Enough! Release the Baha’i Seven Now

Enough! Release the Baha’i Seven Now is a new video by the Baha’i International Community which describes the current global campaign calling for the immediate release of the seven imprisoned Iranian Baha’i leaders (often collectively referred to as ‘the Yaran’), who have spent the last eight years in prison in Iran simply because they’re Baha’is.

We encourage you to share this video and to use the hashtag #‎ReleaseBahai7Now‬ for the campaign, and “Like” the campaign Facebook page here.

Find out more about the campaign and how you can support it here on the Baha’i International Community website.

To learn more about the persecution of the Baha’is in Iran and their current situation go here.

You can also read a copy of the transcript of the video below:

Eight years ago, seven innocent men and women were rounded up and thrown into Iran’s infamous Evin prison.

After more than a year of illegal detention, they were put on trial, accused of alleged crimes that, in fact, related solely to their religious belief and practice.

The arrest and imprisonment of the seven reflects the systematic, “cradle-to-grave” persecution of Baha’is that is among the most serious examples of state-sponsored religious persecution in the world today.

During their first year in detention, the seven were not told of the charges against them and they had virtually no access to lawyers.

Their trial, based on non-existent evidence, was illegally closed to the public, demonstrating extreme bias on the part of prosecutors and judges.

Changes to Iran’s national penal code in 2013, have led to the reduction of their sentence, from 20 to 10 years.

By that same law, they must now be granted immediate conditional release. The new law says they are to be released after serving half their sentence, and that has been more than satisfied.

In the 1980s, more than 200 Iranian Baha’is were killed, hundreds more were imprisoned and tens of thousands lost jobs, or were denied access to education, because of their beliefs.

Since 2005, more than 800 Baha’is have been arrested, and, as of February 2016, at least 80 Baha’is, including the seven, were wrongfully imprisoned in Iran.

Baha’is are continually under the attack of hate crimes, blocked from attending university, prevented from worshipping as they choose, and discriminated against in a wide range of economic activities.

Despite all this, Iranian Baha’is do not consider themselves victims. Even with the restrictions imposed on them, they fulfill their spiritual and social responsibilities.

We are in the 8th year of their incarceration. It is time to say: “Enough! Release the Baha’i Seven.”

We call on those, then, who believe in the right to freedom or religion or belief, to join the worldwide Baha’i community in saying “Enough!.”

People of the world who value tolerance, justice and recognize our oneness, stand up and say “enough”.

Posted by

Naysan Naraqi

Naysan is passionate about using the arts and media to explore the teachings of the Baha’i Faith. Back in 2011, Naysan started up the Baha’i Blog project, channeling his experiences in both media and technology companies to help create a hub for Baha’i-inspired content online.