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CHRI – The UN has condemned the Iranian government’s renewed campaign of persecution against the Baha’i faith minority. Bahai’s, including former prisoners of conscience, are being arbitrarily detained while others are seeing the government confiscate their property.
The Baha’i community is one of the most severely persecuted religious minorities in Iran. The Iranian constitution does not recognize the faith as an official religion (such as Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism). Although Article 23 states that “no one may be molested or taken to task simply for holding a certain belief,” followers of the faith are denied many rights including property ownership, equal burial rights, and access to higher education.
Baha’is are also routinely denied the right to higher education in Iran, either by being banned from enrolling in a university or being expelled without a proper explanation once enrolled in the school.
“The Islamic Republic’s latest actions against Baha’is are a reminder of the systematic persecution of the community in the first decade after the revolution of 1979, which set the tone for the regime’s approach towards all human rights,” said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran, in a press release calling for international action.
Following is the complete UN press release.
