Begrafenis van de heer John Veira op de negende dag van Ridvan

De heer John Veira zal wordt begraven op de negende dag van Ridvan, 29 april 2010, op de Bahá'í begraafplaats te Paramaribo, Suriname. Hij was een zeer gewaardeerd lid van de Bahá’í gemeenschap in Suriname. Hij werd neer geschoten in zijn huis in de avond van 21 april 2010.

Gedenk hem en zijn familie in uw gebeden.

Hier een paar stukjes uit een brief van de nationale geestelijke raad van de Bahá'ís van Suriname gedateerd 23 april 2010.

"His death came completely unexpected and had shocked the whole Suriname community. From the President of Suriname, drs. R. Venetiaan, to simple villagers and Bahai friends from the interior of Suriname, everybody wondered how an exemplary person as he could be so brutally killed."

"The night of 22nd April the Bahai Centre was filled over capacity with the children of Mr. Veira who were in Suriname, relatives and friends; they gathered in prayer and meditation to beseech the Blessed Beauty to shower His acceptance and grace on the deceased, and to give strength to John’s wife Ann and all his children and relatives.""

Elke avond tot zijn begrafenis werden deze gebeds bijeenkomsten gehouden in het Bahá'í centrum.

Informatie over de begrafenis: starnieuws.com

Baha’i Faith in Latin America marks 50th anniversary [BWNS]

Latin America marks key anniversary in establishment of Baha’i Faith

28-04-2010

El Salvador and 20 other nations in Latin America and the Caribbean are this month electing their national Baha'i assembly for the 50th time. The anniversary not only marks a milestone in the establishment of the Baha'i Faith in the Western Hemisphere, but the formation of those 21 assemblies in 1961 helped pave the way for the election two years later of the Universal House of Justice, the...

Read more @ http://news.bahai.org

Interracial Irondequoit couple prevail over apartheid [Rochester Democrat and Chronicle]

They met through their religion, the Bahai faith, while Tom Dibble was in Africa doing volunteer work. The Dibbles now have four children, the youngest of ...
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Bahais will celebrate Ridvan tomorrow [todaynews.in]

Ridvan, pronounced as Rizwan, is the king of festivals of the Bahai community. The festival is celebrated on April 21 every year.This is the day when they elect a new set of members to their administrative body known as the local spiritual assembly...
Read more
Source: www.todaynews.in

Barring the Baha’is [Iranpresswatch]

April 15th, 2010
Barring the Baha’is
By Faraz Sanei — Researcher, Human Rights Watch — describes how Iran persecutes one of its largest minority groups.


Secret classroom: Photo courtesy Bahai International Community.

Read More @ www.iranpresswatch.org

Update on third trial session of Iranian Baha'i leaders [BWNS]

GENEVA — Details are emerging from yesterday's court appearance in Tehran of seven imprisoned Iranian Baha'i leaders.

The Baha'i International Community has learned that when the prisoners arrived at the court, their families were not allowed to enter, signaling a closed hearing.

Continue reading @ news.bahai.org

Iranian Baha'i Leaders Trial Session On Monday [Eurasia Review]

http://www.eurasiareview.com/2010/04/iranian-bahai-leaders-trial-session-on.html

Third court session held for Baha'i leaders in Iran [BWNS]

GENEVA — The seven imprisoned Iranian Baha'i leaders were called to court today in Tehran for a third session in their trial. The hearing was again closed, and no details are available.

"We know that a session did take place, but we do not have any specific information from reliable sources," said Diane Ala'i, the representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva.

"These seven innocent Baha'is will soon enter their third year of imprisonment," she said. "At the very least, they should have been released on bail pending the outcome of the tortuous judicial process they have been subjected to. This is unacceptable in light of international human rights law."

The seven have been held in Tehran's Evin prison since they were arrested in 2008. No court hearing was held until 12 January this year when they appeared in Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court and charges were read.
Accusations include espionage, propaganda activities against the Islamic order, and "corruption on earth."

A second court session on 7 February was largely procedural.
The seven defendants are Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm. Mrs. Sabet was arrested on 5 March 2008 and the others on 14 May 2008.

They have categorically denied all the charges.

Source @ news.bahai.org

Iran's treatment of Baha'is criticized at FIU [The Miami Herald]

Hundreds gathered Sunday at Florida International University to hear about the repression of members of the Baha'i faith by the Islamic government of Iran.

Read more @ www.miamiherald.com

Iranian Baha'i Leaders Trial Session On Monday [Eurasia Review]

The Baha'i International Community has learned that there was a miscommunication as to the date of the trial of seven Iranian Baha'i leaders imprisoned in ...

Read more @ www.eurasiareview.com

Langzaam wurgt Iran de bahá’í-gelovige [NRC Handelsblad]

Mensenrechten Teheran onderdrukt grootste religieuze minderheid systematisch; morgen proces

Iran is de bakermat van het bahá’í’-geloof, maar de bahá’í’s mogen van Iran niet bestaan. Het beleid is gericht op hun eliminatie, zegt Loes Bijnen.

Voor het hele artikel zie hier.

Bron: NRC Handelsblad, vrijdag, 09 april 2010

Court date for Iranian Baha'i leaders is 12 April

GENEVA — The Baha'i International Community has learned that there was a miscommunication as to the date of the trial of seven Iranian Baha'i leaders imprisoned in Tehran.

A court session believed to have been scheduled for today is set for Monday, 12 April.

