The Chief Rabbi of south Iran, Rav Zadmar, is among 13 Jews
who were arrested and charged with spying for Israel, a
capital crime in Iran. According to some reports, they were
arrested at their homes in Shiraz the night of the
seder. The reports have been circulating for some
time, but were only confirmed by Iranian authorities on
Monday.
The 13 people from southern Iran ``were accused of spying for
the `Zionist regime' and `world arrogance,' references to
Israel and the United States respectively," an AP report
says. In addition to the rav, the others work in the only
Jewish school that is active in Shiraz. Both Jewish and
Moslem students study at the school.
Some sources say that more than 13 people were arrested and
that the arrested include both teachers and students at the
local Jewish school. It is not clear whether the arrested
Jews are being charged with collecting information or
involvement in attempts to help Jews emigrate.
Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice chairman of the
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish
Organizations, said much has been done during the past 10
weeks to press the Iranian government to release the
detainees.
``We've had intercessions by every government, by every
person possible," said Hoenlein, whose organization
represents 55 Jewish groups. Advocates have worked with the
utmost discretion in the hope that such cover would give Iran
the ``chance to back off."
Now, he said, those involved are preparing to ``go all out to
respond to what's happening."
The ``high-level intercessions" included representatives of
the United Nations, human rights groups, Jewish
organizations, humanitarian agencies and business people with
interests in the region, Hoenlein said, without elaborating.
The Iranian Jewish community in the United States has also
been involved, he said.
Israel and the United States have both denied that the
espionage charges have ``any validity whatsoever," Hoenlein
asserted, although Iranian authorities said that they had
documents to substantiate their claims.
Espionage is punishable by death in Iran, the AP report said,
noting that in 1997 Iran hanged two people convicted of
spying for Israel and America.
The French ambassador recently asked for clarifications in
the matter of those imprisoned and some observers said that
the Iranian confirmation of the facts is in response to that
request.
Although the Iranian radio report apparently did not specify
the suspects' religion or nationality, it did say the 13 were
living among the Jewish community in the southern Fars
province and cited an unidentified official, according to the
Associated Press.
But Hoenlein said there could be no doubt that the arrests
were directed against ``only Jews. They have not arrested
anybody else."
Jewish organizations in the United States, Holland and France
have already asked their governments to intercede and have
sent letters to Iranian embassies with requests for more
information. The BBC's Arabic-language service reported that
the U.S. Congress is expected to issue a condemnation of the
arrests next week.
The Jewish community in Iran has generally enjoyed good
relations with government authorities, and participated last
week in events marking the tenth anniversary of the death of
the leader of Iran's Islamic revolution, Ayatollah
Khomeini.
