REPOST: Untold Facts on the Controversial Death of a [Haifan] Baha'i in Prison

[Aor]

Untold Facts on the Controversial Death of a Baha'i in Prison

http://www.baztab.com/news/32546.php
24th December 2005
News Code: 32546

In a report from Yazd, our reporter disclosed untold facts about the
process of imprisonment and death of Zabih'u'llah Mahrami, a Baha'i
prisoner.

According to this report Zabih'u'llah Mahrami was first detained in
1995 on the charge of spying and having links with foreign interests.
His term of imprisonment was 15 years.
At the time of death he was serving his tenth year of imprisonment.
During this time he enjoyed legal rights afforded to all prisoners
including leave from prison for several days at a time and having
regular meetings with his family.

Zabih'u'llah Mahrami died as a result of a heart attack on 13th
December on the eve of his 60th birthday.
Following his death in prison, the Coroner determined the cause of
death as heart attack. His family were notified of the event and
invited to take delivery of the body of this Baha'i prisoner for
independent examination and verification of the cause of death by a
Doctor of their choice.

However acting upon orders by the House of Justice – the highest
Baha'i administrative institution – Mahrami's family declined the
offer.

Following the refusal of Mahrami's family to independently verify the
cause of death, the body was returned to his family and a funeral was
subsequently held in Yazd. Several devotional meetings (Baha'i
mourning) were also held in his memory.

Nevertheless, Adam O'Reilly the Deputy Spokesman for the US Foreign
Secretary last Friday described the cause of Mahrami's death as
indeterminate and claimed:

"Imprisonment of the 59 y.o Mahrami was not an unusual event and the
Islamic regime systematically persecutes its citizens for religious,
political and other reasons."

This Spokesman for the US government claimed the followers of the
Baha'i cult, which was first established in the 19th century, are
systematically denied their right to hold gatherings, have
institutions and worship.

Several foreign news agencies quoting this report by the US Foreign
Affairs claimed that the number of Baha'is in Iran total 300,000.
Despite the fact that based on recent census, the number of Baha'is
resident in Iran is estimated to be in between 90,000 – 110,000. But
the US government still refers to the statistics before the
revolution.

An informed official told Baztab reporters that at present there is no
one held in Iranian jails for adhering to the Bahaism. There is only
one follower of this cult currently in detention.

Establishment of the Baha'i cult goes back to the reign of Mohammad
Shah Qajar when Sayyid Ali Bab and then a person by the name of Mirza
Husayn Ali Nuri first claimed to have a link with the hidden Imam, and
subsequently regarded themselves as the hidden Imam and prophet. A
number of people followed them and facilitated the formation of the
Baha'i cult.

During the Pahlavi regime the number of Baha'is grew thanks to
considerable subsidies and appointment to high offices by the regime.
But after the Islamic Revolution some adherents openly recanted and
some others migrated overseas.

[All Bad]

"Aor" <***@gmail.com> wrote in message news:b907c522-24de-4fd3-b764-***@v19g2000yqn.googlegroups.com...
Untold Facts on the Controversial Death of a Baha'i in Prison

http://www.baztab.com/news/32546.php
24th December 2005
News Code: 32546

(anti-reformist propaganda, snipped)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baztab

- All Bad

[Aor]

On Feb 26, 11:31 am, "All Bad"


http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Pat_kohli

Pat Kohli, or Patrick Kohli, is a member of the Haifan Baha'i Faith[1]
who makes regular contributions to the USENET newsgroup
talk.religion.bahai[2]. He is a computer programmer who has worked on
software for various projects, including military systems.

