By DanielBurkei
 

http://blog.beliefnet.com/news/2010/01/us-blasts-iran-over-bahai-tria.php

The Baha'i Faith, which was founded in 1860 by a Persian aristocrat, counts some 5 million members worldwide. It has been banned in Iran since 1979, when Islamic clerics seized power.

The U.S. Commission on International Freedom, an independent watchdog group appointed by Congress and the White House, also said it is "extremely concerned about the fate of the seven Baha'is."

"It appears that the Iranian government has already predetermined the outcome," said USCIRF Chairman Leonard Leo, "and is once again using its courts as an instrument of religious persecution."