Bahá'í Prisoners in Iran on Death Row for Religious Activities

Mr. Kayvan Khalajabadi and Mr. Behnam Misaqi have been imprisoned since 1989 on charges arising solely from membership in the Bahá'í Faith.  Both were originally charged with espionage and Bahá'í administrative activities and sentenced to eight years imprisonment.  Upon appeal their sentences were commuted to three years imprisonment plus 50 lashes.  Both prisoners again appealed.  On April 30, 1991, the Islamic Revolutionary Court added the charge of Zionism and sentenced both men to death.  Despite further appeals the sentences were reconfirmed on August 24, 1992 and again on November 23, 1993.  On February 18, 1996 the Supreme Court of Iran rejected the appeals, confirmed the death sentences and conveyed this information to the Islamic Revolutionary Court.  The prisoners have written to the Office of the Attorney General, asking that the verdicts be rescinded.

Mr. Khalajabadi and Mr. Misaqi are being held in Evin prison in Tehran.  Although the prisoners have no access to their lawyers, their counsel continues to act on their behalf.  It appears that the authorities have reacted negatively towards these efforts.  Limitations have been placed on visits to the prisoners held in Tehran.  Friends wishing to visit the prisoners must now obtain the permission of the court.  The families of the prisoners are permitted to visit once a week.  Their wives are now required to present proof of their marriage in order to be able to visit their husbands.  This requirement is particularly difficult because Bahá'í marriage certificates are not regarded as valid by the Iranian authorities.

Situation of the Bahá'ís in Iran:
Since the Islamic Revolutionary regime took power in Iran in 1979 Bahá'ís have been harassed and persecuted solely on account of their religious beliefs.  They have repeatedly been offered relief from persecution if they were prepared to recant their Faith.  With approximately 300,000 members, the Bahá'í Faith is Iran's largest religious minority, but it is not recognized as a religion by the Iranian Constitution.  The Islamic regime refers to it as a heresy and a conspiracy.  As "unprotected infidels" Bahá'ís have no legal rights, although Iran is a signatory of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which guarantees freedom of religious belief.  Since 1979 more the 200 Bahá'ís, including women and teenage girls, have been executed on account of their religion.  Bahá'ís are subject to arbitrary arrest and detention, confiscation of personal and community property, and denial of access to higher education, employment, pensions and other benefits.  Since 1983 the Bahá'í community has also been denied the right to officially assemble and elect its administrative institutions, which are essential to the viability of the community because the Bahá'í Faith has no clergy.

Source: Information supplied by The Bahá'ís of America.

To help Messrs. Khalajabadi and Misaqi, please write letters to Iranian government officials listed here using the text below as a model.  

Key Iranian government officials

President:

His Excellency
Mohammed Ali Khatami
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Tehran
Iran

Dear Mr. President:

Deputy Permanent Representative
The Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations:

His Excellency
Majid Takht-Ravanchi
Deputy Permanent Representative
The Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations
622 Third Avenue, 34th Floor
New York, New York 10017

Dear Mr. Ambassador:

Sample letter

Dear ______:

I write today as a friend of the Iranian people and as an American citizen wishing to express my deep concern about the cases of Mr. Behnam Misaqi and Mr. Kayvan Khalajabadi, two Bahá'í religious believers.  Reliable sources indicate that minority religious believers are harassed, beaten, arrested, and frequently tortured due to their religious beliefs.  It is in light of these reports and the deep concern of the American people about violations of religious liberty around the world that I respectfully raise the cases of these two minority religious believers.

Reports reveal that both Mr. Benham Misaqi and Mr. Kayvan Khalajabadi were sentenced to eight years imprisonment for espionage in 1989 and then sentenced to death for apostasy on April 30, 1991 by the Islamic Revolutionary Court.  Presently, Mr. Misaqi and Mr. Kayvan reportedly are being held in Evin Prison in Tehran.  Special concern has been raised here by the American people over both of these cases, as these men have been given the extreme penalty of the death sentence.  It is appears that this sentence is part of an effort to intimidate the peaceful and internationally-respected Bahá'í community.

The extreme treatment by authorities that Bahá'ís, Christians and other religious minorities are subjected to as a result of their innocent religious beliefs and activities is in direct contravention of fundamental human rights standards.  Moreover, the citizens of Iran are guaranteed the right of religious freedom under the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, of which Iran is a signatory.

Mr. President, I respectfully request that you intervene on behalf of Behnam Misaqi and Kayvan Khalajabadi, and secure their release them from their imprisonment.

Thank you for your attention to the cases of Mr. Behnam Misaqi and Mr. Kayvan Khalajabadi.

Sincerely,

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