Contents [hide]
1 Background
2 Articles and Resources
2.1 Related SourceWatch Articles
2.2 References
2.3 External Articles

[edit]Background
He "is a computer scientist assigned to 4.5.3.3. He works for PMA-231
as the Open Architecture (OA) IPT lead, in the OA/FORCEnet IPT of the
Network Centric Warfare IPT. Prior to this he worked at Saint Inigoes
for 4.5 and developed a prototype next generation flight data
recorder, using COTS components, to meet incident reporting,
maintenance and FOQA needs. Pat also supported the old PMA-282 which
did weapon control systems for guided missiles. Pat has an MS in
computer Information Systems from Florida Tech." [3]

"Pat Kohli, NCW Open Architecture Lead, demonstrated how the E-2/C-2
program office (PMA-231) is continuously evaluating and implementing
software modernization to facilitate transition of the existing E-2
operational flight program to an environment using commercially
available systems. Venlet said, "The Naval Aviation Enterprise has
embraced open architecture as a fundamental building block of weapon
system development from its very inception. Our government/industry
teams continue to leverage these open system strategies and concepts
in achieving reduction in overall development cycle times and
delivering increased system capabilities to the Fleet faster and
cheaper. The advantages of integrating open architecture designs and
contracting strategies are measurable and pronounced as is
substantiated by our E-2D Advanced Hawkeye and P-8 Multi-Mission
Aircraft development programs. The key to continued success will be
maintaining the close partnership with industry experts, as we provide
the right capabilities, at the right time and right cost to the joint
warfighter."The E-2 Hawkeye team has been representing and directly
supporting Venlet's executive office - the aviation domain lead for
open architecture initiatives - since June 2004, because of its role
as a battle management command and control platform and a central
network communications node in aviation. E-2 Program Manager Capt.
Randy Mahrsaid, "Today's evolving E-2 open architecture model paves
the way for a more mature system to be used by the E-2D prior to it
taking its place in the fleet."[3]

Pat Kohli has maintained a consistent web presence since the late
1990s, particularly on USENET, addressing both external critics and
dissenters within the Haifan Baha'i Faith tradition to which he
belongs [5]. In 1998, he voted against the creation of the USENET
group, talk.religion.bahai, as an un-moderated discussion forum for
issues relating to the Baha'i faith [4]. Official discussion regarding
the creation of this group may also be found at: [6]. He posts under
the handles Mr All Bad and All_Bad [5]

[edit]Articles and Resources
[edit]Related SourceWatch Articles
[edit]References
$B",(B Letter from Assistant Secretary, Kishan Manocha, on Behalf of
National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United Kingdom [1],
dated October 8, 2002, Accessed 17 February, 2009.
$B",(B Discussion Archive of USENET group Talk.Religion.Baha'i, [2],
Accessed February 17, 2009
$B",(B 3.0 3.1 Drema Ballengee-Grunst, "Assistant SecNav visits NAVAIR T&E
laboratory", November 10, 2005.
$B",(B Record of votes cast regarding the creation of the USENET group,
talk.religion.bahai,[3], Accessed February 17, 2009.
$B",(B Excerpt from USENET group talk.religion.bahai,[4], Accessed February
17, 2009.
[edit]External Articles

Retrieved from "http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Pat_Kohli"
Categories: United States | Religion | Military | War/peace

[Aor]

