Revolutionary Courts for their failure to adhere to international standards for fair trials. In fact, the authorities attempted to bar the Baha’is’ lawyers from the courtroom on 12 January and only allowed them access after they insisted upon entering.

You can send Nowruz greetings to the seven Baha’is to:

Baha’i International Community
15 route des Morillons

1218 Grand Saconnex Switzerland

To mark the Persian spring holiday of Nowrouz, Amnesty International has launched a campaign to send messages of goodwill to prisoners of conscience in Iran.

The seven cases selected by Amnesty International mirror the “Haft Sin” (seven “s”s) traditionally placed on a Nowrouz table.

The 14 individuals in the seven cases have all been identified as being “at risk”. Many have been sentenced to long prison terms for their beliefs or peaceful activism and several are in poor health.

Trade union leader Mansour Ossanlu is serving a five-year prison sentence for “acts against national security” in connection with his peaceful trade union activities.

Ronak Safarzadeh, an Iranian-Kurdish graphic artist and women’s rights activist, is serving a prison sentence of six years and seven months.

Prominent journalist Emadeddin Baghi, the 2009 recipient of the prestigious Martin Ennals Award for human rights defenders, was arrested on 28 December 2009 after protests marking the Shi’a religious festival of Ashoura. He is detained without charge or trial.

Seven leaders of Iran’s Baha’i community are currently on trial on serious, but baseless, charges including espionage for Israel and propaganda against the system that could lead to the imposition of the death penalty.

Human rights activist Shiva Nazar Ahari was arrested on 20 December 2009 and has since told her family she has been transferred to a “cage-like” solitary confinement cell where she cannot move her arms or legs. This is her second arrest since the disputed presidential election of 2009.

Brothers Kamiar Alaei and Arash Alaei, doctors specializing in the prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS, were sentenced in January 2009 to six and three years in jail respectively for plotting to overthrow the Iranian government after an unfair trial in spite of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention declaring their detention arbitrary.

Academic and social scientist Kian Tajbakhsh is serving five years in jail on politically-motivated charges including espionage, co-operation with an enemy government, and acting against national security.

PDF File

Bahai Development Project in Germany

Peoples Theater
www.peoplestheater.de

OFFENBACH, Germany — An award-winning Baha'i-inspired theater project began a new season of performances this week aimed at preventing violence and promoting social skills among school students.

Earlier, representatives of People's Theater outlined the program to the mayor of Offenbach, Gerhard Grandke, who has been a strong supporter of the project.

As well as being well known and appreciated in this city, People's Theater has won favor this year at the highest levels of the federal government.

The German Minister for Family and Youth, Renate Schmidt, awarded two representatives of People's Theater, Curtis Volk and Erfan Enayati, a financial grant to assist the further development of the theater.

People's Theater was one of 25 winners selected from 560 entrants in a competition initiated by the Office of the Chancellor to select the projects with the most promise of benefiting society.

At a reception for award recipients in July 2004, the German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder said to the winners: "We need more people like you, people who know how to transfer their knowledge and talents into service for the community."

People's Theater was founded by Erfan Enayati, a Baha'i from Offenbach, who was inspired by "The Happy Hippo Show," a television program in Russia created by Shamil Fattakhov to help youth deal with moral and ethical situations in their everyday lives.

The Baha'i inspiration behind the People's Theater is seen not only in its selection of the social topics that are the themes of its performances, but also because in its guiding principles such as honesty and sincerity, and the decision-making process used on a daily basis by those involved in the project.

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  People's Theater at a primary school.

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  The German Minister for Family and Youth, Renate Schmidt, with People's Theater representatives Erfan Enayati (left) and Curtis Volk (right) at the award… »

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  Primary school children participating in the People's Theater.

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  Students and cast members after a successful performance.

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  People's Theater in action. Elements of the scene are outlined on blackboard.

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  German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder with Erfan Enayati (left) and Curtis Volk (right).

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Called consultation, this method is used by Baha'is to dispassionately examine different points of view before coming to a consensus.

In addition, the Baha'i principles of the underlying unity of world religions and respect for all ethnic groups play a fundamental role in every show.

