The Institute on Religion and Public Policy condemns arson attacks

The IRPP has put out the following statement:

Institute condemns Iranian arsonist targeting of Baha’is

In the early hours of the morning of July 18, the house of the Shaaker family in Kerman was set on fire, only weeks after their car had been torched and in the wake of a series of threatening phone calls. Officials investigating the fire ignored and dismissed obvious signs of suspicious activity, such as a muffled explosion, simply saying that it was the result of an electrical problem.

At least a dozen cases of arson that target Baha’is have been reported in Iran in the last 15 months. Furthermore, over two months ago, seven members of Iran’s national Bahá’í coordinating group were arrested. Although they have still not been charged, they remain in Evin Prison in Tehran, without access to an attorney or to their families.

Photographs of this attack, as well as details on other recent arson cases targeting Iranian Bahá’ís, are available on the Bahá’í World News website at: http://news.bahai.org/story/645.



About Institute on Religion and Public Policy

Nominated for the 2007 Nobel Prize in Peace, the Institute on Religion and Public Policy is an international, inter-religious non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring freedom of religion as the foundation for security, stability, and democracy.

The Institute works globally with government policymakers, religious leaders, business executives, academics, international and regional organizations, non-governmental organizations and others in order to develop, protect, and promote fundamental rights - especially the right of religious freedom - and contributes to the intellectual and moral foundation of the fundamental right of religious freedom. The Institute encourages and assists in the effective and cooperative advancement of religious freedom. Continue Reading…

White House statement about imprisoned Baha'i leaders

On June 14 the White House made a statement about the imprisoned national Bahá’í leaders in Iran:

“The Iranian regime’s human rights record is shameful. A month ago today, the regime arrested six Bahai leaders solely on the grounds of their religion. They should be released immediately. Iran should uphold the basic human right to practice religion and should end its persecution of the Bahai community.” - Gordon Johndroe, National Security Council spokesperson. Continue Reading…

Nobel laureates call for release of Iranian Baha’i prisoners

Six Nobel Peace Prize laureates have issued a statement calling on the Iranian government to immediately free seven prominent Iranian Baha’is imprisoned in Tehran.

The Nobel winners, under the banner of the Nobel Women’s Initiative, called on the Iranian government to guarantee the safety of the Baha’is — being held in Evin Prison with no formal charges and no access to lawyers — and to grant them an unconditional release.

“We are thankful to these internationally prominent activists for calling publicly for the release of our fellow Baha’is, who are detained for no reason other than their religion,” said Bani Dugal, principal representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations.

The Nobel laureates issuing the statement are:

• Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan Maguire, founders of the Peace People in Northern Ireland and winners of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1976
• Rigoberta Menchu Tum, a leading advocate of ethno-cultural reconciliation in her native Guatemala and Nobel winner in 1992
• Professor Jody Williams, international campaigner for the banning of land mines, winner in 1997
• Iranian human rights lawyer Dr. Shirin Ebadi, winner in 2003;
• Kenyan environmental activist Professor Wangari Muta Maathai, Nobel winner in 2004

Their statement, issued on the letterhead of the Nobel Women’s Initiative, reads:

“We note with concern the news of the arrest of six prominent Baha’is in Iran on 14 May 2008. We note that Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm are members of the informal group known as the Friends in Iran that coordinates the activities of the Baha’i community in Iran; we further note that another member of the Friends in Iran, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, has been held in custody since 5 March 2008; we register our deepest concern at the mounting threats and persecution of the Iranian Baha’i community.

“We call on the Iranian Government to guarantee the safety of these individuals (and) grant their immediate unconditional release.”

The Nobel Women’s Initiative, based in Ottawa, Canada, was established in 2006 by the six women laureates — who represent North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa – to help build peace by working with women throughout the world. Only 12 women have won the Nobel Peace Prize.

