Persecution of Bahá'ís in Iran

Seven imprisoned Baha’i leaders appeared in court yesterday in Iran for the second closed session of their trial. Family members were not permitted into the courtroom and the hearing, which lasted just over one hour, does not seem to have gone beyond procedural issues. No date was given for any future sessions. The seven defendants—Mrs. [...]

The Baha’i International Community has issued a statement condemning the trial of 16 individuals in Iran on January 30 as a “violation of all internationally accepted standards of legal due process.” The statement highlights the lack of proper legal representation for the defendants and the use of unreliable “confessions” in the trial. One of the [...]

Iranian authorities have notified the lawyers of seven imprisoned Bahá’í leaders that the next session of their trial will be held on February 7, 2010, the Bahá’í International Community announced today. After 20 months in prison, with limited access to their attorneys, the defendants— Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid [...]

The trial of seven Iranian Baha’i leaders, which began January 12,  has drawn widespread attention from the international community. According to a Baha’i World News Service article published today, public statements of concern on behalf of the seven have been issued by the governments of Brazil, Canada, India, the United States, and by the European [...]

On January 12, 2010,  the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom released a statement denouncing the trial of seven Baha’i leaders as a “sham” and stating that the trial should be “condemned in the strongest possible terms by the international community.” We are extremely concerned about the fate of the seven Baha’is, who could face [...]

The following is an update from the Baha’i World News Service regarding the trial of seven Baha’i leaders in Iran, which commenced on January 12, 2010. The trial of seven imprisoned Baha’i leaders began today in Iran. Initial reports indicate that the trial is marked by numerous violations of legal due process. “We understand that [...]

A recent state-sponsored media campaign falsely accusing Baha’i in Iran of inciting the latest wave of protests in that country has raised grave concern about the fate of seven Baha’i leaders who are expected to go on trial next Tuesday, January 12. “Over the past several days, Iranian state-sponsored media have accused the Baha’i of [...]

On December 1, the U.S. Senate passed by unanimous consent a resolution condemning the state-sponsored persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran, the country’s largest religious minority. Human rights violations against the Iranian Bahá’í community have increased since 2005, including the incarceration of Baha’i leaders in Evin prison eighteen months ago. S.Res.71 is a concurrent resolution to H.Res.175—the eleventh congressional [...]

On October 22, the U.S. House of Representatives passed, by a vote of 407-2, a resolution condemning the government of Iran for “state-sponsored persecution of its Bahá’í minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights.” H.Res.175 is the eleventh congressional resolution since 1982 to address the religious oppression of the Bahá’ís [...]

The trial of seven Baha’i leaders in Iran, which, following previous postponements, was most recently scheduled to take place on Oct. 18, 2009, will likely be delayed again. No future trial date is known at this time. Although family members of the seven Baha’i prisoners have not been informed of any change to the trial [...]

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 [...]

From Baha’i World News Service: Iranian officials have reportedly told families of the seven Baha’i leaders currently held in Evin prison in Tehran that their trial has been delayed. No new trial date was given. Held for more than a year, the seven were reportedly to have been tried on Saturday, although this information, too, [...]

Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere expressed concern for the Baha’i community in Iran, in particular the upcoming trial against seven Baha’i leaders in Tehran, during a meeting with Mohsen Bavafa, Iran’s charge d’affaires in Oslo. The meeting took place on July 7, 2009. Both Washington TV and The Norway Post covered the meeting.