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Editor’s Note: Abdolfattah Soltani is a well-known Iranian human rights lawyer, and spokesman for the Defenders of Human Rights Center, which was co-founded by the Nobel Peace-Prize-winner Shirin Ebadi. He has twice been incarcerated in Iran for political offences, in 2005 and 2009. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdolfattah_Soltani) Mr. Soltani is one of the lead lawyers for the imprisoned former informal leaders of the Baha’i community of Iran.

Abdol-Fattah Soltani in an interview with Committee of Human Rights Reporters: “Keeping the seven Bahá’í leaders in prison only increases the weight of the burden of violations of human rights on the shoulders of the authorities.”

26 Mehr 1388 (October 18, 2009)

Committee of Human Rights Reporters – Having been arrested a year and a half ago, the seven leaders of the Bahá’í community of Iran known as the “Yaran” [Friends in Iran] remain in prison. Six of the seven were arrested on 25 Ordibehesht 1387 (May 14, 2008), and one was arrested on 15 Esfand 1386 (March 5, 2008). Now, having been in prison for more than a year and a half, these individuals are in a state of limbo. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Behrouz Tavakkoli, Saeed Rezaee, Mahvash Sabet, Fariba Kamalabadi, Afif Naeemi, and Vahid Tizfahm are the seven leaders of... >>>