Baha'i Persecution in the Islamic Republic; 'At least 225 people' have been killed in the last four decades

On Thursday, July 13, the Open Data Iran website published a report on the discrimination faced by the Baha'i community in Iran, stating that since the establishment of the Islamic Republic, 'at least 225 Baha'is have been killed directly or indirectly by the Islamic Republic.' This report, based on sources from the 'Baha'i Persecution Documentation Center,' shows that since the 1979 Revolution, at least 158 Baha'is have been executed by court order, 16 have disappeared after being threatened by religious or governmental agents, 12 have died in prison due to torture, and 39 have been killed with the support of religious and political institutions. The report indicates that most victims were killed in the early years of the establishment of the Islamic Republic. The highest number of fatalities occurred in 1981, followed by the bloody years of 1980, 1983, and 1984 for the Baha'i community in Iran. The report further notes that it seems there was a shift in policies towards Baha'is in the mid-1980s. Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the second most powerful figure in the regime during the 1980s, wrote in his memoirs from 1987: 'One night, the council of the Combatant Clergy Association [of Tehran] was held in my office. We discussed the Baha'is. It seemed that if we had the following policy towards them, it would be good: 1- Do not register their name as Baha'i in official documents and leave the religion column blank. 2- Allow them to enjoy the ordinary benefits of social life. 3- They should not enter government jobs and other important positions. 4- If they want to go abroad, let them go.' However, despite the emphasis on the use of 'ordinary benefits of social life' in this document, the Open Data Iran report indicates that violations of Baha'i citizens' rights have continued at various levels, such as deprivation of education, dismissal from government jobs, confiscation of property, surveillance of residential places, destruction of cemeteries, and more. One of the most notable cases of rights violations against Baha'is is their deprivation of education in schools and universities, which, although widespread, has only 186 government or judicial documents in the 'Baha'i Persecution Documentation Center.' (It should be noted that in many cases, officials refrain from providing official documentation regarding deprivation of education.) In this regard, the 1980s show the worst conditions. However, after a relative calm in the 1990s, with the rise of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the statistics of deprivation of education increased again in the second half of the 2000s, and a new wave of discrimination against Baha'is began. For more details, you can click on the names of individuals. 'The Bitterest Farewell'; the account of the execution of Baha'is in 1983 with the paintings of Maryam Safajoo. Narges Mohammadi: The government's position is clear; we citizens must be the voice of our Baha'i compatriots. Shahla Shafigh - Supporter of the Baha'i community in Iran: Baha'is are a symbol of discrimination and resistance in the Islamic Republic; everyone must unite against oppression. Support from Narges Mohammadi for the campaign 'Our Story is One.' Confirmation of sentences of over 40 years in prison and prohibition from social rights for 13 Baha'i citizens.