Shiraz 0?
Imprisoned Jews reportedly released


By Gary Fitleberg
February 7, 2003
The Iranian

The final five Iranian Jews of the "Shiraz 13" falsely held in prison for allegedly spying for Israel have reportedly been released on "vacation" although it remains uncertain whether their freedom will be permanent.

The questionable status of these individuals heightens the situation of the Jewish community of Iran. The community numbers approximately 25,000 individuals. There has been a significant decrease from the approximately 100,000 Jews who resided there prior to the Islamic revolution during 1979.

These are tense tenable times for the Jews of Iran. Their future is uncertain. The ruling extremist fundamentalist regime is one of the main proponents to eliminate Israel. Iran openly sponsors Hezbollah and has been declared by the U.S. State Department "as a chief sponsor of terrorism" internationally.

The prisoners were falsely arrested, accused, and convicted on charges of spying for Israel in January and March 1999. Three were found innocent subsequently of espionage charges and released. Ten were sentenced to jail terms between four to thirteen years in July 2000.

Ten of the men appealed. Tehran reduced the sentences from two to nine years in September 2000. Five of the imprisoned 10 were released after serving some or all of their time.

Advocates including diplomats, human rights experts, and the media all declared that the closed trial was a complete fraud. Advocates for the men say that what really bothered Iranian authorities was the men's increasingly fervent brand of Orthodox Judaism.

Most of the men were religious leaders from the southern Iranian city of Shiraz, a bastion of religious conservatism. The arrests were perceived as a warning to the rest of the community, and there was initial fear that the men might be executed.

Mullahs to distract the masses from economic hardship and lack of freedom. They do so by inciting the public against the "Zionist enemy" and "collaborators" in their midst according to some analysts.

On a more personal level, Motamed claimed that the five Jews would have been released months ago if Dayanim had not criticized the Iranian judiciary in a Voice of America broadcast.

"I hope the 'vacation' will become permanent, unless there are further attacks on the judiciary," Motamed said.

The "vacation" just granted the five remaining prisoners was granted in honor of the "Ten Days of Fajr" which is a holiday celebrating the overthrow of the Shah of Iran in the Islamic Revolution. News of their release came in two government-controlled Iranian newspapers that were cited by Pooya Dayanim, president of the newly formed Iranian Jewish Public Affairs Committee in Los Angeles.

Maurice Motamed, the sole Jewish representative in the Iranian Parliament, confirmed this news.

Motamed is currently in Los Angeles on an extended family visit Motamed spoke before the local Iranian Jewish community during his visit here. . Motamed hopes the release will be permanent.

There have been reports in the past that these five were finally released but turned out to be unsubtantiated rumors. Therefore many in the Iranian Jewish community here remain skeptical. The sources urged caution in commenting on the new development.

Sam Kermanian, secretary-general of the Iranian American Jewish Federation in Los Angeles, also adopted a cautious approach. "At this point, we do not wish to make any comment," he said.

Meanwhile, the news of the "vacation" is complicated by apparent ideological and personal animosities among some of the Iranian Jewish spokesmen.

Motamed said the "vacation" was achieved due to his personal intervention with the Iranian judiciary. But according to Pooya Dayanim, the government in Tehran made the move to bolster its human rights record before upcoming meetings with the British government and the European Union.

On a more personal level, Motamed claimed that the five Jews would have been released months ago if Dayanim had not criticized the Iranian judiciary in a Voice of America broadcast.

"I hope the 'vacation' will become permanent, unless there are further attacks on the judiciary," Motamed stated.

Dayanim responded that following the release of three of the imprisoned Jews a few months ago, he had commented that the move was due to international pressure on Tehran.

Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, who has been involved with the case from the beginning, warned that public comment might endanger the future of the five Jews.

"I hope and pray that their release will be permanent, but as of now I think the 'vacation' is a kind of test" by the Iranian government, Hoenlein stated.

Israel denies flatly any allegations that the "Shiraz 13" were spys.



Does this article have spelling or other mistakes? Tell me to fix it.

Email your comments for The Iranian letters section
Send an email to Gary Fitleberg