Ms. Louise Arbour
High Commissioner for Human Rights
UNOG-OHCHR
1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Dear Madam,
On May 14, 2008, seven members of Bahai faith were arrested in Tehran. These individuals as you may already know are:
1: Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli
2: Mr. Saeid Rezaie
3: Ms. Fariba Kamalabadi
4: Mr. VAhid Tizfahm
5: Mr. Jamaloddin Kanjian
6: Mr. Affif Naeimi
7: Ms. Mahvash Sabet
These seven individuals have been charged for endangering Iran’s national security which can easily carry the death penalty under the Islamic Republic of Iran’s penal code. It is needless to say that these charges are utterly baseless and without any merits. Members of the Bahai faith in Iran are a law abiding and peaceful religious minority. They do not get involved in politics and their activities are totally peaceful and humanitarian in nature. But unfortunately as you know over the past 29 years more than 200 of our compatriots who were members of the Bahai faith have been executed by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
These individuals, as we all know, have been arrested simply for belonging to the Bahai faith in violation of their universal human rights which guarantees their freedom of religion.
We at the Constitutionalist Party of Iran are extremely concerned for these individuals’ safety, as well as the safety of many others belonging to the Bahai faith that have been arrested in recent months, and would like to urgently ask you to use all means at your disposal to help secure their release and safe return to their families.
Islamic Republic of Iran must not be allowed to violate Iranian citizens’ right to follow the religion of their choice. On behalf of the constitutionalist Party of Iran I would like to thank you in advance for your help in this matter.
Respectfully,
Shayan Arya
Constitutionalist Party of Iran
Foreign Relations Coordinator in America
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