Persecution of Bahá'ís in Iran

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 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 [...]

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 [...]

In an interview with Marco Werman on PRI’s The World, journalist Roxana Saberi describes how she used music to pass the time during her 10o-day imprisonment in Tehran. Among this music, which is recorded on her new CD, is a Baha’i piece Saberi sang while imprisoned with two of the seven Baha’i leaders, Fariba Kamalabadi [...]

Baha’i World News Service–Details are emerging from yesterday’s court appearance [on April 12] in Tehran of seven imprisoned Iranian Baha’i leaders. The Baha’i International Community has learned that when the prisoners arrived at the court, their families were not allowed to enter, signaling a closed hearing. Inside the courtroom, however, the prisoners saw numerous officials [...]

Baha’i World News Service–The seven imprisoned Iranian Baha’i leaders were called to court today, April 12, in Tehran for a third session in their trial. The hearing was again closed, and no details are available. “We know that a session did take place, but we do not have any specific information from reliable sources,” said [...]

The Baha’i World News Service–The Baha’i International Community has learned that there was a miscommunication as to the date of the trial of seven Iranian Baha’i leaders imprisoned in Tehran. A court session believed to have been scheduled for today is set for Monday, 12 April.

Baha’i World News Service – A third session of the court proceedings against seven imprisoned Iranian Baha’i leaders is scheduled for tomorrow, April 10,  in Tehran. It is unknown whether the hearing – scheduled in Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court – will be open to families of the defendants and other observers. The first [...]

During an interview on the Kojo Nnamdi Show on Thursday, April 8, journalist Roxana Saberi mentioned that two of her cellmates in Tehran’s Evin prison were Baha’is. She explained that these women, Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi and Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, had been in captivity for nearly two years because of their Baha’i beliefs. Listen to the [...]

Today, April 8, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty published a commentary by Abbas Djavadi about the trial of seven Baha’i leaders in Iran, which is scheduled to resume this Saturday, April 10. From the article… All seven have been trying to inspire and help the Iranian Baha’i community of some 300,000 people since most of that [...]

On Monday, April 5, journalist and author Roxana Saberi mentioned the Baha’i Faith in a Q&A with Inter Press News about her new book, “Between Two Worlds.” “I tried to describe many aspects of Iranian society, partly through the stories of my cellmates. I described the situation of minority religions (specifically the Baha’i faith) in [...]

On Saturday, April 3, NPR’s Scott Simon interviewed journalist Roxana Saberi about her experience in Iran’s notorious Evin prison. Saberi, who is on tour promoting her new book, “Between Two Worlds,” described meeting two of the seven Baha’i leaders in Evin prison–Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi and Mrs. Mahvash Sabet–and the strength and inspiration they gave her [...]

On Wednesday night, March 31, Roxana Saberi was interviewed on The Daily Show with John Stewart. Saberi, an Iranian-American journalist, was arrested in Iran, taken to Evin prison and held there for 100 days. During her interview, she mentions that some of her prison mates were Baha’is who were charged with the crime of “promoting [...]

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 [...]

The third court session for seven Baha’i leaders imprisoned in Iran is scheduled for April 10, a day earlier than originally announced. Diane Ala’i, representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva, said attorneys in Iran have now received written notice of the court date, confirming it as Saturday, April 10. [...]

The trial proceedings for seven Iranian Baha’i leaders who have been in prison for nearly two years will continue on Sunday, April 11, according to information conveyed orally to their attorneys. Government-sponsored news media reported that at their first hearing on January 12, 2010, the seven were charged with espionage, propaganda activities against the Islamic [...]

On February 14, 2010, English-language news outlets, including the Associated Press, Reuters and Voice of America, reported that at least five more Baha’is have been arrested in Iran. This follows the arrest of 13 Iranian Baha’is on January 3; ten of whom remain in prison. There are currently around 60 Baha’is in prison throughout Iran, [...]