Post by Aor
Untold Facts on the Controversial Death of a Baha'i in Prison
http://www.baztab.com/news/32546.php
24th December 2005
News Code: 32546
In a report from Yazd, our reporter disclosed untold facts about the
process of imprisonment and death of Zabih'u'llah Mahrami, a Baha'i
prisoner.
According to this report Zabih'u'llah Mahrami was first detained in
1995 on the charge of spying and having links with foreign interests.
His term of imprisonment was 15 years.
At the time of death he was serving his tenth year of imprisonment.
During this time he enjoyed legal rights afforded to all prisoners
including leave from prison for several days at a time and having
regular meetings with his family.
Zabih'u'llah Mahrami died as a result of a heart attack on 13th
December on the eve of his 60th birthday.
Following his death in prison, the Coroner determined the cause of
death as heart attack. His family were notified of the event and
invited to take delivery of the body of this Baha'i prisoner for
independent examination and verification of the cause of death by a
Doctor of their choice.
However acting upon orders by the House of Justice – the highest
Baha'i administrative institution – Mahrami's family declined the
offer.
Following the refusal of Mahrami's family to independently verify the
cause of death, the body was returned to his family and a funeral was
subsequently held in Yazd. Several devotional meetings (Baha'i
mourning) were also held in his memory.
Nevertheless, Adam O'Reilly the Deputy Spokesman for the US Foreign
Secretary last Friday described the cause of Mahrami's death as
"Imprisonment of the 59 y.o Mahrami was not an unusual event and the
Islamic regime systematically persecutes its citizens for religious,
political and other reasons."
This Spokesman for the US government claimed the followers of the
Baha'i cult, which was first established in the 19th century, are
systematically denied their right to hold gatherings, have
institutions and worship.
Several foreign news agencies quoting this report by the US Foreign
Affairs claimed that the number of Baha'is in Iran total 300,000.
Despite the fact that based on recent census, the number of Baha'is
resident in Iran is estimated to be in between 90,000 – 110,000. But
the US government still refers to the statistics before the
revolution.
An informed official told Baztab reporters that at present there is no
one held in Iranian jails for adhering to the Bahaism. There is only
one follower of this cult currently in detention.
Establishment of the Baha'i cult goes back to the reign of Mohammad
Shah Qajar when Sayyid Ali Bab and then a person by the name of Mirza
Husayn Ali Nuri first claimed to have a link with the hidden Imam, and
subsequently regarded themselves as the hidden Imam and prophet. A
number of people followed them and facilitated the formation of the
Baha'i cult.
During the Pahlavi regime the number of Baha'is grew thanks to
considerable subsidies and appointment to high offices by the regime.
But after the Islamic Revolution some adherents openly recanted and
some others migrated overseas.

[Aor]

Post by Aor
Untold Facts on the Controversial Death of a Baha'i in Prison
http://www.baztab.com/news/32546.php
24th December 2005
News Code: 32546
In a report from Yazd, our reporter disclosed untold facts about the
process of imprisonment and death of Zabih'u'llah Mahrami, a Baha'i
prisoner.
According to this report Zabih'u'llah Mahrami was first detained in
1995 on the charge of spying and having links with foreign interests.
His term of imprisonment was 15 years.
At the time of death he was serving his tenth year of imprisonment.
During this time he enjoyed legal rights afforded to all prisoners
including leave from prison for several days at a time and having
regular meetings with his family.
Zabih'u'llah Mahrami died as a result of a heart attack on 13th
December on the eve of his 60th birthday.
Following his death in prison, the Coroner determined the cause of
death as heart attack. His family were notified of the event and
invited to take delivery of the body of this Baha'i prisoner for
independent examination and verification of the cause of death by a
Doctor of their choice.
However acting upon orders by the House of Justice – the highest
Baha'i administrative institution – Mahrami's family declined the
offer.
Following the refusal of Mahrami's family to independently verify the
cause of death, the body was returned to his family and a funeral was
subsequently held in Yazd. Several devotional meetings (Baha'i
mourning) were also held in his memory.
Nevertheless, Adam O'Reilly the Deputy Spokesman for the US Foreign
Secretary last Friday described the cause of Mahrami's death as
"Imprisonment of the 59 y.o Mahrami was not an unusual event and the
Islamic regime systematically persecutes its citizens for religious,
political and other reasons."
This Spokesman for the US government claimed the followers of the
Baha'i cult, which was first established in the 19th century, are
systematically denied their right to hold gatherings, have
institutions and worship.
Several foreign news agencies quoting this report by the US Foreign
Affairs claimed that the number of Baha'is in Iran total 300,000.
Despite the fact that based on recent census, the number of Baha'is
resident in Iran is estimated to be in between 90,000 – 110,000. But
the US government still refers to the statistics before the
revolution.
An informed official told Baztab reporters that at present there is no
one held in Iranian jails for adhering to the Bahaism. There is only
one follower of this cult currently in detention.
Establishment of the Baha'i cult goes back to the reign of Mohammad
Shah Qajar when Sayyid Ali Bab and then a person by the name of Mirza
Husayn Ali Nuri first claimed to have a link with the hidden Imam, and
subsequently regarded themselves as the hidden Imam and prophet. A
number of people followed them and facilitated the formation of the
Baha'i cult.
During the Pahlavi regime the number of Baha'is grew thanks to
considerable subsidies and appointment to high offices by the regime.
But after the Islamic Revolution some adherents openly recanted and
some others migrated overseas.

