	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

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

Iran Update 29

February 9, 2001

Toronto, February 9, 2001…After months of silence from the Iranian Jewish Community, reports reaching the West this week confirmed earlier rumours that the appeals of 10 Iranian Jews have been rejected.

In a rare chronology of the Iranian appeals process, a communique issued by the Public Relations Office of the Inspectorate General claimed that request contained nothing new to indicate that an appeal should take place. The communique explained that the defendants had filed their appeal requests according to Article 286 of the General and Revolutionary Courts, and presented them to the Inspectorate General’s office, from where they were forwarded to the Supreme Court. The Islamic News Agency (IRNA) report of this exchange implied that since the original verdicts stemmed from "Islamic leniency", if the request for an appeal had been successful, “the spies could have faced more severe punishments”.

Just earlier this week, Maurice Motamed, Iran’s token Jewish MP, was quoted in the same publication as saying that the Jews had appealed for clemency directly to Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s spiritual leader, on the occasion of the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. This report was subsequently denied by the Judiciary, which cautioned that any such request would have to be pre-approved by Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, the Head of the Judiciary. There is certainly provision for such amnesties under Iran’s Constitution. Just yesterday Khamenei granted amnesty and commuted sentences for a group of prisoners convicted at public, revolutionary and military courts.

Rejection of the appeal had not been unexpected given the prevailing climate of intense anti-Zionist sentiment in the region, especially since the rapid deterioration of the situation since September 2000. It is unlikely that the mood of the public, regularly whipped up into a frenzy by anti-Israel diatribes and demonstrations, would have accepted any leniency in this case. The Jewish community has been put into an untenable position by the anti-Israel mood and has reportedly felt constrained to participate in such demonstrations and condemn Israel publicly.

Communications with the community have been sporadic over the past months due to palpable fear of attracting the attention of the authorities. This has been especially acute since the summary dismissal of the legal defence team, reportedly following a telephone conversation with a UK-based human rights group. It is unclear whether the Jews’ subsequent defence lawyer is a state appointee. The only favourable news is that the prisoners are reportedly being treated well, and have been allowed more frequent delivery of kosher food and more generous family visitation privileges than before. They have apparently requested access to print media and Jewish religious texts, a request that the authorities are now considering. No one wants to compromise the prisoners’ treatment, a concern that has resulted in a relatively muted reaction this week from Jewish communities in the West.

The only remaining route is an appeal to President Khatami for a presidential pardon. Now that it has been confirmed that the relatively moderate Khatami will run in the next presidential election scheduled for June 2001, this option is still feasible. British Foreign Office official Peter West Macat stated in a recent Voice of America interview that relations between the UK and Iran should depend on Iran’s human rights record, and that this sentiment should apply to all bilateral relations between Iran and the West. It is to be hoped that Canada will take the same view and continue to pursue this case in its diplomatic relations with Iran.

Index of Press Releases & Updates - 13 Iranian Jewish Captives