Washington, 10 July (WashingtonTV)—The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom [USCIRF] and Amnesty International are demanding that Iran release seven detained members of the Baha’i faith, who are due to stand trial on Saturday.
The USCIRF was responding to a plea from Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi – who spent almost four months in Tehran’s Evin Prison. Saberi said that two of the Baha’is were her cellmates.
The Baha’is are accused of spying for Israel and other religious offenses, including “being corrupt on earth”, which is punishable by death. The seven Iranians – five men and two women – have been held for over a year without access to legal counsel.
“The charges against these imprisoned Baha’is are baseless and a pretext for the persecution and harassment of a disfavored religious minority. They should be released immediately,” Leonard Leo, USCIRF chair, said in a statement released on Thursday.