[All Bad]

Post by Aor
Untold Facts on the Controversial Death of a Baha'i in Prison
http://www.baztab.com/news/32546.php

I think you've told that before. These are the other facts, and some of the
same facts.

----------------------------------
Wrongly imprisoned Baha'i dies in Iranian jail
19 December 2005
NEW YORK — A Baha'i who was wrongly jailed in Iran for 10 years died in his
prison cell of unknown causes on Thursday, 15 December 2005, the Baha'i
International Community has learned.

Mr. Dhabihu'llah Mahrami, 59, was held in a government prison in Yazd under
harsh physical conditions at the time of his death.

His death comes amidst ominous signs that a new wave of persecutions of
Baha'is has begun. This year so far, at least 59 Baha'is have been arrested,
detained or imprisoned, a figure up sharply from the last several years.

Arrested in 1995 in Yazd on charges of apostasy, Mr. Mahrami was initially
sentenced to death. His sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment
after an international outcry and widespread media attention.

"The worldwide Baha'i community mourns deeply the passing of Mr. Mahrami,
who was unjustly held for a decade on trumped-up charges that manifestly
violated his right to freedom of religion and belief," said Bani Dugal, the
principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United
Nations.

"While the cause of his death is not known, Mr. Mahrami had no known health
concerns," said Ms. Dugal.

"We also know that Mr. Mahrami was forced to perform arduous physical labor
and that he had received death threats on a number of occasions.

"In this light, there should be no doubt that the Iranian authorities bear
manifest responsibility for the death of this innocent man, whose only crime
was his belief in the Baha'i Faith," said Ms. Dugal.

"In our mourning, we nevertheless hope that Mr. Mahrami's unexplained
passing will not go unnoticed by the world at large and, indeed, that his
case might become a cause for further action towards the emancipation of the
Baha'i community of Iran as a whole," said Ms. Dugal.

Born in 1946, Mr. Mahrami served in the civil service but at the time of his
arrest was making a living installing venetian blinds, having been summarily
fired from his job like thousands of other Baha'is in the years following
the 1979 Iranian revolution.

Although Iranian officials have asserted that Mr. Mahrami was guilty of
spying for Israel, court records clearly indicate that he was tried and
sentenced solely on charge of being an "apostate," a crime which is
punishable by death under traditional Islamic law.

Although Mr. Mahrami was a lifelong Baha'i, the apostasy charge apparently
came about because a civil service colleague, in an effort to prevent Mr.
Mahrami from losing his job, submitted to a newspaper an article stating
that he had converted to Islam.

When it later became clear to Iranian authorities that Mr. Mahrami remained
a member of the Baha'i community, they arrested him and charged him with
apostasy for allegedly converting from Islam to the Baha'i Faith. On 2
January 1996, he was sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court, a
conviction that was later upheld by the Iranian Supreme Court.

The death sentence against Mr. Mahrami stirred an international outcry. The
European Parliament, for example, passed a resolution on human rights abuses
in Iran, making reference to Mr. Mahrami's case. The governments of
Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the
United States also registered objections.

There was also significant media coverage of the case, in Le Monde and
Liberation in France, as well as reports by the BBC, Reuters and Agence
France Presse.

Although the authorities did not publicly bow to international pressure
calling for Mr. Mahrami's release, in December 1999 they took the occasion
of the anniversary of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad to declare an
amnesty and commuted his sentence to life imprisonment.

Since 1978, more than 200 Iranian Baha'i have been killed, hundreds more
have been imprisoned, and thousands have been deprived of jobs, pensions and
education as part of a widespread and systemic religious persecution by the
government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

As of October, Mr. Mahrami was one of nine Baha'is being held in Iranian
prisons. However, all of the others had been arrested in 2005.