Presentations by the People's Theater combine the elements of a talk show with those of a theater. A twist is that its outcome is largely influenced by the audience. (See an article about "The Happy Hippo Show" http://www.onecountry.org/e103/e10304as.htm.)

Each show illustrates a conflict that exists in the school where the show is being performed.

The theater portion of the show portrays the problem to the audience. Then, in the talk show section that follows, the audience discusses constructive solutions to the problem through dialog, discussion, and role-play.

The moderator begins the show by explaining the rules. The actors then illustrate a conflict in a scene that focuses on such issues as violence, backbiting, and dishonesty.

The moderator stops the scene and asks the audience such questions as: "What just happened?", or "How do the actors feel?", or "What could be done to change the situation?"

After a discussion by audience members, the moderator chooses a student to replace one of the actors. The student is then encouraged to try to change the situation by using ideas from his or her peers.

The scene lasts up to about five minutes and then begins again. After several attempts by the audience, the scene is then repeated one last time by the initial actors who follow the advice of the audience. The moderator then sums up.

The first performance of People's Theater was at a primary school in 2001 with the support of the Mayor of Offenbach, Gerhard Grandke.

"I was convinced and excited about the prospects of this project and its underlying concept from the beginning so I gladly sponsored it," Mr. Grandke said.

The project also has the support of local government offices dealing with education, community integration and crime prevention, and it has received a warm reception in the public school system.

During the last two years the People's Theater has performed more than 700 shows in more than 40 schools. In the past school year, five youth dedicated their time to working in the theater as a social service, and now more youth have offered to follow them for a year of service.

Participation in the People's Theater is recognized as social and civil service, and as such, it may be substituted for the mandatory military service required in Germany. It is supported by a pedagogical association and has a board of trustees.

A principal at Gutenberg Primary School, one of the schools where People's Theater has performed, Heike Burger, said that working with People's Theater was an enjoyable experience.

"The program was praised by all participants; parents, teachers, and pupils," Ms. Burger said.

A teacher at the Adolf-Reichwein High School, Elke Kunkel, said that the children were inspired to think by the themes of the show and were motivated to search for positive solutions."

"The young actors and actresses have a special understanding of the language which speaks to the youth --they are able to get their attention and motivate them to work with the show," Ms. Kunkel said.

"The work with the young actors and actresses is a worthwhile investment in our pupils," she said.

A teacher at the Helen-Keller Primary School, Christina Kutzmann, said that working with People's Theater is very constructive for the pupils.

"They are able to work with abstract ideas, for example 'Conflicts from Boredom' or 'Dealing with Provocation' in a very creative fashion that realistically brings the problems (to the attention of) the children in an appealing manner."

Bahais offer decision-making model at UN

16 February 2010

UNITED NATIONS — A new model of decision-making among peoples of different cultures would contribute to integration "at this time of transition to a new social order," according to a new Baha'i statement.

The statement was prepared for the 48th United Nations Commission for Social Development, which concluded on 12 February. The commission is the chief UN body charged with following up on the World Summit on Social Development held in 1995 in Copenhagen, where world leaders outlined principles that would characterize a new "society for all." These principles included respect for diversity and participation of all people.

The Baha'i International Community said in its statement that it was offering its experience in the method of consultation used by Baha'i communities around the world – a key component in creating unity among people.

The consultative process, the Baha'i statement said, rests on the understanding that all human beings are essentially noble – "they possess reason and conscience as well as capacities for inquiry, understanding, compassion, and service to the common good."

Mr. Ming H. Chong of Singapore, a delegate to the commission who presented a summary of the Baha'i statement, said afterward that understanding the nobility of all humans prevents people from dismissing others as needy rather than being in charge of their own development.

"If you start with (this) understanding, then you have a different perspective, one that avoids labels like 'marginalized' and 'poor,'" he said. He explained that he was a child of immigrants to Singapore and had learned that such labels create the wrong impression of entire groups of people.

"Language shapes the way we think," he said. "It creates mental pictures of how we see the world. Some of these mental pictures are not always positive – those that dehumanize migrants, for example."

The Baha'i statement to the UN commission suggested that the human body can serve as a model for comparing the integration of the world's cultures and peoples. "Within this organism, millions of cells, with extraordinary diversity of form and function, collaborate to make human existence possible. Every least cell has its part to play in maintaining a healthy body," the statement said.

