Persecution of Bahá'ís in Iran

The Sentinel Project, an independent Toronto-based NGO that focuses on genocide prevention, has recently launched a visualization of the persecution of the Baha’is in Iran. The Sentinel Project is not affiliated with the Bahá’í community, but has, using its own sources and methodology, deemed the situation of the Iranian Baha’is to be a “Situation of Concern” and has previously expressed the need to continue to watch the situation in Iran closely. The Sentinel Project uses ThreatWiki, a genocide risk tracking platform, to help monitor the situation in Iran as well as to create this visualization.

For the full article click here.

Tags: Bahais, bahais in iran, Iran, Sentinel Project, situation of concern, ThreatWiki

Earlier today, the U.S. Department of State released the 2012 International Religious Freedom Report, its annual report on the status of religious freedom around the world.

In his remarks at the public release of the report, Secretary of State John Kerry stated that freedom of religion is “a core American value” and “a universal value,” noting that “the promotion of international religious freedom is a priority” for the U.S. government. The Secretary stated that the report documents a number of troubling trends in religious freedom, identifying “global problems of discrimination and violence against religious groups, including Baha’is, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Sikhs.”

Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Suzan Johnson Cook also delivered remarks on the report, noting that “Thousands of people around the world are jailed because of what they believe, or don’t believe. In Iran, more than 116 Bahai’s are in prison for teaching and expressing their faith.” The Ambassador also discussed the plight of several other religious groups around the world that are persecuted because of their faith. She stated that, “Religious freedom is essential for a stable, peaceful, and thriving society,” and noted that, “[a]s this report makes clear, much work remains to be done.” She closed by expressing the U.S. government’s commitment to the issue, stating, “The challenges are daunting, but we remain committed to working tirelessly to ensure religious freedom for all.”

For a video of the report launch, transcripts of the remarks, and other resources, click here.

Tags: 2012 International Religious Freedom Report, Bahais, bahais in iran, John Kerry, Secretary of State, Suzan Johnson Cook, US Department of State

On May 5, 2013, the Baha’i International Community launched an international campaign, entitled “Five Years Too Many,” to call for the immediate release of the Yaran-i-Iran (Friends of Iran), the seven Baha’i leaders imprisoned in Iran, as well as all other prisoners of conscience in Iran. This campaign, which marked the fifth year of the imprisonment of the Yaran, ran through May 15, 2013 and saw support all over the globe, with events held in United States, Chile, Canada, Germany and Australia.

In the UK, a seminar was accompanied by an open letter signed by 18 prominent British lawyers, as well as an open letter signed by 50 prominent religious leaders. Concerned citizens and government officials came together to host various events that ranged from an artistic event on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro to an interactive debate held at The Hague. Several videos and songs were also created to tell the story of these seven Baha’i leaders who have now served 5 years of their 20 year sentences – the longest sentences of any prisoner of conscience in Iran.

Additionally, four prominent United Nations experts issued a press release condemning the persecution and calling on the “Iranian authorities to ensure the immediate release of seven Baha’i community leaders, known as the Yaran, nearing the fifth anniversary of their arrests, whose detentions were declared arbitrary by the United Nations Working Group on arbitrary detention, on 20 November 2008.”

To see all the event stories and official statements from around the world click here.

Tags: Baha'i International Community, bahais in iran, BIC, Five Years Too Many, Iran, United Nations, Yaran

May 14 marks the five-year anniversary of the imprisonment of the seven members of the Yaran, the former ad hoc leadership group of the Baha’is of Iran, who have been sentenced to twenty years in prison for their involvement with the Baha’i community. Today, people around the country are calling the Washington D.C. offices of their Senators and Representatives to ask them to cosponsor these important resolutions.

Please take action for the Baha’is of Iran.

• Check these links to Senate Resolution 75 and House Resolution 109 to see if your Senators and Representative have cosponsored the resolutions.
• If your Senators have not yet signed on as cosponsors of Senate Resolution 75, call their Washington D.C. offices and ask them to cosponsor this resolution. To find contact information for your Senators’ Washington D.C. offices, go to http://www.senate.gov/ and enter your state.
• If your Representative has not yet signed on as a cosponsor of House Resolution 109, call his or her Washington D.C. office and ask him or her to cosponsor the resolution. To find contact information for your
  Representative’s Washington D.C. office, go to http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and enter your address and zip code.
• If your Senators and/or Representative have signed on as cosponsors, please call them to explain the significance of May 14 and express appreciation for their support of the resolutions.

