A Number of International Legal Experts Call for an End to the Denial of Persecution of Bahá'ís in Iran

Twenty-five lawyers and legal experts from various countries have written a letter to the Secretary of the Human Rights Headquarters of the Iranian Judiciary, asking him to "acknowledge the persecution and oppression of Bahá'ís" and to "take action to improve the current situation." This open letter was published in the Times of Britain. The legal experts have urged Mohammad Javad Larijani to review the content of the website "House of Documents on Bahá'í Persecution in Iran" and to reconsider and correct his statements regarding the "denial" of discrimination against Bahá'ís in Iran. The Bahá'í International Community's office at the UN in Geneva announced at the end of January that a website named "House of Documents on Bahá'í Persecution in Iran" had been launched. This community stated that the mentioned website contains "thousands of official documents" regarding various cases of "executions, imprisonment, harassment, and generally the oppression" of Bahá'ís in Iran from the Qajar era to the present. In the letter from the 25 legal experts to Mr. Larijani, it is stated that the website "House of Documents on Bahá'í Persecution in Iran" "clearly shows the extent and depth of systematic, unjust, and relentless oppression of a religious minority." The letter also refers to issues such as the prohibition of education, economic deprivation, arbitrary arrests, torture, imprisonment, and the immunity of those who commit crimes against the Bahá'í minority. The legal experts say that the published documents indicate a "violation of international obligations" by Iran. Among the signatories of this letter are several lawyers, university professors, and human rights advocates. This letter comes a month after Human Rights Watch accused Iranian security and judicial forces of "violating human rights" in its latest annual report, warning about social discrimination and stating that 92 Bahá'í believers are in prison. Tehran has repeatedly been accused of human rights violations. The organization "Freedom House" also referred to the oppression and violation of human rights in Iran in its recent report, noting that the Iranian government "severely" confronts Bahá'ís and other citizens who hold different beliefs, including unofficial interpretations of Islam. The Islamic Republic denies human rights violations and the suppression of civil and political activists. The current Iranian government does not recognize the Bahá'í faith as a religion.