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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release July 1, 2000

STATEMENT BY THE VICE PRESIDENT

Washington, DC --The verdicts announced today in Iran in the case of 13 Iranian Jews are the result of a flawed legal process. These 13 members of the Iranian Jewish community were tried and sentenced without the benefit of internationally recognized due process. The defendants were imprisoned for over a year without charge, were denied access to counsel of their choice, and were tried in secret proceedings. Trial procedures in Iran's revolutionary courts have been criticized both in Iran and around the world. These Iranian Jews are the latest victims of such proceedings, which have included intellectuals, journalists, members of the Bahai minority, and others.

I call on the Iranian authorities to rectify these unfair verdicts. I further urge the international community and human rights organizations to repudiate these verdicts and join me in working to ensure that the accused receive justice.

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