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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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A hearing held before the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights, on 26 May 2011, included presentations from: (left to right) Penelope Faulkner – a member of the European Platform on Religious Discrimination and Intolerance (EPRID); Sarah Vader – representative of the Baha'i International Community to the European Union; and Heiner Bielefeldt – United Nations Special... Subject: Persecution of the Baha'i Community
Brussels—26 May 2011—Victims of religious intolerance are not just people deprived of the right to practice their faith – they suffer abuses in every aspect of their daily lives.
This observation was made at a hearing held before the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights.
Penelope Faulkner – a member of the European Platform on Religious Discrimination and Intolerance (EPRID) – highlighted the degree to which freedom of religion or belief is threatened around the world.
It is a "massive problem," said Ms. Faulkner. "Especially in countries where the state...incites hatred, religious minorities are... Read more . . . |
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The Baha'i Institute for Higher Education (BIHE) was established in 1987 as a community initiative to meet the educational needs of young Baha'is who have been systematically denied access to higher education by the Iranian government. Subject: Persecution of the Baha'i Community
25 May 2011—A coordinated series of raids have been carried out on the homes of several Iranian Baha'is, active in a community initiative to provide a higher education programme for young members who are barred from university.
Reports indicate that raids took place on Saturday 21 May on as many as 30 homes in Tehran, Karaj, Isfahan, and Shiraz. It is now understood that some 14 Baha’is have been arrested.
"All of the targets were homes of individuals closely involved with the operations of the Baha'i Institute for Higher Education," said Diane Ala'i, representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva.
The Baha'... Read more . . . |
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Some 30 senior religious representatives gathered at the G8 Religious Summit in Bordeaux, 23-24 May 2011, the seventh in a series of interfaith gatherings aimed at identifying areas of moral consensus among religions. Subject: Human Rights
Bordeaux, France—25 May 2011—Representatives of the Baha'i Faith have joined a call for the G8 bloc of nations to take bold action on the interconnected crises faced by humanity.
Two Baha'i delegates gathered with Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Shinto and Sikh colleagues, as well as members of interfaith organisations, at the Religious Summit in Bordeaux to deliberate on matters related to the agendas of the G8 Deauville Summit and the G20 Cannes Summit, scheduled for 3-4 November 2011.
Summit Moderator His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel Adamakis, Co-President of the Council of Churches of France, told participants that... Read more . . . |
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Fariba Kamalabadi, left, and Mahvash Sabet, right. The Baha'i International Community has confirmed that they have been transported back to Evin prison in Tehran from Qarchak prison. Subject: Persecution of the Baha'i Community
Geneva—20 May 2011—The two women amongst Iran's seven imprisoned Baha'i leaders have been returned to Tehran's notorious Evin prison.
The Baha'i International Community has confirmed that Fariba Kamalabadi and Mahvash Sabet are now back behind bars in the jail where their incarceration began three years ago.
The transfer of the two women to Evin followed a brief spell held in reportedly appalling conditions at Qarchak prison, some 45 kilometers from Tehran.
It is understood that family members of the two prisoners have now been able to visit them at Evin.
Mrs. Sabet and Mrs. Kamalabadi – along with five male... Read more . . . |
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U.S. Senator Mark Kirk speaking at a reception in Washington D.C. on 12 May 2011, about his legislative efforts to support human rights for the people of Iran. Senator Kirk recently introduced a resolution condemning the religious persecution of the Baha'is in Iran, including the unlawful incarceration of the Washington reception's honourees – the seven imprisoned leaders of the Iranian... Subject: Persecution of the Baha'i Community
Geneva—15 May 2011—The injustice being faced by countless citizens of Iran has been highlighted around the world, as supporters marked three years since the arrest of the country's imprisoned Baha'i leaders.
In a message dated 14 May, addressed by the Universal House of Justice to the Baha'is of Iran, the jailed leaders were referred to as true prisoners of conscience. The letter also spoke of the numerous Iranian men and women who have accepted to face hardship for the sake of defending their freedom and human rights.
Their plight was recalled at special gatherings, which included a reception on Capitol Hill in... Read more . . . |
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On 14 May, the Iranian Baha'i leaders enter their third year of imprisonment without having been convicted of any crime. They are, top from left, Behrouz Tavakkoli, Fariba Kamalabadi, Vahid Tizfahm, and Mahvash Sabet; bottom from left, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Saeid Rezaie, and Afif Naeimi. Subject: Persecution of the Baha'i Community
New York—12 May 2011—As seven Baha'i leaders in Iran enter their third year of imprisonment, new details about the harsh conditions of their incarceration have emerged, prompting renewed calls for their immediate release.
The prisoners are Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm.
"These innocent Baha'is have now been locked up for two full years in Tehran's notorious Evin prison, under conditions which clearly violate international standards," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i... Read more . . . |
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The seven Baha'i prisoners, photographed several months before their arrest, are, in front, Behrouz Tavakkoli and Saeid Rezaie, and, standing, Fariba Kamalabadi, Vahid Tizfahm, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, and Mahvash Sabet. Subject: Persecution of the Baha'i Community
New York—12 May 2011—As seven Baha'i leaders in Iran complete their third year in jail, the Baha'i International Community has confirmed that the two women amongst them have been transferred to another prison.
The seven were all members of a national-level ad hoc group that helped attend to the needs of Iran's 300,000-strong Baha'i community.
This Saturday, 14 May, six of them – Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaie, Behrouz Tavakkoli and Vahid Tizfahm – will begin their fourth year behind bars. The seventh member of the group – Mahvash Sabet – was arrested three months earlier than her... Read more . . . |
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Examples of the widespread protest being made by governments and organizations around the world at the reinstatement of the 20-year prison sentences for Iran's seven Baha'i leaders. Subject: Persecution of the Baha'i Community
Geneva—5 April 2011—Governments and human rights organizations have been swift to condemn the reinstatement of 20-year jail sentences for Iran's seven Baha'i leaders.
The seven were informed last month by prison authorities that the 10-year sentences – imposed after an appeal court revoked three charges against them in September last year – have now reverted to the lower court's ruling of 20-year jail terms. Nothing has been seen in writing by the prisoners or their attorneys.
The development has provoked immediate and widespread response – both publicly and privately. Statements have been made by the ... Read more . . . |
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