Monday, August 17, 2009
More Brad Pitt
"You know, I grew up in a religious family, in a religious community and it just doesn't make sense to me. It just doesn't work for me in the long run. I never wanted to step on anyone else's religion and their beliefs -- that's what's great about our country -- until I started seeing it defining policy. ... Like gay marriage, you have a group of people telling other people how to live their lives, and you can't do that....I just say you have to, you really have to check what country you're living in because the freedom that allows you to practice religion is the same freedom you're stepping on. That's not right. And I want to add that if there was a nation of gay married couples who were telling you you couldn't practice your religion, I'd be speaking up for you too. So, let's stop the nonsense."
Obama administration says marriage law unfair
Obama administration says marriage law unfair
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration filed court papers Monday claiming a federal marriage law discriminates against gays, even as government lawyers continue to defend the law.
Justice Department lawyers are seeking to dismiss a suit brought by a gay California couple challenging the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. The administration's response to the case has angered gay activists who see it as backtracking on campaign promises made by Barack Obama.
In the court papers, the administration urges the repeal of the law but says in the meantime, government lawyers will continue to defend it as a law on the books.
The government's previous filing in the case angered gay rights activists who supported Obama's candidacy in part because of his pledge to move forward on repealing the law and the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that prevents gays from serving openly in the military.
"The administration believes the Defense of Marriage Act is discriminatory and should be repealed," said Justice Department spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler, because it prevents equal rights and benefits.
The Justice Department, she added, is obligated "to defend federal statutes when they are challenged in court. The Justice Department cannot pick and choose which federal laws it will defend based on any one administration's policy preferences."
The law, often called DOMA, denies federal recognition of gay marriage and gives states the right to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.
Obama has pledged to work to repeal the law.
Monday's court filing was in response to a lawsuit by Arthur Smelt and Christopher Hammer, who are challenging the federal law, which prevents couples in states that recognize same-sex unions from securing Social Security spousal benefits, filing joint taxes and benefiting from other federal rights connected to marriage.
Justice lawyers have argued that the act is constitutional and contend that awarding federal marriage benefits to gays would infringe on the rights of taxpayers in the 30 states that specifically prohibit same-sex marriages.
Earlier this year, Massachusetts became the first state to challenge the law in court.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
A random list of things that I enjoy
OK, yesterday in a cranky, pique, I cross-posted a list of things that really piss me off... I thought it might be healthier of me to share a list of things that I truly enjoy, that make me happy and help be forget the things that really piss me off:
My son Spencer, who is more important than air to me; my husband and best friend Milton, who is my rock; my maid of honor Jeri, who is as honest and sweet as anyone I know; the trees in my yard that I planted; riding my bike; chimarrão ; blogging; UFOP; walking anywhere, but especially in Ouro Preto, or in Rio along Copacabana with friends; the way the people in the Brazilian Consulate treat people; the way the delta breeze pushes out the heat after three or four days of apocalyptic heat; Bill Moyers; pancadas; sitting on the right hand side of the plane when you fly from San Jose, Costa Rica to Guatemala City; taking pictures; good service by a bureaucrat; Kathmandu and the Himalayas; my first classroom, not the kids tho; Mt. Shasta; San Francisco; Sequoia Sempervirens; gardening; the Empire State Building; the way Jon & I call each other on the phone just to talk; KCRW, especially on Saturday nights; Yosemite; the ocean, most anywhere; Highway 97 between Mt. Shasta and Klamath Falls; good art; good music; learning to be a little bit bitter; good food; good conversation; seeing the light in the eyes of a child when you show them something they never knew; Brazilian Portuguese; my iPod; people with open minds; Clo's house; my first car, a red '68 VW Bug; PUCC, 1998; Hina's; Araucaria Brasiliensis, or Angustifolia; All Things Considered; the call of a Vem-ti-Vi; the high road to Taos; Hong Kong; being a Dad; laptop computers; coming home to your own bed after a great adventure abroad; leaving for a new adventure; Brazilian music; Haifa; getting married to Milton, registering at the County Offices; Brazilian people; a good pair of shoes; Levis; when someone says thank you, and means it; my students, well most of them; being a friend; um chopes e dois pastel; saying no; saying yes; dinner at Ubiratan D'Ambrosio's home; Butch & Nellie's, midday; UNM: Milton's crazy family; the way I can get to almost anywhere in Brasil without a guide book; my men's yoga group; HGTV; coffee; a good joke; São Paulo at night from the air, especially on Xmas Eve; The News Hour on PBS; Amparo; Northern New Mexico; São Paulo, especially Avenida Paulista;The UTNE Reader; wifi; my current car, a Ford Escape Hybrid; Spring in California; mathematics, especially ethnomathematics and algebra; the labyrinth at Grace Cathedral; the internet; the color of green on the new growth of a Redwood tree; the first really good rain of the year in California; rhubarb; a dinner with good friends; being treated fairly; a good glass of red wine shared with a friend; as Cataratas do Iguaçu; traveling in Brasil in 1998; the No on 8 marches at the California State Capitol; DWELL; a good sound system; the first view of Ouro Preto when you arrive from BH; Italian coffee, in Italy; Highwy 1; cactus flowers...
