New Democrats are deeply concerned about the well-being of Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari and call on the government to increase the diplomatic pressure on Iran by sending a high-level delegation to Tehran to demand access to this Canadian citizen and secure his release.

On August 2, 2009, Mr. Bahari was seen for the first time since his arrest. He appeared at a mass trial of more than 100 Iranian opposition politicians and activists accused of involvement in post-election violence in that country. In what the Iranian opposition called a ‘show trial’, the accused were not provided with any legal representation.

“Mr. Bahari was brought before this court without a lawyer and without Canadian consular representatives,” said New Democrat Leader Jack Layton. “The manner in which these trials have been conducted, as well as the evidence against the accused, violate the laws of justice, even by Iran’s own laws. Canada must not stand idle as a citizen is treated in this manner.”

Based on information posted by Fars News Agency, a semi-official news site close to the government of Mahmoud Ahmadi Nejad, the trial continues Thursday. The same website posted comments attributed to Mr. Bahari in which he allegedly confessed to a bias against the Iranian government, apologized to Iran’s supreme leader and recommended that Iranian officials limit international media’s access to Iran.

“Given Iran’s human rights record, it’s impossible to imagine what Mr. Bahari is experiencing in the prison,” said New Democrat Foreign Affairs Critic Paul Dewar. “The government must increase the diplomatic pressure on Iran and send a high-level delegation to Tehran to demand access to Mr. Bahari and secure his release”.

Layton, who represents Mr. Bahari in his riding of Toronto Danforth, had earlier added his voice to a global network calling for the release of all political prisoners in Iran, including Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari.