Persecution of Bahá'ís in Iran

While in Washington, D.C.,  last week, American journalist Roxana Saberi described meeting two Iranian Baha’is during her 100-day incarceration in Evin prison, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. From the article… At the Northern Virginia Baha’i Center and at a discussion at the National Press Club last week, Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi recounted her 100 [...]

On May 28, 2010, the Committee on International Freedom of Scientists of the American Physical Society wrote a letter to Iran’s Minister of Education, Dr. Hamid Reza Haji Babaie, expressing concern over the country’s systematic denial of higher education to Baha’i students. From the letter: Denying anyone access to education based upon their personal convictions [...]

On Monday, May 17, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty published the following article about the two-year anniversary of the arrest of seven Baha’i leaders in Iran. Accompanying the story is a video chronicling a photo campaign initiated by the human rights group United4Iran, advocating for the release and fair trail of the seven Baha’i leaders. From [...]

On Thursday, May 14, spokesman Philip J. Crowley of the U.S. Department of State issued the following statement condemning the continued incarceration of seven Baha’i leaders in Iran. The United States is deeply concerned about the ongoing persecution of Baha’is and other religious minority communities in Iran. Today marks the second anniversary of the imprisonment [...]

On Friday, May 14, The Washington Times published the following article on the two-year anniversary of the arrest seven Baha’i leaders in Iran. From the article… Two years ago to date, the top leaders of the Baha’i movement in Iran were enjoying the last peaceful morning they would see in a long time. While in [...]

Today the Iranian-American journalist who spent 100-days imprisoned in Iran, again mentioned the persecution of the Baha’is of Iran in an op-ed published in The Washington Post on May 13. From the article… If the international community fails to condemn such atrocities, Iran’s regime will continue to trample on the basic rights of individuals, many [...]

Books about the Baha’i Faith are among a growing number of titles banned at this year’s Tehran Book Fair, according to an article published on Monday, May 10, by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. From the article… We reported over the weekend about the banning of some books by Iranian authors at Tehran’s Book Fair. The [...]

This Friday, May 14, marks the two-year anniversary of the arrest of seven Iranian Baha’i leaders on a series of false charges stemming from their membership with the minority Baha’i Faith. They are still in prison today. The seven defendants are Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mrs. Mahvash [...]

UPDATE: Below is a summary of information about Baha’is arrested in Iran between August 2004 and May 7, 2010. These arrests are only one component of a systematic effort by Iranian authorities to eradicate the nation’s 300,000-member Baha’i minority through identification and monitoring, arrest and imprisonment, public incitement to hatred by state media, denial of [...]