If you have any questions, please call the U.S. Baha’i Office of Public Affairs at 202-833-8990.

Tags: bahais in iran, H.Res.109, House Resolution 109, S.Res.75, Senate Resolution 75, Yaran

On May 9, 2013, CNN’s Jake Tapper of The Lead interviewed actor Rainn Wilson about his professional career and his religion, the Baha’i Faith, focusing on his recent involvement with the “Five Years Too Many” global campaign. The campaign highlights the plight of seven former Baha’i leaders, known as the Yaran, who have now been imprisoned for five years of their twenty-year sentences – the longest sentences of any prisoners of conscience in Iran. The campaign calls for the immediate release of these individuals and of all prisoners of conscience in Iran. Wilson emceed an event in support of the “Five Years Too Many” campaign, which was held in Washington, D.C. on May 6, 2013. “People need to know that this has happened and that this is happening and they don’t,” Wilson said. “There are Baha’is rotting in jail on a 20-year sentence on trumped up charges simply because they have a certain set of faith beliefs that run against the theocracy in Iran.”

Click here to watch the full interview.

Yesterday, the Voice of America (VOA) Persian program “Ofogh” broadcast a live interview about the seven members of the Yaran, the former ad hoc leadership group of the Baha’is in Iran, who are now approaching the five-year anniversary of their imprisonment. Siamak Dehghanpour, the host of “Ofogh,” posed questions to Ms. Mahnaz Parakand, one of the former lawyers of the seven imprisoned Baha’i leaders, about the legal process that led to their convictions and 20 year sentences – the longest sentences of any prisoner of conscience in Iran. Parakand, a former associate of Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi at her Defenders of Human Rights Center, discussed the extensive and disturbing violations of due process in the case of the Yaran.

In addition to Ms. Parakand, interviewees included Ms. Anjela Nowbahar, an Iranian-American Baha’i; Mr. Iraj Kamalabadi, brother of Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, one of the former Yaran; and Dr. Farhad Sabetan, the Persian language spokesperson for the Baha’i community of the United States. The program was aired in Iran via satellite TV.

Click here to watch the full program. (Please note this program is in Persian.)

Tags: Anjela Nowbahar, Baha'is of Iran, Bahais, Dr. Farhad Sabetan, Iraj Kamalabadi, Ms. Mahnaz Parakand, Ofogh, Shirin Ebadi, Siamak Deghanpour, VOA, Voice of America, Yaran

Last night, May 6, 2013, the U.S. Baha’i community hosted an event in support of the “Five Years Too Many” international campaign calling for the immediate release of the seven imprisoned Baha’i leaders – and all prisoners of conscience in Iran. The event took place at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C. The program was emceed by actor Rainn Wilson, and featured an outstanding line up of speakers, including Kenneth E. Bowers, Thomas O. Melia, Roxana Saberi, and Katrina Lantos Swett. Katharine Key was the musical guest for the evening.

To watch the recording of the event click here.

Tags: Bahai, bahais in iran, Carnegie Endowment, Five Years Too Many, Katharine Key, Katrina Lantos Swett, Kenneth E. Bowers, Rainn Wilson, Roxana Saberi, Thomas Melia, Yaran

Tonight, the U.S. Baha’i community, together with supporters of international religious freedom and human rights, will commemorate the fifth year anniversary of the imprisonment of the Yaran, the seven-member former ad hoc  leadership group of the Baha’is in Iran.

The program begins at 7:00pm EST at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and can be viewed live by clicking here.

This event is part of the global “Five Years Too Many” campaign, which calls for the immediate release of these seven imprisoned Baha’i leaders and all other prisoners of conscience in Iran.

Tags: bahais in iran, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Five Years Too Many, live stream, Yaran

“The government of Iran continues to engage in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom,” according to the 2013 Annual Report released this week by the U.S. Commission on International
Religious Freedom (USCIRF). The report, published Tuesday, states that “During the past year, the already poor religious freedom conditions continued to deteriorate, especially for religious minorities, in particular for Baha’is as well as Christians and Sufi Muslims.”