Mr. Mahrami is survived by his aged mother, his wife, his four children, and
his grandchildren.

Mr. Mahrami's funeral was held on Friday, 16 December 2005, the same day
that the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution expressing
"serious concern" over the human rights situation in Iran, making specific
mention of the ongoing persecution of the Baha'i community there.

----------------------------------
http://news.bahai.org/story/415

[Ruhaniya]

CAUTION NON-BAHAIS

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Pat_Kohli
Pat Kohli, or Patrick Kohli, is a member of the Haifan Baha'i Faith[1]
who makes regular contributions to the USENET newsgroup
talk.religion.bahai[2]. He is a computer programmer who has worked on
software for various projects, including military systems.

Contents [hide]
1 Background
2 Articles and Resources
2.1 Related SourceWatch Articles
2.2 References
2.3 External Articles

[edit]Background
He "is a computer scientist assigned to 4.5.3.3. He works for PMA-231
as the Open Architecture (OA) IPT lead, in the OA/FORCEnet IPT of the
Network Centric Warfare IPT. Prior to this he worked at Saint Inigoes
for 4.5 and developed a prototype next generation flight data
recorder, using COTS components, to meet incident reporting,
maintenance and FOQA needs. Pat also supported the old PMA-282 which
did weapon control systems for guided missiles. Pat has an MS in
computer Information Systems from Florida Tech." [3]

"Pat Kohli, NCW Open Architecture Lead, demonstrated how the E-2/C-2
program office (PMA-231) is continuously evaluating and implementing
software modernization to facilitate transition of the existing E-2
operational flight program to an environment using commercially
available systems. Venlet said, "The Naval Aviation Enterprise has
embraced open architecture as a fundamental building block of weapon
system development from its very inception. Our government/industry
teams continue to leverage these open system strategies and concepts
in achieving reduction in overall development cycle times and
delivering increased system capabilities to the Fleet faster and
cheaper. The advantages of integrating open architecture designs and
contracting strategies are measurable and pronounced as is
substantiated by our E-2D Advanced Hawkeye and P-8 Multi-Mission
Aircraft development programs. The key to continued success will be
maintaining the close partnership with industry experts, as we provide
the right capabilities, at the right time and right cost to the joint
warfighter."The E-2 Hawkeye team has been representing and directly
supporting Venlet's executive office - the aviation domain lead for
open architecture initiatives - since June 2004, because of its role
as a battle management command and control platform and a central
network communications node in aviation. E-2 Program Manager Capt.
Randy Mahrsaid, "Today's evolving E-2 open architecture model paves
the way for a more mature system to be used by the E-2D prior to it
taking its place in the fleet."[3]

Pat Kohli has maintained a consistent web presence since the late
1990s, particularly on USENET, addressing both external critics and
dissenters within the Haifan Baha'i Faith tradition to which he
belongs [5]. In 1998, he voted against the creation of the USENET
group, talk.religion.bahai, as an un-moderated discussion forum for
issues relating to the Baha'i faith [4]. Official discussion regarding
the creation of this group may also be found at: [6]. He posts under
the handles Mr All Bad and All_Bad [5]

[edit]Articles and Resources
[edit]Related SourceWatch Articles
[edit]References
↑ Letter from Assistant Secretary, Kishan Manocha, on Behalf of
National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United Kingdom [1],
dated October 8, 2002, Accessed 17 February, 2009.
↑ Discussion Archive of USENET group Talk.Religion.Baha'i, [2],
Accessed February 17, 2009
↑ 3.0 3.1 Drema Ballengee-Grunst, "Assistant SecNav visits NAVAIR T&E
laboratory", November 10, 2005.
↑ Record of votes cast regarding the creation of the USENET group,
talk.religion.bahai,[3], Accessed February 17, 2009.
↑ Excerpt from USENET group talk.religion.bahai,[4], Accessed February
17, 2009.
[edit]External Articles

[Ruhaniya]

