Persecution of the Bahá'í Community

Persecution of the Bahá'í Community

Iranian Bahá'í Leadership (click here for profiles), imprisoned since 14 May 2008	The Bahá'í Question: Cultural Cleansing in Iran (English / Spanish)

Overview

The Bahá'í International Community works to protect the rights of persecuted Bahá'í communities. In Iran, where the Faith continues to be viewed as heretical to Islam, Bahá’ís comprise the largest religious minority. Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Baha’is have been systematically denied access to higher education, employment; and have been subjected to summary arrests and detentions. They have never been able to openly practice their religion. Our Office continues to work to defend the rights of Bahá'ís wherever their freedom to participate and to contribute fully to the life of society is denied.

New Report: Inciting Hatred: Iran’s Media Campaign to Demonize Baha’is
Latest updates on the situation of Baha’is human rights in Iran
Background document (Sept 2011)
Universal Periodic Review (Sept 2011)
List of Bahá'í prisoners in Iran (Sept 2011)

The report – titled "Inciting Hatred: Iran's Media Campaign to Demonize Baha'is" – documents and analyzes more than 400 press and media items between late 2009 and early 2011, which clearly expose Iran's state-sponsored effort to vilify its largest non-Muslim religious minority.

In Focus

Report exposes Iran's media campaign to demonize Baha'is

21 October 2011

NEW YORK — In a wide-ranging media campaign that has gone largely unnoticed outside of Iran, hatred and discrimination are being systematically stirred up against the country's 300,000-member Baha'i minority.

In a report released today, the Baha'i International Community documents and analyzes more than 400 press and media items over a 16-month period, that typify an insidious state-sponsored effort to demonize and vilify Baha'is, using false accusations, inflammatory terminology, and repugnant imagery.

Recent Activities

Ms Vader spoke on a panel of experts which presented the situation of religious minorities in Iran. (European Union)

Statement on the situation of the Baha'is in Iran to the Seventeenth Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (15 June 2011)

• June (Geneva) - The Baha'i International Community made a statement on the situation of the Baha'is in Iran at the 17th session of the Human Rights Council held in Geneva. To read the statement, click here.
• March (New York) – At the opening session of the 101st  Human Rights Committee meeting, Daniel Perell, Alternate Representative to the United Nations, made a statement on the situation of the Bahá'ís in the Iran. On March 31st, the Committee’s country report task force for Iran will consider and adopt a list of issues in light of the ICCPR report Iran submitted. The Bahá'í International Community spoke at this meeting to apprise the Committee of the situation of the Iranian Bahá'í community which is suffering numerous violations at the hands of the government in contravention of Iran's obligations under the ICCPR. The Islamic Republic of Iran is scheduled for consideration by the Human Rights Committee at its 102nd session.
• February (Geneva) – The Bahá'í International Community presented a review of the recommendations that Iran accepted (at the Universal Periodic Review of the UN Human Rights Council) regarding its treatment of the Bahá'ís in Iran. A point-by-point analysis found that Iran had not yet addressed any of the recommendations and, moreover, had continued its widespread and systematic persecution of Iranian Bahá'ís. To read the analysis, click here.
• February (Brussels) -- The Bahá’í International Community’s representative to the European Union, Sarah Vader, addressed a committee of the European Parliament which follows the relationship with Iran. Ms. Vader spoke on a panel of experts which presented the situation of religious minorities in Iran.

Activity Archive (2008-2010)

In Depth