Archives › 2010 › August
CNN: Baha'i woman recalls imprisonment in Iran
On Tuesday, August 31, CNN’s Belief Blog published an article about Minoo Vosough, an Iranian Baha’i who was arrested in 1984, at the age of 27, and held in Evin and Gohardasht prisons for 3 months before her release. Seven Iranian Baha’i leaders were transferred from Evin to Gohardasht earlier this month following more than [...]
Roxana Saberi writes on behalf of "Bahai torchbearers"
On Saturday, August 28, The Washington Post published an op-ed article by journalist Roxana Saberi advocating for the release of seven Iranian Baha’i prisoners, two of whom she shared a cell with during her 100-day incarceration in Evin prison last year. In the article, Saberi describes how the two Baha’i women, Fariba Kamalabadi and Mahvash [...]
Happy Birthday 19th Amendment! Believe it or not, it’s only been 90 years since the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote in our democracy was made part of the Constitution. Since 1971, we’ve celebrated the anniversary of August 26, 1920, as Women’s Equality Day. One great way to celebrate would be to make sure [...]
Cherie Blair: "Iran is attempting to decapitate its Baha'i community"
On Wednesday, August 25, Cherie Blair, a barrister at Matrix Chambers in London and the wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, published an op-ed in The Guardian concerning the recent sentencing of seven Iranian Baha’i leaders each to 20 years in prison. From The Guardian op-ed: The truth behind this sentence is that [...]
Lawyer Shirin Ebadi "stunned" by reported 20-year jail terms for Baha'i leaders
Baha’i World News Service– The harsh prison sentences handed down to seven Iranian Baha’i leaders who are absolutely innocent of any wrongdoing is a judgment against an entire religious community, the Baha’i International Community said today. Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, whose Defenders of Human Rights Center represented the Baha’i defendants, said she was “stunned” by [...]
It’s a story Leslie Wilder tells with mixed feelings.
On the one hand the tale, from the Rio Grande Valley cluster in Texas, speaks to the impact of children’s classes on young souls.
It’s not every day a non-Bahá’í entity invites the believers to establish a children’s class in its facilities.
So it would be easy for them to get caught up in the excitement of performing a public service.
Foreign Policy blog covers sentencing of Baha'i leaders
On Friday, August 13, Foreign Policy magazine’s “The Cable” blog highlighted last week’s sentencing of seven Iranian Baha’is leaders in an article about Secretary of State Clinton’s recent statements on human rights in Iran. From the Foreign Policy article: Persecution of the estimated 300,000 Baha’is in Iran has existed since the religion’s inception in the [...]
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton issued a statement yesterday, August 12, condemning the recent sentencing of seven Iranian Baha’i leaders each to 20 years in prison. The United States is deeply concerned with the Iranian government’s continued persecution of Baha’is and other religious minority communities in Iran,” Secretary Clinton said in her statement. “This [...]
Secretary of State Clinton: "We have not forgotten the Baha’i community in Iran"
On Thursday, August 12, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton issued the following statement concerning the seven Iranian Baha’i leaders who have each been sentenced to 20 years in prison for their religious beliefs. According to new reports, the seven prisoners have been transferred from Evin prison in Tehran to Gohardasht Prison – also [...]
LA Times blog covers sentencing of Iranian Baha'i leaders
Today, August 11, the Los Angeles Times published on its Mideast blog, “Babylon & Beyond,” an article about the 20-year sentence reportedly imposed on seven Baha’is who have already been imprisoned for more than two years in Tehran. From the article: The Bahai leaders have been held in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison since 2008. The [...]
LA Times blog covers sentencing of Iranian Baha'i leaders
Today, August 11, the Los Angeles Times published on its Mideast blog, “Babylon & Beyond,” an article about the 20-year sentence reportedly imposed on seven Baha’is who have already been imprisoned for more than two years in Tehran. From the article: The Bahai leaders have been held in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison since 2008. The [...]
U.S. religious freedom commission "condemns 20-year sentence of Baha'is prisoners"
Today, August 11, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom joined the international outcry on behalf of seven Iranian Baha’is recently sentenced to 20 years in prison for their beliefs. From the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom statement: The five Baha’i men and two women had been charged with several baseless and unsubstantiated crimes [...]
Governments speak out for seven Baha'i leaders each sentenced to 20 years in prison for their beliefs
Several statements of international support for seven Iranian Baha’is each recently sentenced to 20 years in prison for their religious beliefs have been issued by the governments of Canada, France, Australia, the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Germany, the European Parliament and the European Union. In Canada, Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon said in a statement issued [...]
Amnesty International condemns sentencing of Iranian Baha'i leaders
On August 10, Amnesty International issued a statement condemning the reported sentencing of seven Iranian Baha’i leaders each to 20 years in prison. News of their sentences followed six brief court appearances, which began on January 12, 2010, after they had been incarcerated without charges for 20 months. The trial ended on June 14. Statement [...]
Human Rights Watch issues statement to "Free Baha'i Leaders"
Today, August 10, Human Rights Watch issued a public statement calling for the release of seven Iranian Baha’i leaders who were reportedly sentenced last Sunday to 20 years in prison for false charges stemming from their religious beliefs. From the Human Rights Watch statement: The Iranian judiciary should set aside any judgments issued in closed [...]
Mississippi summer school helps youths form connections
When Darian Lunne found people right at the school where she teaches who are receptive to Bahá’í teachings and activities, this year’s Mississippi Bahá’í Summer School became an ideal place to connect a couple of the students with a prayer-based community and form lasting friendships. Over the past year, several students and teachers from McClain [...]
Iranian Baha'i leaders sentenced to 20 years in prison, reports say
Baha’i World News Service– The Baha’i International Community has received reports indicating that seven Iranian Baha’i leaders have each received jail sentences of 20 years. The two women and five men have been held in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison since they were arrested in 2008 – six of them on May 14 and one of [...]
Detention extended for seven Iranian Baha'i leaders
Baha’i World News Service– The imprisonment of seven Baha’i leaders in Iran has been extended for a further two months, the Baha’i International Community has learned. The trial of the seven concluded on 14 June. No verdict has yet been given. “These innocent Baha’is have now been held for more than two years under a [...]
Juliette Meade Soderberg, 92, New York, NY
Juliette Soderberg served the Faith in New York City, as a public information officer, Bahá’í Center caretaker and Spiritual Assembly secretary, and abroad, as a pioneer to Grenada and the U.S. Virgin Islands. She passed away January 12, 2010.