Dear Ms. Ebadi,
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) wishes to request your assistance regarding the situation of seven leaders of the Baha’i religious minority in Iran, notably in their legal representation. Currently in detention at the Evin prison, their trial is due to begin soon.
Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm were arrested in Tehran on 14 May 2008, by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence. They are members of the national coordinating group of Baha’i in Iran, an informal organ that was formed to assist the 300,000-member Baha’i community in the country. Another member of the same Committee, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, was arrested in Mashhad in March 2008 and is reportedly still detained.
According to the information we have received, family members of the detainees who present themselves at the Evin prison requesting to visit them are repeatedly turned down. FIDH has been denouncing the conditions of detention of the persons arrested and fears for their physical and psychological integrity. We have notably been sending a communication to the United Nations Working Groups on Arbitrary Detention, to obtain its ruling on the matter.
In light of the above, we would like to invite you to consider bringing your support to the seven detainees in providing them with legal assistance and representation for their trial and/or in their interaction with the Iranian authorities.
We indeed hope that your intervention could help the respect for the right to a fair trial, including through public hearings, the prohibition of discrimination based on religious beliefs and the right to freedom of religion, all enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), ratified by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Knowledgeable of your long and esteemed experience in the field of human rights, FIDH would be grateful if you could accept this representation and assume the role of defence lawyer in this process.
Thanking you for your attention to the present situation and hoping that you will be able to respond positively to this particular request, I remain,
Sincerely yours,
Souhayr Belhassen
President of the International Federation for Human Rights