Bahá'í Community: Government is Attempting to Impoverish and Weaken Bahá'ís

The Bahá'í World Community responded to the intensifying actions of the Islamic Republic against Bahá'í citizens in Iran with a statement emphasizing that "recent changes in government policies have intensified efforts to impoverish and further weaken Bahá'ís." The statement, published on Tuesday, cites the increase in "violent and insulting raids on Bahá'í homes, arrests, and unfair trials based on unfounded accusations against Bahá'ís." The Bahá'í World Community stresses that "deprivation of education and burial rights, an increase in state theft, confiscation of property, and the spread of hatred against Bahá'ís are concerns for the Bahá'í World Community." The statement reveals the new approach of the Islamic Republic towards Bahá'í citizens in Iran, noting that "in recent raids, all available cash, bank cards, personal jewelry, and other valuable items, as well as property and identity documents, have also been confiscated." The spokesperson for the Bahá'í World Community, on December 4, assessed the "complaint-making" policy by the security institutions of the Islamic Republic against several imprisoned Bahá'í citizens as indicative of a lack of evidence against the detainees. Farhad Sabetan also mentioned the government's efforts to "incite Iranian compatriots against Bahá'ís" as a sign of "desperation in providing evidence and witnesses" and a tactic to "justify attacks" by the Islamic Republic against Bahá'í citizens. The website Hrana, the news organ of human rights activists in Iran, recently published the identities of 40 detained Bahá'í citizens and a list of 66 other Bahá'í citizens whose homes have been searched in the past two months. Previously, Javaid Rehman, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, also criticized the "significant increase" in the harassment of Bahá'ís in Iran during a UN meeting in New York. Hassan Nayeb Hashem stated that Bahá'ís in Iran are facing "white genocide" by the Islamic Republic. A letter from 14 political prisoners expressed solidarity with the family of Afagh Khosravi Zand, stating that her life was "entirely one of resilience." The destruction of the "historical document" of political executions; the donation of the body of a Bahá'í citizen for education instead of burial in Khavaran. The "complaint-making" policy against imprisoned Bahá'ís; Farhad Sabetan: the government's desperation in providing evidence. Concerns from human rights observers; pressure on the Bahá'í community in Iran intensified in Mehr and Aban 1402.