The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran (ICHR) published a statement on its Web site on 17 February titled “Endangerment of the Baha’i Community in Iran.”

The report, in Persian, quotes the ICHR spokesman, Hadi Ghaemi, referring to the seven jailed Baha’is: “These accusations are very serious. All evidence, from their arrest to the upcoming trial, points to the fact that the accusations are baseless and have political roots.”

Further, he said, “The trial of these individuals, if the court cannot openly prove these charges, and if appropriate defense is not provided, will not be credible. If that happens, the trial will be nothing more than the (the type of) harassment that happened during the Dark Ages.”