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Treatment of Bahais: A Test of Human Rights in Iran

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy has described the treatment of the Baha’is as a test of human rights in Iran

You can access their report here

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Open letter to President Ahmadinejad on Situation of Baha'i Detainees

On June 1, 2008, Ms. Souhayr Belhassen, President of FIDH, and Mr. Joe Stork, Deputy Director, Middle East and North Africa Division, Human Rights Watch, wrote an open letter to President Ahmadinejad expressing concern over the fate of the seven detained Baha’i leaders.

You can access the letter here

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ICJ calls on Iranian authorities to cease harassment of Baha'i faith leaders

The International Commission of Jurists issued a press release on June 2 calling for the immediate release of the Baha’i leaders in Iran. The press release can be downloaded from the ICJ site here Continue Reading…

ADL: World Leaders Should Press Iran to Free Baha'i Religious Prisoners

The Anti-Defamation League has issued the following statement condemning the arrests of the Baha’i leaders in Iran:

“The arrests of leaders of the Baha’i faith demonstrate the seriousness of the loss of basic religious freedoms and human rights in Iran. The U.S. government and leading human rights activists have likened the situation to the crackdowns on Baha’is immediately after the 1979 revolution in Iran, when 17 Baha’i leaders were arrested. They have never been heard from again.

We call on world leaders to join together and insist that Iran release these religious prisoners. “

You can access the full story here Continue Reading…

Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on Baha'i arrests

The Presidency of the European Union released today a statement about the Baha’i arrests in Iran:

“The European Union is deeply concerned by reports that Ministry of Intelligence officers arrested six members of the Baha’i faith in Tehran on 14 May, who are currently being held in Evin prison.The EU reiterates its serious concern about the continuing systematic discrimination and harassment of the Iranian Baha’is on the grounds of their religion.

The EU calls on the Islamic Republic of Iran to uphold fully the right to adopt and practise a religion of choice, to end the persecution of the Baha’i community, and to release the detained individuals.

The Candidate Countries, Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Montenegro and Serbia, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova align themselves with this declaration.”

http://www.eu2008.si/en/News_and_Documents/CFSP_Statements/May/0521MZZ_Iran.html Continue Reading…

Leadership Council for Human Rights Condemns Arrests of Baha’i Leaders in Iran

The Leadership Council for Human Rights has made a statement condemning the arrests of Bahá’í leaders in Iran, and has called for their immediate release.

Leadership Council for Human Rights Condemns Arrests of Bahá’í Leaders in Iran, Calls for Their Immediate Release

Washington, D.C. – The Leadership Council for Human Rights (LCHR) strongly condemns the sweep of arrests yesterday in Tehran targeting six Bahá’í leaders, who were all taken to Evin prison. These leaders make up the de facto national leadership of the Iranian Bahá’í community.

Those arrested include: Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaie, Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Vahid Tizfahm. According to Bahá’í World News Service, “Mrs. Kamalabadi, Mr. Khanjani, and Mr. Tavakkoli have been previously arrested and then released after periods ranging from five days to four months.”

A seventh leader, Mahvash Sabet, has been detained in Mashhad since March 5, 2008.

“This is the most direct action taken against Bahá’í leadership in Iran since the early 1980s,” Kit Bigelow, Director of External Affairs of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the U.S., told LCHR. Bigelow recounted the disappearance and execution of former Bahá’í leaders in Iran which led to the formation of a de facto group of leaders. On August 21, 1980, all nine members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran, the national governing body, were abducted and never heard from again. The National Spiritual Assembly subsequently was reelected, following which eight of its nine members were executed on December 27, 1981.

In 1983, all formal Bahá’í administrative institutions were outlawed. The Bahá’í community responded by disbanding its governing bodies, the National Spiritual Assembly and all of its Local Spiritual Assemblies, in addition to suspending almost all of its regular organized religious activities. Since that time, events and communications have been coordinated by small groups of de facto leaders at the local and national levels. The national level leaders were the ones imprisoned yesterday, Bigelow said.

“The world should note this tragic repetition of history and act to prevent the further taking of innocent life,” LCHR President Kathryn Cameron Porter said. “Iran must immediately and unconditionally release these men and women, ensure that all who are imprisoned are granted due process and a fair trial, and respect its commitments under the International Covenants on Human Rights.”

