Persecution of Bahá'ís in Iran

“While Iran’s leaders hypocritally claim to promote tolerance, they continue to detain, imprison, harass, and abuse those who simply wish to worship the faith of their choosing.” — U.S. Department of State spokeswoman Victoria Nuland Read entire editorial here. Excerpt Earlier this month, Iranian authorities reportedly refused to allow a Baha’i family to bury a [...]

Baha’i World News Service– Homes belonging to some 50 Baha’i families in a remote village in northern Iran have been demolished as part of a long-running campaign to expel them from the region. The action occurred in Ivel, Mazandaran, when inhabitants – incited by elements inimical to the Baha’i community – blocked normal access to [...]

On March 9, 2010, Voice of America published an editorial drawing further attention to the plight of Iran’s Baha’i community. In it, Assistant Secretary of State Michael Posner is quoted condemning Iran’s post-election crackdown and calling on the country to observe religious freedom, among its other human rights treaty obligations. “The United States strongly condemns [...]

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, [...]

On January 11, 2010, Voice of America highlighted the latest persecution of Iran’s Baha’i community in an editorial expressing concern about human rights abuses in that country. Diane Ala’i, the Baha’i International Community representative to the United Nations in Geneva, has voiced grave concern over the plight of 7 Iranian Baha’is who have been in [...]

On October 30, Voice of America published the following editorial about religious freedom in Iran: The continuing imprisonment of 7 leaders of Iran’s Baha’i community falsely accused of capital crimes, as well as the incarceration of 2 Iranian Christian women who also lack adequate medical care, are 2 of the many cases that contribute to [...]

The upcoming trial of seven Iranian Baha’i leaders was mentioned in an editorial published by Voice of America on Sept. 21, 2009, and excerpted below. Another group facing unjust charges are the 7 leaders of Iran’s Baha’i community, the largest non-Muslim religious minority in Iran. The 5 men and 2 women were arrested in the [...]

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 [...]

On July 15, 2009, Voice of America published the following editorial calling for the release of seven Baha’i leaders in Iran. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, a bi-partisan government body known as USCIRF, is calling for the release of 7 leaders of Iran’s Baha’i community who have been imprisoned for over a year. [...]

Voice of America published an editorial titled “Imprisoned in Iran for religious belief” on May 17, 2009, about religious persecution in Iran.

Voice of America published an editorial titled “Iran’s religious persecution” February 22.

Voice of America has published a piece on the Center for the Defense of Human Rights in Iran quarterly report on human rights for the period ending September 2008.  The report mentions the continuing repression of the Baha’i community in Iran.

Voice of America aired “Iran’s Abuse of Religious Liberty” which includes a detailed reference to the persecution experienced by the Baha’is in Iran over the past year.

Voice of America broadcast a piece titled “US Religious Freedom Report Faults North Korea, Eritrea, Iran”

Voice of America posted an editorial titled “Iranian Baha’i leaders accused”.

Voice of America published an editorial titled “Terrorizing the Iranian People”. The editorial references the recent events affecting the Baha’i community in Iran.

Voice of America posted an article titled “Baha’i Leaders Arrested in Iran” on May 28, 2008.

The Agence France-Presse reported today that Iran’s judiciary has announced sentences for 54 members of the Baha’i Faith who were arrested in May 2006 in Shiraz while taking part in a project to educate underprivileged children. According to AFP, judiciary spokesman Ali Reza Jamshidi told reporters that, “three Bahais have been sentenced to four years [...]

Voice of America reported the U.S. House of Representatives debate on three resolutions dealing with political and human rights issues in Iran.   One of these condemned the Iranian government’s treatment of the Baha’i community in that country. You can read more about it here.

Voice of America posted the following story about a conference on Capitol Hill on protecting religious freedom around the world. U.S. Senator Rick Santorum, a Republican from Pennsylvania, hosted the conference . The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, in his remarks cited the Iranian government’s repression of its Bahai religious minority. You [...]