Post by Aor
Untold Facts on the Controversial Death of a Baha'i in Prison
http://www.baztab.com/news/32546.php
24th December 2005
News Code: 32546
In a report from Yazd, our reporter disclosed untold facts about the
process of imprisonment and death of Zabih'u'llah Mahrami, a Baha'i
prisoner.
According to this report Zabih'u'llah Mahrami was first detained in
1995 on the charge of spying and having links with foreign interests.
His term of imprisonment was 15 years.
At the time of death he was serving his tenth year of imprisonment.
During this time he enjoyed legal rights afforded to all prisoners
including leave from prison for several days at a time and having
regular meetings with his family.
Zabih'u'llah Mahrami died as a result of a heart attack on 13th
December on the eve of his 60th birthday.
Following his death in prison, the Coroner determined the cause of
death as heart attack. His family were notified of the event and
invited to take delivery of the body of this Baha'i prisoner for
independent examination and verification of the cause of death by a
Doctor of their choice.
However acting upon orders by the House of Justice – the highest
Baha'i administrative institution – Mahrami's family declined the
offer.
Following the refusal of Mahrami's family to independently verify the
cause of death, the body was returned to his family and a funeral was
subsequently held in Yazd. Several devotional meetings (Baha'i
mourning) were also held in his memory.
Nevertheless, Adam O'Reilly the Deputy Spokesman for the US Foreign
Secretary last Friday described the cause of Mahrami's death as
"Imprisonment of the 59 y.o Mahrami was not an unusual event and the
Islamic regime systematically persecutes its citizens for religious,
political and other reasons."
This Spokesman for the US government claimed the followers of the
Baha'i cult, which was first established in the 19th century, are
systematically denied their right to hold gatherings, have
institutions and worship.
Several foreign news agencies quoting this report by the US Foreign
Affairs claimed that the number of Baha'is in Iran total 300,000.
Despite the fact that based on recent census, the number of Baha'is
resident in Iran is estimated to be in between 90,000 – 110,000. But
the US government still refers to the statistics before the
revolution.
An informed official told Baztab reporters that at present there is no
one held in Iranian jails for adhering to the Bahaism. There is only
one follower of this cult currently in detention.
Establishment of the Baha'i cult goes back to the reign of Mohammad
Shah Qajar when Sayyid Ali Bab and then a person by the name of Mirza
Husayn Ali Nuri first claimed to have a link with the hidden Imam, and
subsequently regarded themselves as the hidden Imam and prophet. A
number of people followed them and facilitated the formation of the
Baha'i cult.
During the Pahlavi regime the number of Baha'is grew thanks to
considerable subsidies and appointment to high offices by the regime.
But after the Islamic Revolution some adherents openly recanted and
some others migrated overseas.

[Ruhaniya]

Post by Aor
Untold Facts on the Controversial Death of a Baha'i in Prison
http://www.baztab.com/news/32546.php
24th December 2005
News Code: 32546
In a report from Yazd, our reporter disclosed untold facts about the
process of imprisonment and death of Zabih'u'llah Mahrami, a Baha'i
prisoner.
According to this report Zabih'u'llah Mahrami was first detained in
1995 on the charge of spying and having links with foreign interests.
His term of imprisonment was 15 years.
At the time of death he was serving his tenth year of imprisonment.
During this time he enjoyed legal rights afforded to all prisoners
including leave from prison for several days at a time and having
regular meetings with his family.
Zabih'u'llah Mahrami died as a result of a heart attack on 13th
December on the eve of his 60th birthday.
Following his death in prison, the Coroner determined the cause of
death as heart attack. His family were notified of the event and
invited to take delivery of the body of this Baha'i prisoner for
independent examination and verification of the cause of death by a
Doctor of their choice.
However acting upon orders by the House of Justice – the highest
Baha'i administrative institution – Mahrami's family declined the
offer.
Following the refusal of Mahrami's family to independently verify the
cause of death, the body was returned to his family and a funeral was
subsequently held in Yazd. Several devotional meetings (Baha'i
mourning) were also held in his memory.
Nevertheless, Adam O'Reilly the Deputy Spokesman for the US Foreign
Secretary last Friday described the cause of Mahrami's death as
"Imprisonment of the 59 y.o Mahrami was not an unusual event and the
Islamic regime systematically persecutes its citizens for religious,
political and other reasons."
This Spokesman for the US government claimed the followers of the
Baha'i cult, which was first established in the 19th century, are
systematically denied their right to hold gatherings, have
institutions and worship.
Several foreign news agencies quoting this report by the US Foreign
Affairs claimed that the number of Baha'is in Iran total 300,000.
Despite the fact that based on recent census, the number of Baha'is
resident in Iran is estimated to be in between 90,000 – 110,000. But
the US government still refers to the statistics before the
revolution.
An informed official told Baztab reporters that at present there is no
one held in Iranian jails for adhering to the Bahaism. There is only
one follower of this cult currently in detention.
Establishment of the Baha'i cult goes back to the reign of Mohammad
Shah Qajar when Sayyid Ali Bab and then a person by the name of Mirza
Husayn Ali Nuri first claimed to have a link with the hidden Imam, and
subsequently regarded themselves as the hidden Imam and prophet. A
number of people followed them and facilitated the formation of the
Baha'i cult.
During the Pahlavi regime the number of Baha'is grew thanks to
considerable subsidies and appointment to high offices by the regime.
But after the Islamic Revolution some adherents openly recanted and
some others migrated overseas.

