Chuck Schumer: “I rise today to denounce--in the strongest terms possible--the sham trial of 13 Jews in Iran accused of espionage. And I…”

“I rise today to denounce--in the strongest terms possible--the sham trial of 13 Jews in Iran accused of espionage. And I want to thank my colleagues for voting unanimously for a Concurrent Resolution urging President Clinton to condemn this mockery of justice and violation of fundamental human rights, and make clear to Iran that the United States and the world is watching the fate of these men very closely. Leaders in Tehran must know that the treatment of the Jews on trial will go far in determining the nature of Iran's relations with the U.S., and its standing in the community of nations. The 13 Iranian Jews, mostly community and religious leaders in the cities of Shiraz and Isfahan, were arrested more than a year ago by the Iranian authorities and accused of spying for the U.S. and Israel. These espionage charges are, of course, preposterous. Indeed, how could they be true? Jews in Iran are prohibited from holding any positions that would grant them access to state secrets or sensitive materials. And most of these men live hundreds of miles from Tehran. This mockery of truth and justice reached new lows this week. After a year in prison--isolated, no contact with family or friends, no contact with even a lawyer--three of these men were dragged from the darkness of one of Iran's harshest prisons and stuck in front of cameras to publicly ``confess'' to their charges. No-one is fooled. In fact, the world is appalled.”