In light of the ongoing crackdown against religious and ethnic minorities inside Iran, especially the Bahá’í community, LCHR urges Members of Congress to support House Resolution 1008, condemning the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran.

LCHR is drafting a sign-on letter to the United Nations and to Iranian authorities calling for the release of these prisoners; we ask for your support and we will circulate this letter for signatures in the near future. Continue Reading…

AJC condemns arrest of Iranian Baha'i leaders

The American Jewish Committee has expressed its concern over the arrest and detention of Baha’i leaders in Iran.

You can access their statement here

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The Iran Human Rights Documentation Center has condemned the arrest of Baha’i leaders in Iran.

Tom Parker, Executive Director of the Center, said “The IHRDC is greatly concerned that these latest arrests signal the intention of the Islamic Republic of Iran to further escalate its persecution of this peaceful religious minority. The situation of the Baha’i community is precarious, the IHRDC is calling on the international community to demand the release of these prisoners of conscience and shine a spotlight on one of the most egregious and neglected examples of religious persecution that can be found anywhere on the planet today.”

You can access the full statement here Continue Reading…

Entire Baha’i Leadership in Iran Detained Without Charge

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran today called on the Iranian judicial authorities to account for the detention of the six leading members of the Baha’i Faith, who have been taken to Evin prison.

“We are deeply concerned that the detention without charge of the entire Baha’i leadership is consistent with a pattern of violent and illegal persecution of Baha’is in Iran,” the campaign stated. “The persecution of religious minorities will bring neither internal stability nor international security to Iran.”

You can access the full statement here Continue Reading…

USCIRF Calls for Strong International Condemnation of Arrest of Baha’i Leaders

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom today called for strong international condemnation of the arrest of Baha’i leaders in Iran.

“The arrests of six Baha’i leaders yesterday, following the arrest of another leader in March, is the latest sign of the rapidly deteriorating status of religious freedom and other human rights in Iran,” said Michael Cromartie, the Commission Chair. “This development signals a return to the darkest days of repression in Iran in the 1980s when Baha’is were routinely arrested, imprisoned, and executed.”

You can read the full USCIRF statement here Continue Reading…

IRPP: Iran arrests national Bahai leaders

The Institute on Religion and Public Policy has made a statement about the arrests of Baha’i leaders in Iran.

“For three decades, Bahá’ís have suffered egregious persecution for their faith,” said Institute President Joseph K. Grieboski. “These latest arrests, however, are particularly disturbing because they signal that the government is worsening its abuse of and increasing its attacks against Bahá’ís. We call on the international community to pressure Iran to release immediately the seven national leaders it has detained, and to help secure the freedom to worship for Bahá’ís that is a fundamental right of all people.”

You can access the full statement here Continue Reading…

U.S. Department of State strongly condemns the arrests of Baha'i leaders in Iran

The U.S. Department of State has issued the following statement about the recent arrests:

“We strongly condemn the May 14 arrest of six leaders of the Iranian Baha’i community– Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm–by Iranian authorities and the continued imprisonment of a seventh leader, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet. This is a clear violation of the Iranian regime’s international commitments and obligations to respect international religious freedom norms. We urge the authorities to release all Baha’is currently in detention and cease their ongoing harassment of the Iranian Baha’i community.”

http://www.state.gov/p/nea/ci/c2404.htm

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Iran Working Group examines the situation of ethnic and religious minorities

On Thursday, March 13, witnesses testified about the human rights situations of Iran’s ethnic and religious minorities before the Iran Working Group, a Congressional body co-chaired by Congressman Mark Kirk and Congressman Robert Andrews. The meeting included a testimony on the situation of the Baha’is in Iran, by Ms. Kit Bigelow, Director of External Affairs for the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the U.S.

The Leadership Council for Human Rights has posted a story about the meeting that can be accessed here

You can also access a copy of Ms. Bigelow’s testimony here Continue Reading…