Quantcast
Iranian-Calgarians fear for family in home country – Metro US

Iranian-Calgarians fear for family in home country

Members of the Calgary Baha’i community are joining together in prayer over concerns of political unrest in Iran.

With the trial of the seven Baha’i leaders in Iran set to take place tomorrow, members of Calgary’s Baha’i community are concerned about family members back home and over 100 gathered in several homes across Calgary yesterday to pray.

“The political unrest has been going on for awhile and now with the ridiculous charges against the members, I think everyone is hoping for a dismissal,” Baha’i Calgary community spokesperson Romina Imani said.

Imani said the seven members of the Iranian Baha’i community have been in jail since spring 2008 without proper access to their lawyers and families and are facing allegations of involvement in demonstrations. The charges are believed to carry a death sentence, according to Imani.

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon issued a statement this week regarding Canada’s concern over the situation, saying, “It is deplorable that these individuals were detained on the sole basis of their faith and have been denied a fair trial.”