Iran’s Ebadi says seven Baha’is must be acquitted

Iran’s Ebadi says seven Baha’is must be acquitted -   Iran’s Ebadi says seven Baha’is must be acquitted 18:22GMT—1:22PM/EST Washington, 12 January (Washington TV)—In an exclusive telephone interview with WashingtonTV on Tuesday, Shirin Ebadi, one of the lawyers defending the seven detained Baha’i leaders in Iran, whose first trial hearing took place today in Tehran, said that if “justice” were to prevail, the only verdict that could be reached over this case was one of “acquittal”. “If justice is to be carried out and an impartial judge should investigate the charges leveled against my clients, the only verdict that could be reached is that of acquittal,” said Ebadi, in comments translated from the Persian. But she went on to express regret about the Judiciary’s behavior. “Unfortunately, for some time now, the Judiciary has distanced itself from justice.” Ebadi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, also criticized the manner in which today’s hearing, which was the first session of the trial, was staged behind closed doors. She said: “On the basis of the information given to me by the families of my clients, the first session of the trial began today and out of the four lawyers which the Centre for the Defense of Human Rights [established by Ebadi and other lawyers in Iran and currently closed by the authorities] had assigned to them – myself, Mr [Abdolfattah] Soltani, Mr [Hadi] Esma’ilzadeh and Ms [Mahnaz]Parakand – [the latter two], Mr Esma’ilzadeh and Ms Parakand took part in the hearing, but in spite of our request, it was announced that the hearing would be held behind closed doors and they even made the relatives leave the room.” Ebadi explained that her clients have been convicted of “spying for America and Israel, acting against national security and [engaging in] propaganda against the [Islamic Republic’s] system”, adding: “I read the dossier and fortunately or unfortunately, found in it no cause or evidence to sustain the criminal charges upheld by the prosecutor.” The Baha’i International Community has ...