My son Spencer, who is more important than air to me; my husband and best friend Milton, who is my rock; my maid of honor Jeri, who is as honest and sweet as anyone I know; the trees in my yard that I planted; riding my bike; chimarrão ; blogging; UFOP; walking anywhere, but especially in Ouro Preto, or in Rio along Copacabana with friends; the way the people in the Brazilian Consulate treat people; the way the delta breeze pushes out the heat after three or four days of apocalyptic heat; Bill Moyers; pancadas; sitting on the right hand side of the plane when you fly from San Jose, Costa Rica to Guatemala City; taking pictures; good service by a bureaucrat; Kathmandu and the Himalayas; my first classroom, not the kids tho; Mt. Shasta; San Francisco; Sequoia Sempervirens; gardening; the Empire State Building; the way Jon & I call each other on the phone just to talk; KCRW, especially on Saturday nights; Yosemite; the ocean, most anywhere; Highway 97 between Mt. Shasta and Klamath Falls; good art; good music; learning to be a little bit bitter; good food; good conversation; seeing the light in the eyes of a child when you show them something they never knew; Brazilian Portuguese; my iPod; people with open minds; Clo's house; my first car, a red '68 VW Bug; PUCC, 1998; Hina's; Araucaria Brasiliensis, or Angustifolia; All Things Considered; the call of a Vem-ti-Vi; the high road to Taos; Hong Kong; being a Dad; laptop computers; coming home to your own bed after a great adventure abroad; leaving for a new adventure; Brazilian music; Haifa; getting married to Milton, registering at the County Offices; Brazilian people; a good pair of shoes; Levis; when someone says thank you, and means it; my students, well most of them; being a friend; um chopes e dois pastel; saying no; saying yes; dinner at Ubiratan D'Ambrosio's home; Butch & Nellie's, midday; UNM: Milton's crazy family; the way I can get to almost anywhere in Brasil without a guide book; my men's yoga group; HGTV; coffee; a good joke; São Paulo at night from the air, especially on Xmas Eve; The News Hour on PBS; Amparo; Northern New Mexico; São Paulo, especially Avenida Paulista;The UTNE Reader; wifi; my current car, a Ford Escape Hybrid; Spring in California; mathematics, especially ethnomathematics and algebra; the labyrinth at Grace Cathedral; the internet; the color of green on the new growth of a Redwood tree; the first really good rain of the year in California; rhubarb; a dinner with good friends; being treated fairly; a good glass of red wine shared with a friend; as Cataratas do Iguaçu; traveling in Brasil in 1998; the No on 8 marches at the California State Capitol; DWELL; a good sound system; the first view of Ouro Preto when you arrive from BH; Italian coffee, in Italy; Highwy 1; cactus flowers...
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Fred Karger sent a message to the members of Californians Against Hate.
Subject: Money Laundering by National Organization for Marriage & Catholics in Maine Election?
August 13, 2009
Karger Warns Maine of Money Laundering by NOM, Mormons, Dobson, & Others
Letter Sent to Maine Election Officials Warning of Money Laundering by National Organization for Marriage (NOM) & Others
LOS ANGELES, CA / AUGUSTA, ME — August 13, 2009 — Californians Against Hate founder Fred Karger sent a letter today warning top Maine election officials of possible money laundering by opponents of same-sex marriage.