Since 1993, Iran has been designated as a Tier 1 Country of Particular Concern, or CPC, by the U.S. State Department. This year, USCIRF again recommends that Iran be designated as a CPC. Additionally, the Commission recommends that the U.S. government continue to identify specific Iranian officials and other entities responsible for these severe human rights and religious freedom violations. Further, it urges the U.S. government to continue to speak out about these deteriorating conditions and demand the release of all prisoners of conscience.

The report provides an exhaustive list of the Baha’is currently imprisoned in Iran as of January 3, 2013 and details religious freedom restrictions Baha’is also face in Afghanistan, Egypt, China, Eritrea, Iraq, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Indonesia.

Last month, family members of the Yaran, the former ad hoc leadership group of the Baha’is in Iran, who are
now nearing the fifth anniversary of their imprisonment, met with Dr. Katrina Lantos-Swett, Chair of USCIRF, to discuss the worsening situation for the Iranian Baha’i community.

Click here to read the full report.

Tags: 2013 Annual Report, bahais in iran, Dr. Katrina Lantos-Swett, State Department, US Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF, Yaran

WASHINGTON — To commemorate the fifth anniversary of the imprisonment of seven Baha’i leaders in Iran, Rainn Wilson of NBC’s hit sitcom, The Office, will be the master of ceremonies at an event on Monday, May 6 at 6:00 p.m. at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC.

This event is part of the Baha’i International Community’s “Five Years Too Many” campaign calling for the immediate release of these seven Baha’i leaders and all prisoners of conscience in Iran. This global campaign will run from May 5 to 15, 2013.

The program will feature Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom; an official of the US State Department (invited); Roxana Saberi, journalist, author, and human rights activist; and Kenneth E. Bowers, Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States, together with musical guest Katharine Key.

“The trumped up security related charges against the seven are typical of those directed by the regime against anyone who holds different views than its own,” said Anthony Vance, Director of Public Affairs for the U.S. Baha’is.  “But, the sentences of 20 years are unprecedented in their length for current prisoners of conscience.”

Six of the seven Baha’i leaders – Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm – were arrested on May 14, 2008 in a series of early morning raids. The seventh, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, had been detained two months earlier on March 5, 2008.

During their first year in detention, the seven were held in solitary confinement for the first four months, not told of the charges against them, and denied meaningful access to their lawyers. Eventually, they were formally charged with espionage, propaganda activities against the Islamic order, the establishment of an illegal administration, cooperation with Israel, sending secret documents outside the country, acting against the security of the country, and corruption on earth. They were innocent of all the charges. In fact, they attended to the basic spiritual needs of the Baha’is of Iran such as marriages, divorces, and the spiritual education of Baha’i children and youth.

Their trial was conducted over a series of six brief, closed-door sessions in 2010. Though their lawyer, Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, stated that there was no evidence to sustain the charges against them, they were ultimately sentenced to twenty years in prison.

Currently, these seven Baha’i leaders endure harsh conditions in two of Iran’s most notorious prisons. The five men are incarcerated at Gohardasht prison in Karaj, a facility known for its overcrowding, lack of sanitation, and dangerous environment. The two women remain at Tehran’s infamous Evin Prison. This severity reflects the Government’s resolve to oppress completely the Iranian Baha’i community, which faces a systematic, “cradle-to-grave” persecution that is among the most serious examples of state-sponsored religious persecution in the world today.

For more information, contact the U.S. Baha’i Office of Public Affairs at (202) 833-8990, or visit iran.bahai.us. Contact Jaclyn Leaver, Media Relations Officer, at USBahaiMedia@usbnc.org to arrange for interviews.

Tags: Afif Naeimi, Bahais, bahais in iran, Behrouz Tavakkoli, Carnegie Endowment, Dr. Katrina Lantos-Swett, Fariba Kamalabadi, Five Years Too Many, Iran, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Kenneth E. Bowers, Mahvash Sabet, May 6, press release, Rainn Wilson, Roxana Saberi, Saeid Rezaie, Vahid Tizfahm

On April 16, 2013, U.S. Senators Mark Kirk (R-IL), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Marco Rubio (R-FL), sent a letter inviting their colleagues to join in cosponsoring Senate Resolution 75. The letter notes that S. Res. 75

…condemns the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha’i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights; calls on the Government of Iran to immediately release the seven imprisoned leaders, the ten imprisoned educators, and all other prisoners held solely on account of their religion; calls on the President and Secretary of State, in cooperation with responsible nations, to immediately condemn the Government of Iran’s continued violation of human rights and demand the immediate release of prisoners held solely on account of their religion; and urges the President and Secretary of State to utilize all available authorities, including the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010, to impose sanctions on officials of the Government of Iran and other individuals directly responsible for serious human rights abuses, including abuses against the Baha’i community of Iran.

