Persecution of Bahá'ís in Iran

IRANIAN GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS

Memorandum from the Iranian Supreme Revolutionary Cultural Council
- English translation
In 1993, the U.N. Human Rights Commission uncovered and published a previously secret memorandum outlining the Iranian government’s plan for the quiet elimination of Baha’i community in Iran. Written by the Iranian Supreme Revolutionary Cultural Council in 1991 and signed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, this document provides a blueprint for the suppression of the Iranian Baha’i community. It contains specific guidelines for dealing with the Baha’is so that “their progress and development are blocked.”

Amassing of information on the Baha’is

• Secret letter from Iranian military headquarters, dated October 29, 2005
  - English translation
  This letter instructs commanders of various state intelligence services, police units, and the Revolutionary Guard to “identify” and “monitor” Baha’is. This letter was revealed by the U.N. Special Rapporteur for freedom of religion and belief. The letter was written at the command of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

• Letter from Iran’s Ministry of the Interior, dated August 19, 2006
  - English translation
  The letter requests provincial officials throughout the country to “cautiously and carefully monitor and manage” all Baha’i social activities.

• A form from the Education Department Management Security Office in Shiraz
  - English translation
  The Education Department Management Security Office in Shiraz circulated a form, dated December 21, 2006, to be completed for all students “who belong to religious minorities and the perverse Bahaist sect.” The form requires not only detailed information about the student and his or her parents, but also detailed information on all the student’s siblings.

Attacks against Baha’i schoolchildren

• Article published by two Iranian news agencies
  On 14 and 15 May 2007, Iranian online news agencies (Ayandeh Roushan and Rasa) published an article reporting on the publication in Tabriz of an 85-page booklet and accompanying CD that provide an “Introduction to Baha’ism” for high school religious teachers.

Denial of access to education

• Letter calling for the expulsion of Bahá’í students
  - English translation
  A confidential letter issued in 2006 by the director general of the Central Security Office of Iran’s Ministry of Science, Research and Technology instructs eighty-one Iranian universities to expel any student who is discovered to be a Baha’i.

• Letter from an Iranian University stating Iranian government policy
  - English translation
  A letter issued on November 2, 2006, from an Iranian university, Payame Noor, stated that it is Iranian government policy to prevent Baha’is, on account of their religion, from enrolling in universities and that they must be expelled if discovered to have enrolled.

Dissemination of misinformation to incite the population against the Baha’is

• Article in Kayhan newspaper
  Scurrilous attacks on the Faith are still appearing in “Kayhan,” one of the oldest and most influential newspapers in Iran. This May 15, 2007, article is a typical example of these attacks.

• For background about the attacks on the Baha’i Faith in the Iranian media, go to: http://www.bahai.org/persecution/iran/mediaattacks

Denial of access to legal process

• Example of a court judgment
  - English translation
  Discrimination against Baha’is in the legal system continues to be a problem. In February 2007, for example, the Public Court of Justice in Falard decided not to hear a lawsuit “due to the plaintiffs’ belonging to the Baha’ist sect.”

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