The organization trying to overturn Maine’s same-sex marriage law, Stand for Marriage PAC recently turned in 100,000 signatures to place the question on the November ballot. These gay marriage foes hope to repeal LD 1020 — the law passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor allowing same-sex marriage in Maine.
Let the Money Laundering Begin
Of the $343,689.50 raised to pay the Brighton, Michigan-based National Petition Management, Inc. to collect the signatures, only $400, or a mere .001 of that total came from individuals. The remaining $343,289.50 was given by various religious organizations and James Dobson’s Focus on the Family. The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) gave nearly half of that total, $160,000. The remainder came from Catholic organizations ($150,000) and James Dobson’s Focus on the Family ($31,000).
“It sure looks like they are trying to hide the donors in their latest effort to strip away marriage equality,” said Fred Karger. “There is no way these organizations like NOM and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland had all this money sitting in their treasuries (except for possibly Focus on the Family). They went out and raised it expressly for this campaign. It’s very expensive to hire these signature gathering firms to collect 100,000 signatures in a short period of time.”
NOM is a Mormon Front Group
There is an ongoing investigation into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) by the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC Case #08/735). The FPPC is looking into both the Church’s lack of reporting its non-monetary contributions to Prop 8, and also whether NOM was, in fact, established as a front group by the Salt Lake City-based Mormon Church. The Mormon Church has used this tactic in several states beginning in Hawaii in 1996.
Warning Maine Officials
In a letter to Jonathan Wayne, Executive Director of the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Elections Practices (letter copy below), Karger warned of suspected money laundering by the major donors to Stand for Marriage PAC.
It begs the question: “Are they directing all contributions to their existing organizations, who in turn then give the money to Stand for Marriage PAC?” Karger asked in today’s letter. “We are very familiar with how this coalition operates, and we want to warn the political leadership and the residents of Maine to beware.
The coalition has also hired the highly regarded Schubert, Flint Campaign Management firm of Sacramento, California.
Who are the Victims Here?
These major backers of Stand for Marriage PAC will do their best to play the poor victim. They like to say that their contributors are being targeted simply because they give money to “preserve marriage.” That’s what they did in California after running a very nasty campaign and spending $40 million to take away marriage equality from millions of Californians.
Let’s be clear. They are NOT the victims here. The Mormon Church and its coalition have qualified and passed Constitutional Amendments in 30 states to yank away civil rights from gay and lesbian Americans.
The Mormons began this fight in 1988. They have been destroying lives, intimidating people and demonizing an entire class to solidify their base and raise millions and millions of dollars.
After two decades of assaulting the LGBT Community, we are now fighting back with our talent, our numbers, our friends, our money and our purchasing power. They are not the victims in this equation, and even the best PR by all of their consultants cannot rewrite history.
Our hope is that as young people discover that they are LGB or T, they do not feel any less of a person because Maggie Gallagher (NOM $160,000 to the Maine campaign), Bishop Richard Malone (Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, ME $100,000 to the Maine campaign) Knights of Columbus (Catholic Church’s Political Arm $50,000 to the Maine campaign) or James Dobson (Focus on the Family $31,000 to the Maine campaign) gave so very much money to bully them and take away their rights.
Copy of Letter To Maine Election Officials
August 13, 2009
Mr. Jonathan Wayne
Executive Director
Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Elections Practices
135 State House Station
Augusta, Maine 04333
Re: Money Laundering — Stand for Marriage PAC
Dear Mr. Wayne:
We have reviewed the very first finance report which was recently filed by Stand for Marriage PAC, the group trying to repeal Maine’s same-sex marriage law.
It appears that there are already questionable activities.
Stand for Marriage PAC reported raising $343,689.50 during the period April 1 to July 5, 2009. We found it very suspicious that of that total, only $400 was given by individuals. The balance of $343,289.50 was contributed by various religious organizations and James Dobson’s Focus on the Family.
That means that individual contributions to repeal gay marriage in Maine are only .001% of the total raised.
Are the proponents trying to hide the identities of those contributing to their campaign? Are they directing all contributions to existing organizations, who then gave the money to Stand for Marriage PAC? This appears to be the case.
If this is true, would it not be considered money laundering?
We have been very active and have closely tracked all the money that was raised to pass Proposition 8 in California last year. Californians Against Hate was the first to uncover the vast involvement in the election by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church). Our extensive research revealed that the Mormon Church had its members in California and around the country give approximately 75% of the $40 million that was raised to pass Prop 8.
