Recent Stories
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Oral statement by Simin Fahandej Subject: Social and Sustainable Development
10 July 2011—The Baha'i International Community delivered an oral statement at the ECOSOC High Level Segment (HLS) held on 4-8 July in Geneva. This year, the HLS focused on the Annual Ministerial Review theme of "Implementing the internationally agreed goals and commitments in regard to education" to reach the Millennium Development Goals. Read the statement here. |
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The Law Society, which represents thousands of solicitors in England and Wales, has joined with the Solicitors' International Human Rights Group to highlight serious issues surrounding human rights in Iran. Subject: Human Rights
London—8 July 2011—Two prominent legal associations are calling upon the United Nations' new special investigator for Iran to examine the "dire situation" of human rights defenders and alleged "dissidents" in the country.
In a joint statement, the Law Society and the Solicitors' International Human Rights Group are asking the UN Human Rights Council's newly-appointed Special Rapporteur on Iran to tackle such issues as "how 'dissidents,' who are deemed to have threatened national security on the flimsiest of grounds, are treated..."
The statement highlights the cases of "peaceful protesters who have called for the... Read more . . . |
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Subject: Persecution of the Baha'i Community
6 July 2011—Current and forthcoming stamps in the series depict the acclaimed poet Simin Behbahani; trade unionist Mansour Osanlou; Mahvash Sabet – one of Iran's seven Baha'i leaders; and human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh.
The stamps are officially accepted by the Netherlands' national postal service and are valid for use on mail.
The initiative was the brainchild of Mina Saadadi, managing editor of media organization Shahrzad News, which produces radio programs and online content in Persian and English.
"Here in the Netherlands, we have the possibility to publish and design our own stamps," said Ms. Saadadi. "There are a lot of violations of... Read more . . . |
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Mohamad Tavakoli – a professor of history and Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations – delivers the opening address at the conference on "Intellectual Othering and the Baha'i Question in Iran," which commenced at the University of Toronto on Friday, 1 July. Seated on the panel are, from left to right, Linda Northrup, University of Toronto; Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak, University of Maryland... Subject: Persecution of the Baha'i Community
Toronto—5 July 2011—Iranian scholars, many from globally prominent universities, gathered here for a groundbreaking academic conference on the persecution of Iran's Baha'is.
Titled "Intellectual Othering and the Baha'i Question in Iran," the conference examined how Iranian authorities have sought to exclude Baha'is from social, political, cultural, and intellectual life by portraying them as outsiders in their own land – a process known as "othering."
The event, held from 1-3 July, was the first major academic conference at a top-ranked university to focus on the persecution of Iran's Baha'is in any context.
"This... Read more . . . |
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Mahnaz Parakand, one of the lawyers for Iran's seven imprisoned Baha'i leaders, spoke at a meeting held at the European Parliament in Brussels, 28 June 2011. "The pain and suffering that the Baha'is have to endure are in addition to the cruelties suffered by all the people of Iran," said Ms. Parakand. Subject: Human Rights
Brussels—28 June 2011—One of the lawyers who defended Iran's seven imprisoned Baha'i leaders has made an impassioned plea for justice during an extraordinary meeting held at the European Parliament.
Mahnaz Parakand told the meeting that the expectation of the people of Iran is "not to be left alone by the governments and international organizations whose primary policy is the respect of humanity and human rights..."
All of Iran's peoples are "held in a large prison named the Islamic Republic of Iran," she said, "under various oppressions and sufferings, and are imprisoned, tortured and executed for a number of... Read more . . . |
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Campaigners join hands around almost 8,000 photographs of Iran's seven imprisoned Baha'i leaders at a rally calling for human rights in Iran, held at Rio's Copacabana Beach, 19 June 2011. Their yellow vests read, "Today we are all Baha'is" and "Free the 7 Baha'is imprisoned in Iran". Vests were also distributed to beach-side traders and passers-by who... Subject: Persecution of the Baha'i Community
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil—20 June 2011—Representatives from government, religious communities and civil society organizations were among the 800 human rights supporters who gathered to call upon Iran to cease its persecution of Baha'is and other religious minorities.
Participants travelled from all over Brazil to take part in the rally, held at Rio's Copacabana Beach yesterday, some spending up to 15 hours on buses to get there.
Almost 8,000 images depicting the faces of Iran's seven imprisoned Baha'i leaders were on display at the beach, corresponding to the number of days of detention the seven had suffered after... Read more . . . |
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The 16 Baha'is detained after Iranian authorities raided homes associated with staff and faculty of the Baha'i Institute for Higher Education. Four of them have since been released. They are Vahid Mokhtari – pictured second row, far left; Sadaf Sabetian – second row, third from left; Amir-Houshang Amirtabar – third row, far left; and Soheil Ghanbari – third row, third from left. Subject: Persecution of the Baha'i Community
Geneva—16 June 2011—Governments, organisations and educators have condemned Iran's latest attack on an initiative offering higher education to young Baha'is barred from university.
The government of Austria, more than 80 prominent Indians, and top academics from the United Kingdom, are among the latest to voice their support for Iranian Baha'is' right to education. Human rights groups have also joined the call for the release of imprisoned Baha'i educators.
Some 39 homes associated with the Baha'i Institute for Higher Education (BIHE) have recently been targeted. Twelve BIHE staff and faculty members remain in... Read more . . . |
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Valiollah Toosky, Iranian Baha'i architect and educator, who died in California at the age of 55, after a six-month battle with brain cancer. Subject: Persecution of the Baha'i Community
San Clemente, California, United States—16 June 2011—Right up until his final moments, Valiollah Toosky's thoughts were in Iran, with his students and colleagues at the Baha'i Institute for Higher Education (BIHE).
His sister recalls in particular that, on the last day of his life, he was telephoning Iran from the United States where he had gone for medical treatment. Foremost on his mind was the arrest of fellow faculty members.
"Right at noon, the very last phone call he ever made, was to his colleagues in Iran," said Bahereh Smith. "His only concern was about how they were going to continue the BIHE. That was his... Read more . . . |
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A panel discussion held at the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament on 15 June featured contributions from: (left to right) Nazila Ghanea, University of Oxford lecturer and editor of the "Journal of Religion & Human Rights"; Shadi Sadr, women's rights activist and lawyer; Louise Ellman MP, who chaired the panel; Mike Gapes MP; Khataza Gondwe of Christian Solidarity... Subject: Persecution of the Baha'i Community
London—16 June 2011—Iran's human rights record has come under scrutiny at a seminar held in the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament.
The panel discussion – which included members of Parliament, experts and human rights activists – was co-hosted by the UK All-Party Parliamentary Friends of the Baha'is, along with human rights groups United4Iran and Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).
"It is no exaggeration that the human rights situation in Iran is in crisis," said Nazila Ghanea, a lecturer at the University of Oxford and an editor of the Journal of Religion & Human Rights.
Dr. Ghanea charged the... Read more . . . |
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Human rights supporters have issued a poster depicting some of those staff of the Baha'i Institute for Higher Education who have been arrested in Iran. They were offering education to young community members barred by the government from attending university. Subject: Persecution of the Baha'i Community
New York—1 June 2011—The series of raids carried out on some 30 homes of Baha'is, who were offering education to young community members barred by the government from university, is the latest action in Iran's ongoing policy to keep its largest non-Muslim religious minority on the margins of society.
Since the 1979 Islamic revolution, Baha'is have been systematically deprived of higher education. With nowhere else to turn, the community initiated its own educational programmes.
"The Iranian authorities are clearly determined to make it impossible for the Baha'i community to educate its youth whose opportunities are... Read more . . . |
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