Iran shifts its strategy in the persecution of Baha’is

Statements

Iran shifts its strategy in the persecution of Baha’is

Human Rights Council, Statement under item 4

Geneva—19 September 2016

Mr. President,

It has been three years since President Rouhani came to power in Iran. Sadly, during this period we have seen a stark contradiction between his promise of “creating justice for all Iranians equally” and the continuation of an unjustifiable oppression imposed upon the Bahá’í community in Iran. In fact, the government has proven time and time again, through official documents and oppressive measures orchestrated at the highest levels, that this harsh treatment is deliberate government policy. Strategies have shifted over the years and become more sophisticated and covert, but the aim remains the same: to destroy the Bahá’í community as a viable entity, “to block the progress and development” of the Baha’is, as one official document states. A prominent strategy is now economic strangulation.

And the results are clear: thousands upon thousands of Baha’is have been expelled from their jobs, their pensions have been terminated, they have been banned from employment in the public sector and severely limited in the private sector, at times on the discriminatory and offensive pretext of being “religiously unclean”. Companies are pressured to dismiss Bahá’í employees, banks are forced to block Bahá’í clients’ accounts and business licenses are either not issued, not extended, or are deliberately delayed. And thousands of students have been cruelly banned from entering university, forced to choose between recanting their Faith or being debarred from education.

Before his election, President Rouhani made promises of “promoting job creation and reducing unemployment” as well as increasing cooperation with the international community. Now, consider the stark contradiction between rhetoric and reality. Frankly, it is astonishing. Some of the authorities in Iran are actually working purposefully, day in day out, to drive a segment of their own population into poverty and to stifle their economic participation. 

Mr. President,

The international community must give a strong signal to Iran that its actions do not go unnoticed and that unless it treats all its citizens equally, it will remain under international scrutiny.