Forced Burial of Baha'i Deceased in Khavaran; Baha'i Community: It's Ruthless

The Baha'i International Community criticized the Iranian government's action of "forced burial of Baha'i deceased without informing their families and without adhering to Baha'i burial customs," stating that recently six Baha'is have been buried in this "ruthless manner" in Khavaran cemetery. The statement says: "Three more bodies are in the morgue, while their families continue their efforts to bury their loved ones with dignity." Simin Fahandej, the representative of the Baha'i International Community at the United Nations, had also criticized the "forced burial of a Baha'i citizen in Khavaran cemetery without informing his family" last month. In the summer of 1988, over four thousand political opponents of the Islamic Republic were sentenced to death in summary trials by a committee known as the death panel, and after the massacre, they were collectively buried in Khavaran cemetery. Last week, a group of families of the victims of the 1988 massacre criticized the Iranian government's renewed efforts to "erase" the traces of the "crime in Khavaran" and called for a halt to any burials in this cemetery. According to the statement from the Baha'i International Community, an intelligence officer named Masoud Momeni "demands exorbitant amounts to allow Baha'is to bury their loved ones in a cemetery that belongs to them." This request has reportedly not been accepted by the families. The statement continues that this intelligence officer has buried six Baha'i citizens in this manner in recent weeks, "burying the deceased Baha'is in narrow graves and in at least one case placing two bodies in one grave." The Baha'i International Community also announced the arrest of four Baha'is in this regard, calling it a "vindictive action" and detailing that "three individuals who had helped their fellow believers in the Baha'i cemetery for years have been arrested by the Ministry of Intelligence." Additionally, "members of one family who were trying to resolve burial issues through legal means are in detention." The statement quotes Simin Fahandej, calling the forced burial of Baha'is unjust and the arrest of these four Baha'is unfair. Since the beginning of the 1979 revolution, Baha'is have systematically faced discriminatory and illegal behaviors, including arbitrary arrests and imprisonment based on baseless charges, deprivation of education, confiscation of homes and properties, and desecration of their cemeteries. Human rights organizations and Western governments, including the United States, have consistently condemned the Islamic Republic's discriminatory religious approach against followers of other religions and sects, particularly Baha'is in Iran, calling for an immediate change in this practice. A former Baha'i community leader in Karaj was arrested; two other Baha'is were buried in Khavaran cemetery. The judiciary's news agency denied the "deteriorating condition" of Mahvash Sabet; silence regarding her torture. The U.S. representative on Iranian affairs criticized the torture of Mahvash Sabet, a Baha'i prisoner in Iran. The "Khavaran Seekers" group condemned the burial of a Baha'i citizen in Khavaran cemetery. Faezeh Hashemi recounted the "torture" of Mahvash Sabet, a Baha'i citizen imprisoned in Evin prison.