August 2, 2000 MemorandumTo: Officers, Rabbis, Key Contacts From:
Richard B. Stone, Chairman RE:
Iran 10 Update Several weeks ago, the Orthodox Union expressed its outrage at the sentences meted out by the Iran Revolutionary Court against ten Jewish defendants falsely charged with espionage. As you know, ten of the 13 arrested Iranian Jews were convicted and, after seventeen months of imprisonment in a Shiraz jail, were sentenced to harsh jail terms as high as thirteen years. The show trial for the thirteen was conducted without any presentation of guilt and without witnesses in a trial closed to all observers. Their only so-called crime was the teaching of Torah and Jewish tradition to members of the Jewish community. Appeals for the Iran 10 were filed last week in Shiraz and the case is now before a three-judge panel that, contrary to previous reports about a lengthy process, is expected to issue a decision within a few weeks. Although the Iran 10 continue to be held in solitary confinement and contact with their lawyers is limited, they are currently in a political prison where the conditions are better and cleaner than in a criminal prison. The lead defense attorney, Esmail Nassere, will seek to exonerate the prisoners completely. His strategy will focus on the fact that the Iran 10 have not been convicted of passing secret information and therefore are innocent and should be released. Although the final outcome of the appeal is as yet unclear, sources close to the trial believe that the prisoners will not receive harsher sentences than they have already been given. The other options are complete exoneration or reduced sentences. The judges could decide that the sentences would run concurrently and include time already served. If that happens, and if the prisoners are paroled after serving a third of their sentence as is permitted under Iranian law, most of them would be released immediately or within a few months. If the appeals are unsuccessful, synagogues should be prepared to hold solidarity gatherings similar to the prayer and solidarity gatherings held in the past. The OU/IPA continues to work closely with the Conference of Presidents and others in monitoring this case and will continue to provide updates and additional information as soon as it becomes available. Questions have been raised about large scale Jewish immigration from Iran. Should the need arise, Jewish communal agencies are prepared to provide assistance and facilitate the immigration of any member of the Iranian Jewish community who wishes to leave the country. However, it is very important to note that public discussion about the possibility of Jews leaving Iran-which is not the situation at this time-can only serve to complicate the situation and endanger the community as a whole. The OU/IPA supported recent efforts by Reps. Peter Deutsch (D-FL) and Rick Lazio (R-NY) to enact legislation that would prevent the administration from lifting the economic embargo on Iranian goods and will continue to support legislation and other initiatives that will uphold sanctions and economic pressures on Iran. The OU/IPA also applauded the passage by the House of Representatives of H.R.3485 which would help terror victims and their families claim assets won in judgments against state sponsors of terrorism, including Iran. We will continue to keep you informed as to any new developments that will take place. Kindly feel free to call us at 212-613-8124 with any questions you may have. RBS BE
The Institute for Public Affairs of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America is the non-partisan public policy research and advocacy center created to represent and mobilize the world's largest Orthodox Jewish community.
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