“The sentences against the representatives of the Baha'i faith are a shocking signal and an immense disappointment for all who have hoped for an improvement of the human rights situation in Iran.” said the President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek. “We have strong doubts about the fairness and transparency of the judicial procedure and I deeply deplore this. Therefore I call on the relevant authorities to allow a fair and open appeal procedure. Iran has committed itself to international standards and I underline that this includes also the respect and protection of religious freedom."