Since the resolution was introduced on March 12, twelve Senators have signed on as cosponsors. Click here to learn more and follow the progress of this resolution.

Tags: baha'is iran, Iran, President, S.Res.75, Secretary of State, U.S Senator Mark Kirk, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, U.S. Senator Richard Durbin, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden

For five years, seven Baha’i leaders have been wrongly imprisoned in Iran.

Their 20-year sentences are the longest given to any current prisoners of conscience in Iran. Their harshness reflects the Government’s resolve to oppress completely the Iranian Baha’i community, which faces a systematic, “cradle-to-grave” persecution that is among the most serious examples of state-sponsored religious persecution in the world today.

Their story is similar to what is happening to the roughly 100 other Baha’is now in prison in Iran – and the hundreds of other innocent prisoners of conscience that have been incarcerated for simply exercising their internationally recognized human rights.

The worldwide Baha’i community is launching an international campaign to seek the immediate release of the seven imprisoned Baha’i leaders – and all other prisoners of conscience in Iran. The campaign begins on May 5 – May 15, 2013, coinciding with the fifth anniversary of the imprisonment of the leaders, which falls on May 14. It is hoped that people of good conscience around the world will raise their voices if support of this call and urge the Iranian Government to live up to its international human rights obligations.

In an effort to support this campaign, the U.S. Baha’i Office of Public Affairs has launched a Facebook page and Twitter account. Follow us at facebook.com/USBahaiOPA/ and @USBahaiOPA for updates, news, and stories.

Click here to learn more.

Tags: #fiveyearstoomany, Baha'i Seven, baha'is iran, BIC, Five Years Too Many, Iran, Yaran

The Sentinel Project, a Toronto based NGO that works on genocide prevention, recently launched an internet application called Hatebase, as part of its efforts to monitor hate speech. Hate speech is often one of the earliest indicators of oncoming ethnic conflict and genocide.

In an interview with The Toronto Star, Chris Tuckwood, co-founder of The Sentinel Project, indicated that of the six countries they are currently monitoring, Iran is of significant concern.

“We’re watching Iran pretty closely,” Tuckwood said. “What we’re seeing with the Bahai religious minority is concerning. The discrimination they face is quite advanced. They’re excluded from public life, can’t get public-sector jobs, aren’t allowed education after high school, and their homes are frequent victims of vandalism.”

See the full story here.

Tags: Bahais, bahais in iran, Chris Tuckwood, Hatebase, Iran, The Sentinel Project, thestar.com

Last month, Dr. Heiner Bielefeldt, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, spoke at a March 6 side event during the 22^nd session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva about the Baha’i International Community’s report, “Violence with Impunity: Acts of Aggression against Iran’s Baha’i community.” This report documents the increasing violence against Iran’s Baha’i community and the impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators of these vicious acts.

Dr. Bielefeldt noted that, “It’s really one of the most obvious cases of state persecution [that spans] all areas of state activity, from family law provisions to schooling, education, and security.” He went on to discuss the impact that this systematized persecution might have on individuals as they move from childhood through adolescence into adulthood.

Read Dr. Bielefeldt’s additional remarks here.

Tags: Baha'i International Community, Bahai, bahais in iran, BIC, Dr. Heiner Bielefeldt, Iran, UN, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief

BAHA’I WORLD NEWS SERVICE

GENEVA — The United Nations Human Rights Council today voted by an overwhelming margin for a continuing investigation into human rights violations in Iran.

“For years, the Iranian government  has made excuses or blamed others in the face of mounting documentation that it severely represses its citizens in gross violation of international law – but the wide margin of today’s vote confirms that the world is not buying its justifications,” said Diane Ala’i, the Baha’i International Community’s representative to the United Nations in Geneva.

