Great example of asking for Justice, Human Rights in a peaceful but eloquent letter..
Subject: The Seven Baha'is imprisoned in Iran......
From the BAHA'I INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY; United Nations Office
To Ayatollah Mohammad Sadeq Larijani, Head of the Judiciary, Islamic Republic of Iran
Date 7 December 2010
" .............The lives of these seven Baha'is typify not only the lives of the Baha'is of Iran but also those of high-minded and noble-hearted Iranians of every creed and class. They are true citizens of that nation who have striven to dedicate themselves to its service.......
Convinced that they had committed no wrong, and as there existed no proof whatsoever to support the accusations leveled against them, they had every hope that the judicial proceedings would exonerate them. Sadly, however, their hopes have thus far been frustrated, and the treatment they have received has unjustly violated every legal norm and every standard of fairness and equity.
As history bears witness, whenever innocent citizens are brought before show trials, it is the judicial system itself and those who wield authority within it that are on trial before the public gaze. The case of these seven individuals, which from the outset has been watched with growing interest by Iranians and non-Iranians alike, has been marked by such egregious violations
of the law at every turn as to call into question the adherence to the principle of justice by a system that claims to uphold Islamic values.
The blatant injustice of a sentence to ten years' imprisonment handed down to such honest and law-abiding citizens impels us, as the representatives at the United Nations of one hundred and eighty-six national Baha'i communities, to ask you to rectify this grave failure and accord the defendants the justice they have been denied. This request comes not only from their coreligionists throughout the world but from the United Nations, from governments and parliamentarians across the globe, from agencies of civil society, and from humanitarians and social thinkers, all of whom join their voices to ours in calling for the immediate release of these wronged individuals...........
There is not a shred of evidence to support the accusation that these Baha'is were seeking to compromise national security, participating in subversive activities, or engaging in propaganda against the regime, charges which the defendants themselves have categorically denied. Such accusations are entirely inconsistent with the outstanding record of the Baha'is in Iran and around the world, who regard service to one's homeland and to humankind as an inescapable moral obligation.
Nor do they accord in any way with the Baha'i
teachings, which assert that "in every country where any of this people reside,
they must behave towards the government of that country with loyalty, honesty,
and truthfulness."
......The Baha'is are not "others" in your country: they are an inseparable
part of the Iranian nation. The injustices meted out to them are a reflection
of the terrible oppression that has engulfed the nation. Your respect now for
the rights of the Iranian Baha'is would signal a willingness to respect the
rights of all the citizens of your country. Redressing the wrongs suffered by
the Baha'is would bring hope to the hearts of all Iranians that you are ready
to ensure justice for everyone. Our call, then, is in reality a call for
respect of the rights of all the Iranian people.
With our hearts filled with love for Iran and our earnest hopes for the
exaltation and glory of that land, we urge you, in your capacity as the Head of
the Judiciary, to release the former members of the Yaran from prison and,
along with them, all the Baha'is who are incarcerated across the country.....
.
We likewise request that the Baha'is in that country be granted their full
rights of citizenship, in order that they may be able to fulfill their
heartfelt aspiration to contribute, alongside their fellow citizens, to the
advancement of their nation. This, indeed, is no more than what you rightfully
ask for Muslim minorities who reside in other lands. Baha'is merely seek the
same treatment from you.
Respectfully,
Baha'i International Community