[Aor]

Post by Aor
Untold Facts on the Controversial Death of a Baha'i in Prison
http://www.baztab.com/news/32546.php
24th December 2005
News Code: 32546
In a report from Yazd, our reporter disclosed untold facts about the
process of imprisonment and death of Zabih'u'llah Mahrami, a Baha'i
prisoner.
According to this report Zabih'u'llah Mahrami was first detained in
1995 on the charge of spying and having links with foreign interests.
His term of imprisonment was 15 years.
At the time of death he was serving his tenth year of imprisonment.
During this time he enjoyed legal rights afforded to all prisoners
including leave from prison for several days at a time and having
regular meetings with his family.
Zabih'u'llah Mahrami died as a result of a heart attack on 13th
December on the eve of his 60th birthday.
Following his death in prison, the Coroner determined the cause of
death as heart attack. His family were notified of the event and
invited to take delivery of the body of this Baha'i prisoner for
independent examination and verification of the cause of death by a
Doctor of their choice.
However acting upon orders by the House of Justice – the highest
Baha'i administrative institution – Mahrami's family declined the
offer.
Following the refusal of Mahrami's family to independently verify the
cause of death, the body was returned to his family and a funeral was
subsequently held in Yazd. Several devotional meetings (Baha'i
mourning) were also held in his memory.
Nevertheless, Adam O'Reilly the Deputy Spokesman for the US Foreign
Secretary last Friday described the cause of Mahrami's death as
"Imprisonment of the 59 y.o Mahrami was not an unusual event and the
Islamic regime systematically persecutes its citizens for religious,
political and other reasons."
This Spokesman for the US government claimed the followers of the
Baha'i cult, which was first established in the 19th century, are
systematically denied their right to hold gatherings, have
institutions and worship.
Several foreign news agencies quoting this report by the US Foreign
Affairs claimed that the number of Baha'is in Iran total 300,000.
Despite the fact that based on recent census, the number of Baha'is
resident in Iran is estimated to be in between 90,000 – 110,000. But
the US government still refers to the statistics before the
revolution.
An informed official told Baztab reporters that at present there is no
one held in Iranian jails for adhering to the Bahaism. There is only
one follower of this cult currently in detention.
Establishment of the Baha'i cult goes back to the reign of Mohammad
Shah Qajar when Sayyid Ali Bab and then a person by the name of Mirza
Husayn Ali Nuri first claimed to have a link with the hidden Imam, and
subsequently regarded themselves as the hidden Imam and prophet. A
number of people followed them and facilitated the formation of the
Baha'i cult.
During the Pahlavi regime the number of Baha'is grew thanks to
considerable subsidies and appointment to high offices by the regime.
But after the Islamic Revolution some adherents openly recanted and
some others migrated overseas.