Fortieth Anniversary of the Execution of 10 Baha'i Women in Shiraz; 'The Virus of Oppression and Discrimination' is Widespread

On the fortieth anniversary of the execution of 10 Baha'i women in Iran, an online campaign was launched on Sunday, June 18, in their memory with the hashtag 'Our Story is One' in Persian and English on social media. Shirin Ebadi, Iranian lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, in a video message on the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of the execution of 10 Baha'i women in Shiraz, likened 'oppression and discrimination' to a 'virus' in society that 'infects everyone' and 'must be fought against from the very beginning.' She pointed out that at the beginning of the 1979 Revolution, 'one of the oppressed groups was the Baha'is,' referring to the execution of 10 Baha'i women 'only for their religious beliefs and adherence to the Baha'i faith,' and stated that 'at that time, society did not show the necessary sensitivity to such executions.' Shirin Ebadi emphasized that this 'virus gradually affected everyone and infected all,' stressing that the Islamic Republic of Iran 'has the highest execution rate per capita' and is the second country in terms of the number of executions after China, adding: 'This year alone, two Muslims were executed for insulting the Prophet of Islam; these executions and these executions are the result of indifference or lack of attention to the execution of Baha'is.' The Nobel Peace Prize laureate added: 'We must fight against oppression and discrimination everywhere and in everyone, and the campaign 'Our Story is One' expresses that our stories are all the same and we have all been oppressed, whether we are Baha'is or Muslims.' She stated that 'eventually, they have come for all of us,' saying: 'The only condition for liberation from this situation is that we all unite against oppression.' Shahin Milani, a human rights activist and researcher, also tweeted: 'Today, forty years after that painful day, the crimes of the Islamic Republic against the people of Iran continue. We, the victims of the Islamic Republic, have different political and social backgrounds, but our story is one.' The Twitter storm 'Our Story is One' took place on Sunday, June 18, from 9 to 11 PM Tehran time, coinciding with the fortieth anniversary of the execution of 10 Baha'i women in Shiraz. Eghaan Shahidi, a civil activist and former political prisoner, also wrote: '10 gallows for 10 Baha'i women who kissed the noose between 'Islam and execution.' Mehrangiz Kar, a lawyer and women's rights activist, also emphasized in a message on this day: 'If we were not eyewitnesses at the time when 10 Baha'i women were killed, we have been silent witnesses after learning about it. This silence has cost us dearly.' This lawyer added: 'Let us pledge to ourselves to forever avoid silence in the face of the government's crimes.' On June 18, 1983, 10 Baha'i women, including 17-year-old Mona Mahmoudnejad, 25-year-old Simin Saberi, 25-year-old Akhtar Sabet, 29-year-old Zarrin Moghimi, 28-year-old Mahshid Niroomand, 26-year-old Shirin Dalvand, 23-year-old Roya Ashraqi, 57-year-old Ezzat Janami, 46-year-old Nasrat Ghafarani, and 30-year-old Tahereh Arjmandi were executed. These executions took place two days after the execution of six Baha'i men. The execution of these citizens occurred after they insisted on following the Baha'i faith in response to the question 'Islam or execution.' Previously, a number of Iranian citizens who followed the Baha'i faith had been executed on charges of 'connections' with Israel and 'espionage.' Baha'i citizens have systematically faced widespread social and political discrimination and illegal actions, including arbitrary arrests, executions, enforced disappearances, forced burials, and desecration of their graves since the 1979 Revolution. According to the annual report on 'International Religious Freedom' for the year 2022 prepared by the Office of International Religious Freedom of the U.S. Department of State, the repression, violence, discrimination, and social stigmatization by the Iranian government against members of the Baha'i community have intensified. Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State, emphasizing the 'enduring commitment' of the U.S. government to defend the right to religious freedom, stated that the United States stands with religious freedom activists and people whose religious rights are violated.