On November 13, 2008, just nine days after the election, we filled a complaint with, the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), your counterpart in California. Our complaint alleged that the Mormon Church had spent a tremendous amount of money in non-monetary contributions that they never reported, which is required under California election law.
We submitted evidence supporting our claim that the Mormon Church ran out of state phone banks, produced 27 slick commercials (that ranged from 30 seconds to 8 minutes long) and put them on their elaborate web site Preserving http://www.facebook.com/l/;Marraige.org for all to see. We also asked the Commission to investigate the Mormon Church for bussing people from Utah to California for precinct walking, sending out extensive direct mail and numerous other activities.
Eight days later, the FPPC announced that they were launching an unprecedented investigation into the Mormon Church (Case # 08/735) as a result of our complaint.
On March 19, 2009, we filed a supplemental complaint with the FPPC. We received hundreds of secret Mormon documents that show exactly how involved the Mormon Church has been throughout the country in fighting same-sex marriage. The documents reveal how the Church established front groups to wage their battles, and shield the Church from any negative publicity.
We believe that the Mormon Church established the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) in May of 2007 for the express purpose of qualifying Proposition 8 for the California ballot. This was done in conjunction with leading Catholic organizations such as the Knights of Columbus, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and James Dobson’s Focus on the Family.
It is no coincidence that these are the exact same groups that are funding and leading the effort to repeal Maine’s recently passed same-sex marriage law.
We believe that only Focus on the Family had money in its treasury. The other groups raised money expressly for the campaign to hire the professional signature gathering firm to qualify the referendum.
They are trying to hide the true identities of those contributing to the campaign.
It certainly sounds like money laundering to us. We hope that your office will investigate the genuine sources of the funds contributed to Stand for Marriage PAC.
The Mormon Church appears to be using the National Organization for Marriage to fight same-sex marriage all over the Northeast.
They admitted as much in a Washington Post story on May 29, 2009. A spokeswoman in Salt Lake City declined to say whether the church is involved in debates going on in the Northeast except to say, “…that leaders remain intent on preserving the divine institution of marriage between man and woman. The faith holds that traditional marriage transcends this world and is necessary for the fullness of joy in the next life.”
It sure sounds like the Mormon Church is involved to us.
On our web site http://www.facebook.com/l/;Mormongate.com, we describe the formation of NOM. This was done at the very highest level of the Mormon Church – the President and the 12 Apostles.
You can see exactly how they operated in Hawaii in order to skirt state election laws there. They funneled money through Hawaii’s Future Today, which they established to fund that state’s campaign to ban same-sex marriage.
In the near future, we will be releasing other official Mormon documents that explain how this happened in other states.
If we can be of any assistance in your efforts to monitor Stand for Marriage PAC, please to not hesitate to call upon us.
Best regards,
Fred Karger
Founder
Californians Against Hate
http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.CaliforniansAgainstHate.com
619-592-2008
cc: Attorney General Janet Mills
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Friday, August 14, 2009
Afternoon rant...
