For Immediate Release
(Toronto, June 16, 1999...) As concern mounts over the fate of the 13 Iranian Jews arrested on allegations of espionage, B'nai Brith Canada continues to press for intervention at every opportunity. As part of its mandate to protect the human rights of minorities worldwide, B'nai Brith has made the fate of these prisoners a matter of priority. Through its Institute for International Affairs and Government Relations Office, it has contacted numerous human rights organizations, MP's, Senators, senior government Ministers and officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs, as well as the national media, in order to alert the public to the perilous position of the detainees.
The prisoners have already been kept in detention for almost three months, denied family visits and refused legal representation. The group consists of a Rabbi, religious teachers and Jewish community leaders, and includes Navid Balazadeh, a boy who is only 16 years old. These individuals are clearly being used as scapegoats in political struggles within Iran in an effort to embarrass the moderate faction.
B'nai Brith Canada continues to urge the Government to condemn these arrests in all bilateral encounters with Iranian officials, as well as at international meetings on human rights. It also requests that members of the public join in its campaign, in co-ordination with Amnesty International, to contact key Iranian officials and judiciary leaders to implore them to intervene.
The Canadian Government has expressed its concern over the arrests to the Iranian Ambassador in Ottawa, as well as to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, and has asked for assurances about the well being of the prisoners. It has also requested assurances that the judicial process will be fair and conform to the norms of international human rights law.
Dr. Lawrence Hart, President of B nai Brith Canada, noted: “We are pleased that Foreign Minster Lloyd Axworthy has responded to our appeal for intervention, as expressed in his statement yesterday. However, the situation of the prisoners remains grave. No assurances of their well being have been received, despite numerous appeals worldwide. They are to be prosecuted in a Revolutionary Court, and lawyers and observers are routinely excluded from such trials, which often fall short of the minimum international standards for judicial fairness.”
Frank Dimant, Executive Vice-President, cautioned: “This is not a matter on which we can afford to delay. These arrests should never have been made. With each day that passes without full accountability by the Iranian authorities, and without urgent clarification of the exact charges against the detainees, their position becomes even more precarious. We have to remember that the penalty for espionage in Iran is summary execution.”
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