“Iran needs to start cooperating with the Council by allowing Dr. Shaheed to visit the country so that he can carry out his work,” said Ms. Ala’i. “The fact that Dr. Shaheed has never been invited to visit Iran is merely more evidence of the Iranian government’s disregard for international human rights mechanisms.”

The vote, 26 to 2 with 17 abstentions, came after new reports by the investigator, Ahmed Shaheed, and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Both reports expressed serious concern about the Iranian government’s continued violations of human rights, discussing its widespread use of torture, the wrongful detention of journalists and lawyers, and discrimination against women and minorities.

Dr. Shaheed, whose formal title is Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, introduced his 77-page report in speech to the Council on 12 March.

Referring to the persecution of religious minorities in Iran, he said “that 110 Baha’is are currently detained in Iran for exercising their faith; that at least 13 Protestant Christians are currently in detention centres across Iran; and that Dervishes, members of the Yarasen faith, and Sunni Muslims continue to be the subject of punitive activities, raising serious concern about the situation of religious minorities in the country.”

Mr. Ban’s report to the Council also drew attention to a “notable increase” in the arrest and detention of Baha’is and said an “ongoing anti-Baha’i media campaign resulted in increasing attacks on its members and their properties.”

Tags: Baha'i International Community, Baha'i World News Service, bahais in iran, Ban Ki-moon, BIC, BWNS, Diane Ala'i, Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, Iran

The American Bar Association (ABA), a nongovernmental professional association of lawyers, composed of nearly 400,000 members, recently sent an open letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressing grave concerns over the
imprisonment of noted Iranian human rights lawyer Abdolfattah Soltani. Mr. Soltani has defended a number of prisoners of conscience in Iran, including the seven members of the Yaran, the former ad hoc leadership group of the Bahá’ís of Iran, and the educators of the Bahá’í Institute for Higher Education in Iran.  In discussing Mr. Soltani’s case, the letter, signed by ABA President Laurel Bellows, stated that the “charges and convictions appear to represent a pattern of governmental harassment against human rights lawyers and advocates in Iran, in contravention of well-established international human rights law and principles.”  The letter concluded by “respectfully urg[ing] the Government of Iran, consistent with its obligations under international law, to release Mr. Soltani from state custody, restore his law license, and refrain from further interference with his work as a human rights defender.”

Read the letter in English and Persian.

Tags: Abdolfattah Soltani, Baha'i Institute for Higher Education, bahais in iran, BIHE, BIHE educators, BWNS, Yaran

At sunset on March 20, millions of people around the world will celebrate Naw-Ruz, which is both the Baha’i new year and the Iranian new year. Naw-Ruz, also spelled Nowruz, means “new day” in Persian and is the celebration of the first day of spring. On this day, Iranians everywhere come together to celebrate and give thanks with family and friends.

To commemorate Nowruz, Amnesty International USA has once again organized a campaign to send Nowruz greeting cards to prisoners of conscience in Iran’s prisons. Those included on this list are the seven members of the Yaran, the former ad hoc leadership group of the Baha’is in Iran. Now in its fifth year, this campaign asks participants to send the prisoners cards with simple Nowruz greetings that are intended to cheer the hearts of the prisoners and let them know that they have not been forgotten.

Click here for further details on how to participate in the Amnesty Nowruz card campaign.

Tags: Amnesty International, bahais in iran, Naw Ruz, Nowruz, Yaran

On March 15, 2013, the Tom Lantos Human Rights commission (TLHRC), co-chaired by Congressmen James McGovern (D-MA) and Frank Wolf (R-VA), held a hearing on The Worsening Plight of Religious Minorities in Iran. Iran, designated as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) by the State Department since 1999, has seen a marked increase in arrests, imprisonments, and harassment of religious minorities – namely Christians, Baha’is and Sufi Muslims – since the beginning of 2011. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has stated that the “Baha‘i community has long been subject to particularly severe religious freedom violations in Iran.” The hearing focused predominately on the deteriorating conditions of the Baha’is and Christians in Iran.

Witnesses included Dr. Katrina Lantos-Swett, Chair of USCIRF; Mr. Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel, American Center for Law and Justice; Mr. Kenneth E. Bowers, Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States; Mrs. Naghmeh Abedini, wife of imprisoned Iranian-American pastor Mr. Saeed Abedini; and Mr. Jordan Sekulow, Executive Director and attorney for the Abedini Family, American Center for Law and Justice.