Some things that really piss me off right now:
My son Spencer, who is more important than air to me; my husband and best friend Milton, who is my rock; my maid of honor Jeri, who is as honest and sweet as anyone I know; the trees in my yard that I planted; riding my bike; chimarrão ; blogging; UFOP; walking anywhere, but especially in Ouro Preto, or in Rio along Copacabana with friends; the way the people in the Brazilian Consulate treat people; the way the delta breeze pushes out the heat after three or four days of apocalyptic heat; Bill Moyers; pancadas; sitting on the right hand side of the plane when you fly from San Jose, Costa Rica to Guatemala City; taking pictures; good service by a bureaucrat; Kathmandu and the Himalayas; my first classroom, not the kids tho; Mt. Shasta; San Francisco; Sequoia Sempervirens; gardening; the Empire State Building; the way Jon & I call each other on the phone just to talk; KCRW, especially on Saturday nights; Yosemite; the ocean, most anywhere; Highway 97 between Mt. Shasta and Klamath Falls; good art; good music; learning to be a little bit bitter; good food; good conversation; seeing the light in the eyes of a child when you show them something they never knew; Brazilian Portuguese; my iPod; people with open minds; Clo's house; my first car, a red '68 VW Bug; PUCC, 1998; Hina's; Araucaria Brasiliensis, or Angustifolia; All Things Considered; the call of a Vem-ti-Vi; the high road to Taos; Hong Kong; being a Dad; laptop computers; coming home to your own bed after a great adventure abroad; leaving for a new adventure; Brazilian music; Haifa; getting married to Milton, registering at the County Offices; Brazilian people; a good pair of shoes; Levis; when someone says thank you, and means it; my students, well most of them; being a friend; um chopes e dois pastel; saying no; saying yes; dinner at Ubiratan D'Ambrosio's home; Butch & Nellie's, midday; UNM: Milton's crazy family; the way I can get to almost anywhere in Brasil without a guide book; my men's yoga group; HGTV; coffee; a good joke; São Paulo at night from the air, especially on Xmas Eve; The News Hour on PBS; Amparo; Northern New Mexico; São Paulo, especially Avenida Paulista;The UTNE Reader; wifi; my current car, a Ford Escape Hybrid; Spring in California; mathematics, especially ethnomathematics and algebra; the labyrinth at Grace Cathedral; the internet; the color of green on the new growth of a Redwood tree; the first really good rain of the year in California; rhubarb; a dinner with good friends; being treated fairly; a good glass of red wine shared with a friend; as Cataratas do Iguaçu; traveling in Brasil in 1998; the No on 8 marches at the California State Capitol; DWELL; a good sound system; the first view of Ouro Preto when you arrive from BH; Italian coffee, in Italy; Highwy 1; cactus flowers...
Great news...
Today we went over to the Brazilian Consulate to register our marriage certificate. We were informed that under -- Resolução Normativa no. 27 de 15/11/1998 -- Milton has the right to sponsor me for a Permanent Visa, just like any other married couple. This is a right that GLBT people in the Unites States do not have. So the first step is to register our marriage document at the consulate, which we did today, and it will be ready for me to pick up next week. Then I will need a full FBI finger print and check sent to the Brazilian Embassy in Washington, D.C. and confirmed by them to include in our file. Then we will need all our documents (marriage certificate included) translated in Brasil, and then we can apply for my visa... after Milton swears in front of the appropriate official that he will protect me, take care of me financially, and he will have to declare that he is responsible for my moral conduct in Brasil. This is just amazing.
Now I am even more ashamed of our federal government and this state for its homophobic laws in regards to GLBT relationships, and its lack of protection and respect for GLBT people.
It is a deeply moving to me to have such kind and very sweet people in the Brazilian Consulate, who obviously very happy to help us. Needless to say, we know where we are going for the Xmas holidays this year!
Now I am even more ashamed of our federal government and this state for its homophobic laws in regards to GLBT relationships, and its lack of protection and respect for GLBT people.
It is a deeply moving to me to have such kind and very sweet people in the Brazilian Consulate, who obviously very happy to help us. Needless to say, we know where we are going for the Xmas holidays this year!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
RE: Health Care Reform
| Dear Friend,
Learn more and get details: http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/health-insurance-consumer-protections/
Learn more and get details:
|
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Perry v. Schwarzenegger: The Federal Challenge to Prop 8
Perry v. Schwarzenegger: The Federal Challenge to Prop 8
|
| ||
| It is vital that the LGBT community—especially families—be represented as the Court weighs the harms inflicted by Proposition 8. That is why NCLR, the ACLU, and Lambda Legal filed a motion to intervene in this historic case on behalf of Our Family Coalition, Lavender Seniors, and Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). We believe the involvement of the LGBT community will significantly help the Court decide the case. |
read moreCA's gay marriage ban could open the door to legal discrimination against unpopular groups
(Reuters) CA's gay marriage ban could open the door to legal discrimination against unpopular groups now that the state Supreme Court has allowed the measure to stand, blacks, Latinos, Asians & other minorities said. Legal scholars say the measure, which defines marriage as between a man & a woman, breaks new ground by limiting the courts' ability to protect minorities. "They could take away any right from any group," said USC Law Professor David Cruz. "The entire purpose behind the constitutional principle of equal protection would be subverted if the constitutional protection of unpopular minorities were subject to simple majority rule," read a brief by black, Asian & Hispanic groups challenging the ban. "This case is not simply about gay & lesbian equality", pointing to segregation laws & one excluding Asian-Americans from land ownership as examples.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081124/ts_nm/us_gaymarriage_minorities
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081124/ts_nm/us_gaymarriage_minorities
The right thing to do... let things calm down for awhile, and build a better base...
