Aug15
Foreign Policy blog covers sentencing of Baha’i leaders
On Friday, August 13, Foreign Policy magazine’s “The Cable” blog highlighted last week’s sentencing of seven Iranian Baha’is leaders in an article about Secretary of State Clinton’s recent statements on human rights in Iran.
From the Foreign Policy article:
Persecution of the estimated 300,000 Baha’is in Iran has existed since the religion’s inception in the 19th century, but increased dramatically following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when the eradication of the Baha’i faith became official government policy. Since the revolution, over 200 Baha’is have been killed by the regime, while hundreds have been imprisoned and thousands have been denied access to basic human rights, including the right to education and to work.
Shastri Purushotma, Human Rights Representative for the U.S. Baha’i community, told The Cable that they greatly appreciated Clinton’s statement, whichmarked the first time she had spoken out on behalf of the Baha’is.
“The Obama administration and the State Department have spoken up at every major stage of their trial,” he said. “It would be wonderful if President Obama could speak out about this too, in the right opportunity and right setting.”
Comments OffMEDIA COVERAGE
