Situation of the Baha'is in Iran

Statements

Situation of the Baha'is in Iran

UN Human Rights Council – 23rd session, May 2013

Geneva—5 June 2013

Recently, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights adopted its concluding recommendations on the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Committee recognized that the Baha'is in Iran face exclusion and discrimination in every field, including denial of employment and access to higher education.  Moreover, it identified that these discriminations also take place against women and ethnic minorities, particularly the Kurds, the Baloch, the Arabs and the Azeris.

Discrimination against Baha'is in the area of employment is official policy.  They are banned from work in the public sector and can be dismissed from jobs in the private sector if their religious affiliation becomes known.  In 2007, a government bureau barred Baha'is from 25 specified trades.  Following the government’s orders, officials in over 40 cities took measures to shut down Baha'i-owned shops and businesses.  In rural areas, they forced Baha'i farmers to stop production, destroyed their crops and slaughtered livestock. 

In documented cases since 1979, officials have abusively confiscated over 2,000 properties owned by Baha'is:  houses and apartments, offices and shops, factories, farms and land.  Some cases were taken to court, but to no avail.  Some verdicts declared that the confiscation of property from members of “the evil sect of the Baha’i” is legally and religiously justifiable.

 Identified Baha'is are denied access to higher education.  The official guide to participation in the national university entrance exam stipulates as a requirement:

“Belief in Islam or in one of the religions specified in the Constitution…  (Judaism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism).”  Other official instructions state that Baha'is must be expelled from universities and vocational training, as soon as they are identified.  When the students appeal to relevant authorities, or through the courts, they are rejected.

The Iranian government needs to be reminded that it cannot simply flaunt the recommendations issued by numerous human rights organs and must abide by its obligations under international human rights law.