Gay rights group will wait until 2012 to Challenge Prop. 8
Published: Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009 - 11:25 am
Last Modified: Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009 - 2:45 pm
Last Modified: Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009 - 2:45 pm
Bowing to the advice of political consultants and pollsters, officials from a major gay rights advocacy group announced Wednesday that they will wait until 2012 to return to California voters with an initiative legalizing gay marriage.
The leaders of Equality California, which calls itself the largest gay rights advocacy group in the state, said they won't try to qualify a measure on the subject for the 2010 ballot despite demands from many gay and lesbian activists seeking quicker movement on the issue.
That decision, however, hasn't stopped a liberal advocacy group, Courage Campaign, from collecting signatures for a 2010 ballot initiative on the subject. According to that group's Web site, it has already raised about $136,000 to "invest in research, polling and focus groups to repeal Proposition 8," the ballot initiative passed last year banning same-sex marriage.
Other gay rights groups are also working to put a same-sex marriage initiative on the 2010 ballot.
Geoff Kors, Equality California's executive director, said in a conference call Wednesday that his group has "knocked on 500,000 doors" to survey voters statewide about the issue and determined that such an initiative would stand a better chance with more time. The group plans to spend the next three years launching outreach and education campaigns about the issue to convince voters.
Additionally, running the initiative during a presidential election year would bring out more young voters, who polls show are more likely to vote for legalizing same-sex marriage, said Equality California Marriage Director Marc Solomon in the conference call.
"Waiting until we're confident we can win is understandable but not acceptable," Solomon said. "We need to start doing the work now until we win marriage back."
Solomon said his and other groups would need to raise tens of millions of dollars to push through such a ballot measure, and donors haven't so far shown much appetite for a 2010 campaign.
"Pretty monolithically, they're not supportive of a return to the ballot with a $40 million to $60 million campaign," Solomon said.
Pro-Proposition 8 advocacy group ProtectMarriage.com responded in a news release Wednesday that any measure legalizing same-sex marriage would fail regardless of which year it was put on the ballot:
"Whether in 2010, 2012, or beyond, ProtectMarriage.com will be ready to defend marriage and emerge victorious again."
Due process ignored as trial date is set for Iranian Baha'i prisoners
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| GENEVA, 12 August (BWNS) - In yet another example of the denial to Baha'is in Iran of their rights to justice, including due process, judicial officials have reportedly set next Tuesday as the trial date for seven imprisoned Baha'i leaders - despite the fact that the lead lawyers registered with the court to represent them are either in prison or outside the country. Further, efforts to have the accused released on bail have not succeeded. The investigation against them was concluded months ago but they remain incarcerated, without access to their legal counsel and with only the barest minimum contact with their families - contact that did not begin until some five months' after their arrest, when they were finally taken out of solitary confinement. Authorities recently sent to Abdolfattah Soltani, a key member of the legal team representing the seven Baha'is who is himself currently imprisoned in Evin prison, a notice saying that 18 August has been set as the trial date for the seven Baha'is. Dated 15 July, the writ of notification for the seven gives 9 a.m., 18 August, as the date for the trial, in Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran. That is the same court that tried Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi. The writ of notification giving 18 August as the trial date was specifically addressed to Mr. Soltani, a well-known human rights lawyer and a principal of the Tehran-based Defenders of Human Rights Center, which was founded by Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi and has since last year undertaken to defend the seven Baha'is. Meanwhile, Mrs. Ebadi, the senior member of the legal team, remains outside the country. "The judiciary's decision to schedule the trial under these circumstances is an effrontery and yet another tactic aimed at depriving the seven Baha'i leaders of competent legal counsel," said Diane Ala'i, the Baha'i International Community's representative to the United Nations in Geneva. "The Iranian authorities know full well who is serving as legal counsel for the Baha'is. Indeed, authorities have several times tried to pressure the seven to change lawyers. "It is the height of absurdity to issue a trial notice to a lawyer who has himself been unjustly imprisoned," she said. "The willingness of Iran's judiciary to flout the most fundamental internationally accepted norms of jurisprudence were brought to light in the widespread publicity attending the trial of Roxana Saberi. "More recently, the attention of the world has been focused on the show trial of