This image can be used to envision the world's peoples as one human family and understand how each culture plays a part in the functioning of the whole, Mr. Chong explained.

In consultation as practiced in Baha'i communities, great value is placed on the diversity of perspectives and contributions that individuals bring to the discussion.

"Actively soliciting views from those traditionally excluded from decision-making not only increases the pool of intellectual resources but also fosters the trust, inclusion, and mutual commitment needed for collective action," the Baha'i statement said.

A key feature of Baha'i consultation is that ideas belong to the group rather than to individuals.

"Detachment from one's positions and opinions regarding the matter under discussion is imperative – once an idea has been shared, it is no longer associated with the individual who expressed it, but becomes a resource for the group to adopt, modify, or discard," the statement said.

A diversity of opinions, however, is not sufficient – it "does not provide communities with a means to bridge differences or to resolve social tensions," it continued.

"In consultation, the value of diversity is inextricably linked to the goal of unity. This is not an idealized unity, but one that acknowledges differences and strives to transcend them through a process of principled deliberation," the statement said. "It is unity in diversity."

International News Prosecution against Bahais in Iran

Nations rally to defend human rights in Iran

16 February 2010

GENEVA — Countries from around the world have voiced strong concern at the United Nations Human Rights Council over Iran's deteriorating human rights record.

In speeches yesterday and in documents filed with the Council, nations and human rights groups described the degree to which Iran has failed to live up to its obligations under international human rights law.

"The good news is that governments and organizations are rallying to defend innocent Iranians, who have over the last year seen their human rights so gravely violated," said Diane Ala'i, the representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva.

"The bad news is that Iran continues to ignore such appeals," she said, speaking after yesterday's session of Council, which specifically focused on Iran's human rights record.

Muhammad Javad Larijani, secretary general of the Islamic Republic of Iran's High Council for Human Rights, told the session that there is religious freedom in Iran and that no Baha'i is persecuted for his beliefs. If any Baha'is are imprisoned, he said, it is because of "illegal activities" as a cult.

"Put bluntly, Iran once again completely discredited itself before the eyes of the international community," said Ms. Ala'i, noting that last week Iran arrested at least 14 more Baha'is.

Among those arrested, she said, was Niki Khanjani, the son of one of the seven Baha'i leaders who are currently on trial on false charges.

"As the Nobel laureate Mrs. Shirin Ebadi has recently stated in an open letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Iran is now trying to increase pressure on prisoners by taking their relatives hostage," said Ms. Ala'i. "Jamaloddin Khanjani is 76. He has been incarcerated for almost two years – and then they arrested his granddaughter at the beginning of January and now, his son."

"These are the desperate acts of a regime that is frantically lashing out to blame others for its troubles and to suppress any viewpoint that is different from its own ideology," she said.

The majority of countries who spoke out against Iran focused on the violence following last June's presidential election and also on the situation of the country's religious minorities.

Brazil called for Iran to extend rights to all religious groups in the country, saying Baha'is should enjoy the same rights as everyone. Mexico said all minorities – particularly the Baha'i community – must be able to practice their religion.

"Romania and Slovenia devoted almost the entire allotment of their time to discussing the increasing repression of Iran's Baha'i community," reported Ms. Ala'i.

Human rights groups, in documents filed with the Council, made similar points.

"Despite constitutional guarantees of equality, individuals belonging to minorities in Iran are subject to an array of discriminatory laws and practices," wrote Amnesty International in its statement. "Minorities suffering persecution include ethnic and linguistic minorities such as Kurds, Arabs, Azerbaijanis, Turkmen and Baluchis, and religious minorities such as Baha'is and the Ahl-e Haq."

"The government systematically denies rights associated with freedom of religion to members of the Baha'i faith, Iran's largest non-Muslim religious minority. In most cases, including the persecution of the Baha'i community, the government uses 'security' as a pretext for detaining individuals and denying them basic due process rights," said a statement from Human Rights Watch.

The session was part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a relatively new procedure that seeks to review the human rights record of all 192 United Nations member states once every four years. This year is the first time Iran has come up for review.