Read original article @ news.bahai.org

Dutch press release published on www.politics.be

Derde procesdag tegen Iraanse bahá’í-leiders: bezorgdheid blijft

Read @ Politics.be

Press release from American Baha'i Community

American Baha'is Celebrate Holiest Period and Elect Leaders: April 21 to May 2
http://media-newswire.com/release_1116289.html

Next trial session in Iran for Baha'is set for tomorrow

GENEVA — A third session of the court proceedings against seven imprisoned Iranian Baha'i leaders is scheduled for tomorrow in Tehran.

It is unknown whether the hearing – scheduled in Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court – will be open to families of the defendants and other observers. The first two sessions were closed.

The seven defendants, who have been imprisoned for two years, were responsible for tending to the spiritual and social needs of Iran's 300,000 Baha'is.

In January of this year they were finally presented with formal charges, which include espionage and "corruption on earth" – accusations that they categorically deny.

For more information, see recent news stories at http://news.bahai.org/story/760 and http://news.bahai.org/story/759. For further background and photographs, see http://news.bahai.org/human-rights/iran/iran-update/

From BWNS

Bahá'í monitor april 2010

April 2010, jaargang 8 nummer 80

Met deze nieuwsbrief wil de Nederlandse Bahá'í-gemeenschap u op de hoogte stellen van binnenlandse en internationale ontwikkelingen.



http://www.bahai.nl/read/10375

Derde procesdag tegen Iraanse bahá’í-leiders: bezorgdheid blijft

De derde procesdag tegen de zeven Iraanse bahá'í-leiders, die al sinds 2008 in Teheran gevangen worden gehouden, is op komst. De verdedigers van de zeven hebben bericht ontvangen dat de zitting op 10 april 2010 is. Op 12 januari van dit jaar stonden de bahá'ís voor de eerste keer terecht. Het ging toen om de tenlastelegging en die vond achter gesloten deuren plaats. Dat was ook het geval op 7 februari, ondanks het feit dat de rechter eerder had aangegeven dat die zitting openbaar zou zijn. Het is onduidelijk of bij de komende zitting toehoorders mogen zijn.

De bahá'ís hebben via hun vertegenwoordigers bij de Verenigde Naties nu en in het verleden hun grote bezorgdheid geuit over de gang van zaken in Iran. Overheden en mensenrechtenorganisaties zijn op de hoogte gesteld. Ook in Nederland heeft de bahá'í-gemeenschap aandacht gevraagd voor de procesgang tegen de zeven bahá'ís in Iran.
Daarnaast hebben Nederlandse wetenschappers, gezagsdragers, vertegenwoordigers van religieuze organisaties en levensbeschouwelijke stromingen en andere sympathisanten een petitie ondertekend. Daarin wordt de regering van Iran gevraagd deze zeven bahá'ís vrij te laten, af te zien van verdere vervolgingen van de bahá’ís, aan hen vrijheid van godsdienst te verlenen en hun mensenrechten te respecteren conform internationale verdragen (www.petitiebahaisiran.nl).

Uit berichten in Iraanse staatsmedia is gebleken dat de aanklacht tegen de bahá'í-leiders luidt: spionage voor Israël; propaganda tegen de islamitische orde; het opzetten van een illegale organisatie; het versturen van geheime documenten naar het buitenland; het verstoren van de veiligheid van het land en ‘corruptie op aarde’. Al deze beschuldigingen zijn door de internationale bahá'í-gemeenschap stelselmatig van de hand gewezen.

De bahá’ís die terechtstaan zijn:
mevrouw Fariba Kamalabadi (47 jaar, psychologe, 3 kinderen);
de heer Jamaloddin Khanjani (76 jaar, ondernemer, 4 kinderen, 6 kleinkinderen);
de heer Afif Naeimi (48 jaar, fabrikant, 2 kinderen);
de heer Saeid Rezaie (52 jaar, landbouwingenieur, 1 kind);
de heer Behrouz Tavakkoli (58 jaar, psycholoog, gehandicaptenzorg, 2 kinderen);
de heer Vahid Tizfahm (36 jaar, opticien, 1 kind);
mevrouw Mahvash Sabet (56 jaar, lerares, schoolhoofd, 2 kinderen).

Achtergrond informatie over de gevangenen is te vinden op http://news.bahai.org/human-rights/iran/iran-update/yaran-profiles.html

PERSBERICHT - Den Haag, 8 april 2010

Struggle fought in hearts - Human rights in Iran

by Randolph Dobbs
08-Apr-2010


Human rights and globalization share a common vocabulary. No matter where people may live in the world they share a vital interest in the basic requirements of liberty, including the right to “freedom of thought, conscience and religion;” the right to “freedom of opinion and expression” and the “right to peaceful assembly and association.” These and 27 other specific freedoms outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights were adopted by the United Nations more than 60 years ago.

Read more from www.iranian.com

Unstable regimes - Deccan Herald

The Tyranny of Imposition

Unstable regimes

By B G Verghese

The recently resumed trial of hapless Bahai’s in Iran, a small, peaceful community, is symptomatic of the tyranny of unstable regimes that fear their own people.

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Easter one of three major religious holidays recently - Muncie Star Press

Easter one of three major religious holidays recently - Muncie Star Press:
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Easter one of three major religious holidays recently Muncie Star Press Followers of the Bahai faith recently observed their New Year, not with the ball dropping on the ECI equivalent of Times Square, but with a festive family ... en meer »

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