During her testimony, Lantos-Swett spoke about the seven imprisoned Baha’i leaders and the ten imprisoned Baha’i educators, holding up pictures of all of them for the Commission members to see. She also spoke about
three Baha’i women who are currently in prison with their infant children – Mrs. Taraneh Torabi, Mrs. Zohreh Nikayin, both of whom were incarcerated in September 2012, and Mrs. Neda Majidi, imprisoned in December 2012. Torabi’s son, Barman, has recently been hospitalized due to a serious lung infection. Lantos-Swett also highlighted the meeting she had with relatives of the imprisoned Baha’is in Iran who shared their stories of persecution earlier in the week, noting that “[you would be] hard pressed to find a community on the face of the earth more peace loving and more gentle in their spirit [than the Baha’is].”

Bowers discussed the history of persecution of the Baha’is in Iran, particularly following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. “The situation has worsened considerably in the last two years,” said Bowers. “On January 1, 2011, there were 56 Baha’is in prison; this number is now 110. On January 1, 2011, there were 230 Baha’is who, although not currently in prison, were awaiting trial, appeal, sentencing or commencement of their sentences; this number is now 436.” He also discussed the severe economic and social pressure on Iran’s Baha’is, noting that they are barred from public employment and denied business licenses, Muslim employers are discouraged from hiring Baha’is, and students are excluded from universities.  Bowers expressed his hope that “hearings like this, and actions taken by responsible nations around the world, will shine a bright light on the dire religious freedom situation in Iran and help to hasten the day when Bahá’ís and all citizens of
Iran are accorded their full human rights.”

Tags: Bahais, bahais in iran, congressional hearing, Dr. Katrina Lantos-Swett, Frank Wolf, Iran, James McGovern, Mr. Kenneth E. Bowers, Mr. Saeed Abedini, Mrs. Nagmeh Abedini, Representative Frank Wolf, Representative James McGovern, TLHRC, Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission

Yesterday, U.S. Senators Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced a bipartisan resolution that calls attention to the situation of the Baha’is in Iran. Senate Resolution 75 (click to find a list of co-sponsors and other information) condemns the Iranian regime’s continued persecution of this religious minority and “calls on the President and Secretary of State, in cooperation with responsible nations, to immediately condemn the Government of Iran’s continued violation of human rights and demand the immediate release of prisoners held solely on account of their religion.” A similar resolution was also introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday by Representatives Michael Grimm (R-NY) and Janice Schakowsky (D-IL). House Resolution 109 (click to find a list of co-sponsors and other information) “condemns the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha’i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights.”

To mark the introduction of these resolutions and the fifth year anniversary of the incarceration of Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, one of the seven members of the former ad hoc leadership group of the Baha’is in Iran, a delegation from the U.S. Baha’i Office of Public Affairs met with Senator Kirk to thank him for the work he and his office have done on behalf of the Iranian Baha’i community. The delegation included Ms. Niknaz Aftahi, Mr. Iraj Kamalabadi, Ms. Monir Khanjani, Mrs. Azadeh Rohanian Perry and Mr. Hessam Rahimian, all of whom have family members or friends currently imprisoned.

This delegation also met with Dr. Katrina Lantos-Swett, Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), and officials from the State Department, where they shared personal stories about family members and friends who are currently in prison. These meetings focused on the recent intensified persecution of the Iranian Baha’i community as well as the need to continue to publicize Iran’s egregious human rights violations and pressure the government to release these innocent religious prisoners.

Today, the delegation participated in a press conference, held in conjunction with Freedom House, highlighting yesterday’s meetings as well as featuring accounts from relatives of the seven imprisoned members of the ad hoc leadership group of the Baha’is in Iran and instructors from the Baha’i Institute of Higher Education (BIHE), the Iranian Bahá’í community’s informal system of higher education. The press conference also publicized the just-released report from the Baha’i International Community entitled “Violence with Impunity: Acts of aggression against Iran’s Baha’i community.” This report details the escalation of attacks on the Baha’is in Iran and the absence of prosecution for the perpetrators of these attacks.

