Bahá'í Prisoners in Iran on Death Row for Apostasy

Mr. Musa Talebi, was arrested in 1979 and sentenced to death for apostasy on August 18, 1996 by the Islamic Revolutionary Court, branch number 31, is in the Evin Prison in Tehran.  He was initially sentenced to ten years in prison for having shared the tenets of his faith with others.  An appellate court reduced that sentence to 18 months.  The public prosecutors, protesting that the sentence was too light and that the court had failed to consider the charge of apostasy, appealed to the Supreme Court.  The Supreme Court referred the case to Islamic Revolutionary Court, branch 31, which set aside the earlier sentence and imposed the death sentence for apostasy.  The death sentence was appealed, but on January 28, 1997 the Bahá'í International Community was informed that the Supreme Court of Iran had confirmed the sentence.  This news was conveyed to relatives of Mr. Talebi during prison visits.  It has been the practice of the Iranian authorities to convey verdicts orally to prisoners and not give them a copy of the actual text of the court decision.

Mr. Zabihullah Mahrami was called before the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Yazd on August 16, 1995, and questioned about his adherence to the Bahá'í Faith.  The Court held several meetings with Mr. Mahrami in an effort to persuade him to renounce his beliefs.  He refused and was charged with apostasy.  On January 2, 1996, he was sentenced to death.  Since his heirs are not Muslims, but Bahá'ís, his properties and assets have been confiscated.  Mr. Mahrami's lawyer appealed to the Supreme Court, and it was announced by Iranian officials that the Court rejected the verdict of the Revolutionary Court and referred the case to a civil court.  However, on January 28, 1997 the Bahá'í International Community was informed that the Supreme Court of Iran had confirmed the death sentence.  As in Mr. Talebi's case, this news was conveyed orally to his relatives.  Mr. Mahrami is currently held in a general prison in Yazd.

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. Talebi and Mahrami, 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:

United Nations representative:

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

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. Musa Talebi and Mr. Zabihullah Mahrami, 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 Mr. Musa Talebi was sentenced to death for apostasy on August 18, 1996, by the Islamic Revolutionary Court, Branch Number 3.  Presently, he reportedly is being held in Evin Prison in Tehran.  In addition, it is reported that Mr. Zabihullah Mahrami, who was sentenced to death on January 2, 1996, is being held in the general prison in Yazd.  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 violation of fundamental human rights standards.  Furthermore, the citizens of Iran are guaranteed the right of religious freedom under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, of which Iran is a signatory.

Mr. President, I respectfully request that you intervene on behalf of Mr. Musa Talebi and Mr. Zabihullah Mahrami.  In addition, I request that you commute the death sentences of both these men, and release them from their imprisonment.

Thank you for your attention to the cases of Mr. Musa Talebi and Mr. Zabihullah Mahrami.

Sincerely,

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