Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: “I condemn the government of Iran for its actions against 13 imprisoned Jews. The official crime that these men have been…”

“I condemn the government of Iran for its actions against 13 imprisoned Jews. The official crime that these men have been charged with is espionage on behalf of the United States and Israel, but their real crime was being Jewish in a country that does not tolerate freedom of religion. The Iranian mullahs have concocted a ``show trial'' that Joseph Stalin would be proud of, void of any evidence or legitimate legal proceedings. During this scripted play, nine of the accused were coerced into a nationally televised confession. This staged trial has been running since April without any tangible evidence. Kept out of the trial are the families of the accused, the press, human rights advocates, and the general public. These brave and devout men have been in prison for over a year, almost entirely bereft of any kind of legal representation. While this masquerade of a trial will soon conclude, these 13 may soon be executed. The world will be watching and praying that these courageous men will be released.”