Dr. Chloe Schwenke, Vice President for Global Programs at Freedom House, opened the press conference with a brief introduction to the abysmal status of human rights in Iran, calling the situation of the Bahá’ís an “invitation to moral outrage.” The panelists then shared personal stories of persecution in Iran. Mr. Iraj Kamalabadi, brother of Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, a member of the former ad hoc leadership group in Iran,
spoke about his sister’s imprisonment since the spring of 2008, including details, such as the fact that she was held in solitary confinement and subjected to physical abuse for the first four months of her incarceration. Mrs. Kamalabadi is currently finishing the fifth year of a 20 year sentence.

Mrs. Azadeh Perry, sister in-law to Mr. Saeid Rezaie, another member of the former ad hoc leadership group in Iran, spoke about Mr. Rezaie’s deteriorating health situation while in prison. He has been hospitalized twice for two different surgeries due to poor sanitary conditions. Mrs. Perry also spoke about the stress and pain that has been inflicted on her sister and her sister’s family. Speaking about the members of the ad hoc
leadership group, Mrs. Perry stated that all seven of them are innocent and do not deserve to be in prison for even one day.

Ms. Monir Khanjani, niece of Jamaloddin Khanjani, the oldest of the seven member former ad-hoc leadership group, spoke about how grateful she was to get to freely practice her religion here in the United States, but
that her family back in Iran has not been so lucky. In addition to her uncle, three of Ms. Khanjani’s cousins, Leva, Foad, and Navid Khanjani, are currently in prison in Tehran and two others, Arfasiyab and Behfar Khanjani, have had their businesses closed down by the government.

Sharing a picture of his family, Mr. Hessam Rahimian spoke about his uncle Rahim Rahimian’s imprisonment, torture, and execution during the 1980s. The disturbing details of his uncle’s torture included being beaten, whipped with electrical cords, and having his feet drilled by an electric drill. In the last two years, Hessam’s cousins, Kayvan and Kamran Rahimian, along with Kamran’s wife, Faran Hesami, were imprisoned for being instructors for the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education (BIHE), leaving Kamran and Faran’s 3 year old son and Kayvan’s 12 year old daughter to be cared for by their aging grandmother. Worse, Kayvan lost his wife to cancer just months before his imprisonment. Three generations of the Rahimian family have now been directly affected by the persecution.

Ms. Niknaz Aftahi, the first graduate of the BIHE’s architecture program, spoke about her experience as a BIHE student, highlighting how she and her classmates were always careful to never attract attention because there was always a fear that the school would be raided and shut down. Due to the nature of the BIHE and the danger inherent in educating Baha’is, there are no regular classrooms, with the classes often taking place in the homes of volunteers. Under these conditions, and with no guarantee of employment afterwards, the stress these young people endure is unimaginable, and yet they persist. After a series of raids on BIHE occurred in May 2011, it has become more dangerous for students and professors. Ten of the BIHE educators that helped Ms. Aftahi get her education are currently behind bars.

Tags: Azadeh Perry, bahais in iran, BIHE, Dick Durbin, Freedom House, Hessam Rahimian, House Resolution 109, Iraj Kamalabadi, Janice Schakowsky, Katrina Lantos Swett, Mark Kirk, Michael Grimm, Monir Khanjani, Niknaz Aftahi, Senate Resolution 75, State Department, USCIRF, Yaran

Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, presented his latest report today before the 22^nd Regular Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. Countries expressed their opinions and asked questions about the report’s contents, the Rapporteur’s mandate, and the Council’s future plans.  Along with groups such as Christians, dervishes, and other religious minorities that have been targeted, Shaheed highlighted the fact that there are currently 110 Baha’is in prison in Iran.

Shaheed’s report examines the current state of human rights in Iran and finds that there

 …continues to be widespread systemic and systematic violations of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran.  Reports communicated by nongovernmental organizations, human rights defenders, and individuals concerning violations of their human rights or the rights of others continue to present a situation in which civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights are undermined and violated in law and practice. Moreover, a lack of Government investigation and redress generally fosters a culture of impunity, further weakening the impact of the human rights instruments Iran has ratified.

The report also notes that “[m]embers of the Baha’i community are reported to continue to be systematically deprived of a range of social and economic rights, including access to higher education.”

Click here to watch the full presentation.

Tags: Ahmed Shaheed, baha'is iran, bahais in iran, human-rights, UN, UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran