Peter Deutsch: “I rise today to once again bring notice to this Congress of 13 Jews who are accused of spying in Iran, who have been…”

“I rise today to once again bring notice to this Congress of 13 Jews who are accused of spying in Iran, who have been imprisoned for over a year without formally being charged. Jews have been living in Iran for 2,700 years, the oldest Jewish Diaspora community and the biggest in the Middle East after Israel. At least 17 Jews have been executed in Iran since 1979, most of whom were accused of spying for Israel and the United States. These Jews who have been held have had their due process violated, even under Iranian law. Thirteen Jews have been denied the right to choose their own lawyers. Ten of the defendants imprisoned for over a year without legal representation had lawyers chosen for them by the court, after the court rejected the lawyers picked by the defendants' families. Three of the 13 have been released on bail but none of the others were allowed to consult attorneys until hours before the trial opened. Since that time, the lawyers have only had brief periods with their clients and only the most limited contact with their court-appointed attorneys. There has been a closed trial. No members of the Jewish community diplomats or human rights activists were permitted in the courtroom by order of the judge. The trial comes amid a power struggle between President Khatami and the hardliners opposed to his social and political reforms. This is about hardliners' opposition rather than the actual action of the defendants.”