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There is no greater mitzvah than Redemption of Captives
Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Hilchot Matanot Ani’im, Chapter 8, Article 10

IRAN UPDATE 22 - July 13, 2000

July 13, 2000… As Jewish communities throughout the world assembled for a day of solidarity with the I0 Iranian Jews convicted of espionage, the authorities intensified their efforts to embellish the charges against these men. The Islamic Revolutionary Court in Shiraz issued an arrest warrant for Eshaq Belanas, also known as Isac, the so-called "mastermind" of an alleged Jewish espionage network in which these men were implicated. In fact, Belanas was a spiritual leader of the community until he moved to New York in 1991. In a ludicrous attempt to add legitimacy to the State’s case against the defendants, the arrest warrant against him has been passed on to Interpol.

The court sentences will be appealed, according to Ismael Nasseri Mojarrad, the head of the defence team, and B’nai Brith Canada leaders have intensified their efforts to gain visas to travel to Iran to monitor the appeals proceedings. So far their applications have been turned down and the authorities have stepped up their warnings against "foreign interference".

The Iranian media continue to justify the verdicts. Kayhan International claimed that the “Judiciary’s sound judgement not only satisfied Iran’s peaceful Jewish minority, but it has also drawn applause from non-Zionist centres and figures around the world”. Presumably this is a reference to a statement by the rabidly anti-Zionist Neturei Karta, reported with glee in the Tehran Times that “there are no anti-Jewish sentiments in Iran”. This has obviously been taken as tacit acceptance of the verdicts.

A visit to Germany by Iranian President Mohammed Khatami, the first Iranian leader to visit Germany since the 1979 Revolution, went ahead as planned earlier this week in spite of calls by 175 members of parliament to cancel the visit. Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder reportedly brought up the sentencing during a private meeting, as well as the case of two Iranian journalists who were recently arrested after attending a human rights convention in Germany. However, he failed to make a public statement on these issues - as well as on Iran’s human rights record in general - as had been hoped.

In fact, Khatami returned home with significant and tangible gains. On the economic front, Shroeder promised to raise economic incentives for German companies investing in Iran and other benefits included a loan of US$550 million to the National Iranian Petrochemical Company granted by a consortium of European banks led by Deutsche Bank. On the public relations front, he was welcomed warmly by Schroeder and his only public response to criticism of Iran’s human rights record was his statement to German television that “Every people has the right to its own understanding of human rights on the basis of its own culture and its own history”.

Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi described this visit as a “bridge” towards improving relations with the West, specifically the United States, and Khatami has called for closer ties and talked of “new beginnings”. It remains to be seen whether other countries will follow Germany’s lead and place trade and economic concerns above human rights considerations.

	The B'nai Brith Canada Institute for International Affairs has a mandate to protest the abuse of human rights throughout the world and advocate on behalf of worldwide Jewish communities in distress. The Institute has a special focus on pro-Israel advocacy and education.
Rochelle Wilner President	Frank Dimant Chief Executive Officer	Amos Sochaczevski National Chair	Ruth Klein National Director