scores of individuals arrested in post-election turmoil in Iran, also without due process and which has included 'confessions' that were clearly coerced through torture," said Ms. Ala'i. The Baha'i International Community has called for the human rights of all the people of Iran to be respected and upheld. "Today, then, we raise the call on behalf of our innocent co-religionists, whose only 'crime' is their religious belief, and who face the most severe punishments if they are found guilty of the trumped-up charges against them. "Instead of going on trial, they should be immediately released on bail, and, at the very least, be given adequate time for their attorneys to prepare a defense," said Ms. Ala'i. Ms. Ala'i also said that the 18 August trial date could not be taken as firm, noting that the families of the seven had been told in June they were to be tried on 11 July, only to have that date come and go. "Given the past history of this case, the utter lack of concern for procedure on the part of authorities, and the current situation in Iran, it is simply not possible to know when the proceedings will actually begin," she said. The seven Baha'i prisoners are Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm. All but one of the group were arrested on 14 May 2008 at their homes in Tehran. Mrs. Sabet was arrested on 5 March 2008 while in Mashhad. They have since been held without formal charges or access to their lawyers at Evin prison in Tehran. Official Iranian news accounts have said the seven are to be accused of "espionage for Israel, insulting religious sanctities and propaganda against the Islamic republic," charges that are rejected completely and categorically. The ongoing imprisonment of the seven and pending trial is particularly alarming because of their leadership position as the former members of a national-level coordinating group known as the "Friends in Iran." Some 25 years ago, other Baha'i leaders were executed after being rounded up in a manner similar to the way in which these seven were arrested last year. To read the article online, with a photograph, go to: http://news.bahai.org/story/725 For the Baha'i World News Service home page, go to: http://news.bahai.org | ||||||||
Speak Up for the Baha'i Leaders in Iran
Todd Brogan sent a message to the members of Speak Up for the Baha'i Leaders in Iran.
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Subject: Trial Set Again for August 18th
Straight from the Baha'i World News Service - http://www.facebook.com/l/;BWNS.org -
GENEVA — In yet another example of the denial to Baha’is in Iran of their rights to justice, including due process, judicial officials have reportedly set next Tuesday as the trial date for seven imprisoned Baha’i leaders – despite the fact that the lead lawyers registered with the court to represent them are either in prison or outside the country.
Further, efforts to have the accused released on bail have not succeeded. The investigation against them was concluded months ago but they remain incarcerated, without access to their legal counsel and with only the barest minimum contact with their families – contact that did not begin until some five months’ after their arrest, when they were finally taken out of solitary confinement.
Authorities recently sent to Abdolfattah Soltani, a key member of the legal team representing the seven Baha’is who is himself currently imprisoned in Evin prison, a notice saying that 18 August has been set as the trial date for the seven Baha’is. Dated 15 July, the writ of notification for the seven gives 9 a.m., 18 August, as the date for the trial, in Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran. That is the same court that tried Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi.
Read the whole story at: http://www.facebook.com/l/;news.bahai.org/story/725
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Subject: Trial Set Again for August 18th
Straight from the Baha'i World News Service - http://www.facebook.com/l/;BWNS.org -
GENEVA — In yet another example of the denial to Baha’is in Iran of their rights to justice, including due process, judicial officials have reportedly set next Tuesday as the trial date for seven imprisoned Baha’i leaders – despite the fact that the lead lawyers registered with the court to represent them are either in prison or outside the country.
Further, efforts to have the accused released on bail have not succeeded. The investigation against them was concluded months ago but they remain incarcerated, without access to their legal counsel and with only the barest minimum contact with their families – contact that did not begin until some five months’ after their arrest, when they were finally taken out of solitary confinement.
Authorities recently sent to Abdolfattah Soltani, a key member of the legal team representing the seven Baha’is who is himself currently imprisoned in Evin prison, a notice saying that 18 August has been set as the trial date for the seven Baha’is. Dated 15 July, the writ of notification for the seven gives 9 a.m., 18 August, as the date for the trial, in Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran. That is the same court that tried Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi.
Read the whole story at: http://www.facebook.com/l/;news.bahai.org/story/725
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