Persecution of Bahá'ís in Iran

In some 40 years as a university professor, I have been privileged to teach students who went on to serve their people as senators, ambassadors, prominent scholars and even U.S. president. None of this would have been possible had I lived in my family’s homeland of Iran. As a member of the Bahai faith, I would have been barred from teaching freely—and I might even have been imprisoned, as seven Bahai educators now are.

On March 8, the RFE/RL blog “Watchdog” published a Q&A with D.C.-area Baha’i Sovaida Ma’ani Ewing about the persecution of Iran’s Baha’i religious minority. The interview specifically addresses the ongoing trial of seven Baha’i leaders, which is expected to continue in Tehran on April 10, 2010. Here’s an excerpt of the interview… RFE/RL: For the [...]

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. Read the original interview (in Farsi) from the Committee of Human Rights Reporters Read [...]

GENEVA — The trial of seven Baha’i leaders imprisoned in Iran has been postponed until October 18, 2009, the Baha’i International Community learned today. According to Diane Ala’i, the Baha’i International Community representative to the United Nations in Geneva, following a request for postponement of the trial from Mr. Hadi Elsmaielzadeh and Ms. Mahnaz Parakand [...]

The seven Baha’i leaders, with spouses, before their arrest in Spring 2008. Photo courtesy of Baha’i World News Service. WASHINGTON, D.C. — Following last week’s show trial of post-election protesters in Iran, seven Baha’i leaders face yet another failure of legal due process as they prepare to stand trial Aug. 18, 2009, on a series [...]