On October 30, Voice of America published the following editorial about religious freedom in Iran:
The continuing imprisonment of 7 leaders of Iran’s Baha’i community falsely accused of capital crimes, as well as the incarceration of 2 Iranian Christian women who also lack adequate medical care, are 2 of the many cases that contribute to Iran’s being regarded by the U.S. as one of the world’s worst violators of religious liberty.
Adherents of religious groups not recognized by the Constitution, such as the Baha’is, do not have freedom to practice their beliefs. The Government prohibits Baha’is from teaching and practicing their faith. Baha’is are barred from all leadership positions in the Government and military.
The Government considers Baha’is to be apostates and defines the Baha’i Faith as a political “sect.” The Ministry of Justice states that Baha’is are permitted to enroll in schools only if they do not identify themselves as such, and that Baha’is preferably should be enrolled in schools with a strong and imposing religious ideology. There were reports that Baha’i children in public schools faced attempts to convert them to Islam.
Welton Gaddy, host of the radio program “State of Belief,” interviewed Los Angeles Baha’i Randolph Dobbs about the situation of the Baha’is in Iran in a segment that aired over the weekend, October 24-25. The program’s website also includes information about the pending resolution in the U.S. Senate, condemning the ongoing persecution of Iran’s Baha’i minority.
Listen to the “State of Belief” radio interview online (Dobbs’ interview begins around 31:45)
On October 22, the U.S. House of Representatives passed, by a vote of 407-2, a resolution condemning the government of Iran for “state-sponsored persecution of its Bahá’í minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights.” H.Res.175 is the eleventh congressional resolution since 1982 to address the religious oppression of the Bahá’ís in Iran.
“Given current human rights violations against the Iranian citizens, we welcome Congress speaking out again against the persecution of Iran’s largest religious minority,” said Ms. Kit Bigelow, director of external affairs for the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the U.S.
The resolution also called on President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton to condemn the ongoing persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran, and to demand the release of religious prisoners, including seven Bahá’í leaders who have been detained for more than a year without a trial—Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm.
“Today, the House of Representatives sends a signal to the Iranian regime, and it contains an important message,” Rep. Mark Kirk said on October 21, in a statement on the House floor. “The U.S. Congress will expose this regime that murders innocent women and children in the streets and denies citizens’ basic human rights. To the dictators in Iran we say, release your political prisoners, especially release your Baha’i prisoners, and end your ignorant and uncultured persecution of the peaceful Baha’is.”
A concurrent Senate resolution, S.Res.71, is still pending.
On October 22, the Committee of Human Rights Reporters published an interview with Iranian human rights attorney, Abdolfattah Soltani, who along with Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi, is one of the lead attorneys defending the seven Baha’is currently awaiting trial in Tehran.
Floor speeches pertaining to H.Res.175, condemning the persecution of the Baha’is in Iran, were held today in the U.S. House of Representatives. Representatives John Boozman, R-Ark., Mark Kirk, R-Ill., and Diane Watson, D-Calif., delivered statements urging the adoption of the resolution, which can be viewed on CSPAN. (Please refer to time markers provided below to queue your video.)
Time Markers for H.Res.175 Floor Speeches
Introduction: 171:00
Floor Speech by Rep. Diane Watson (D-Calif.): 171:26
Floor Speech by Rep. John Boozman (R-Ark.): 176:30
Floor Speech by Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.): 179:00
Following the speeches, Rep. Kirk called for a roll-call vote, which is expected to take place on October 22, 2009. (Video of his speech is embedded below.)
The Institute on Religion and Public Policy today called on U.S. Representatives to support H. Res. 175, “Condemning 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.”
Although the trial of seven Baha’i leaders imprisoned in Iran for more than 17 months was scheduled for today, when attorneys and families arrived at the court offices in Tehran they were told it would not take place. No new trial date was given.
Diane Ala’i, the Baha’i International Community’s representative to the United Nations in Geneva, has called for the seven Baha’is to be immediately released on bail.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon yesterday expressed strong criticism of Iran’s human rights record, voicing concern about the use of excessive force after Iran’s presidential election, the harassment of women’s rights activists, the ongoing execution of juveniles, and the continued persecution of minorities, including Baha’is.
In a 19-page report written specifically to address a request made last December from the U.N. General Assembly about human rights in Iran, Mr. Ban said there have been “negative developments” in the area of civil and political rights since 2008.
The trial of seven Baha’i leaders in Iran, which, following previous postponements, was most recently scheduled to take place on Oct. 18, 2009, will likely be delayed again. No future trial date is known at this time.
Although family members of the seven Baha’i prisoners have not been informed of any change to the trial date, Iranian law requires that lawyers receive a formal writ of notification two business days prior to appearing in court. However, since there is only one business day remaining prior to the scheduled trial on Oct. 18, 2009, it seems unlikely that the trial will take place on that date. (Wednesday and Thursday this week are holidays in Iran and Friday is not a business day.)
Another factor that may affect the timing of the hearing is that the judiciary has not yet responded to an appeal submitted by the defense attorneys sometime in early September, which argues that the prolongation of the detention of these seven Baha’is is in itself contravention of the law.
Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm have been detained for more than 16 months with limited access to their attorneys, including Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi who remains outside of Iran.
Official Iranian news reports have said the Baha’is will be accused of “espionage for Israel, insulting religious sanctities and propaganda against the Islamic Republic”—all charges that the Baha’i International Community categorically denies.
On Wednesday, October 14, Baha’is in Los Angeles will host an event at 7:30 p.m. at the University of Southern California’s Bovard Auditorium to express strong support for seven imprisoned Iranian Baha’is. The event will be hosted by actor and comedian Rainn Wilson of NBC’s “The Office,” and will feature guest speakers, an array of international musical guests and a coalition of religious leaders from Southern California.
Some 300,000 Baha’is live throughout Iran, making the Baha’i Faith the country’s largest minority religion. The persecution of Baha'is in Iran has been taking place since the religion began there in the mid-nineteenth century. More than 200 Baha’is were killed in Iran between 1978 and 1998, the majority by execution, and thousands more were imprisoned.More
