Global Bahá'í Community's Reaction to Pezeshkian's Presence at the UN: Persecution of Bahá'ís in Iran Has Intensified

Simultaneously with the presence of Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of the 14th government of the Islamic Republic, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, the global Bahá'í community issued a statement emphasizing that "promises have no effect on the bitter reality," announcing that the harassment and persecution of Bahá'ís in Iran has intensified. The global Bahá'í community stated on Monday, October 2, in a statement received by VOA, that Pezeshkian is traveling to the United Nations "following a wave of promises made to the people of Iran in recent months," including his claim that "his government will respect the rights of all ethnic and religious minorities." The statement noted that despite Pezeshkian's remarks about respecting each other's beliefs as one of the principles of development, there remains a significant gap between words and actions in the Islamic Republic, especially regarding the harassment and persecution of Bahá'ís. Simin Fahandj, the representative of the global Bahá'í community at the UN in Geneva, expressed a desire to view Pezeshkian's statements with optimism, stating: "However, based on past and current experiences, we should pay more attention to his actions than his words," as "these promises have yet to lead to any change in the reality of Bahá'ís' lives," and "evidence of their ongoing harassment and persecution is worse and larger than can be ignored." She noted that previous heads of the Islamic Republic have also made similar promises about creating an Iran where everyone is equal, but regardless of who is in power, Bahá'ís in Iran continue to face the same ongoing harassment and persecution from cradle to grave. Fahandj stated that the Iranian government's goal is to eliminate the Bahá'í community as a living and dynamic community in the country, characterizing the Islamic Republic as a government that discriminates against Bahá'ís in its constitution and all major laws and policies, issuing specific official directives regarding the "Bahá'í issue." She emphasized that the challenge facing Masoud Pezeshkian is "to remove multiple obstacles that prevent Bahá'ís from living in Iran as equal citizens," and his statements are "in stark contradiction to the latest attacks on Bahá'ís in various parts of Iran in recent weeks." The statement also referenced Pezeshkian's remarks about strengthening communication among Iranians of different ethnicities and religions through cultural and artistic dialogues, noting that contrary to these words, in August of this year, "the protracted and very unjust case of 10 Bahá'í women in Isfahan, who were summoned to the Revolutionary Court of Isfahan and charged with the crime of 'promoting Bahá'í beliefs,' entered a new phase. According to this statement, "the reason for this charge was holding English language, music, yoga, and painting classes for teenagers, children, and Afghan migrants in this city. These charges stemmed from private complaints by neighbors of these Bahá'ís, obtained under pressure from government agents and through telephone threats and summons to court, and despite the ongoing court proceedings, these 10 women have effectively been deemed guilty." The global Bahá'í community also pointed out that thousands of Bahá'í youth have been ruthlessly and systematically barred from entering Iranian universities for over four decades, including a large group of Bahá'í youth in the past two months. The statement highlighted the deprivation of all Bahá'ís from higher education, including participation in a scientific course at Shahid Beheshti University, adding that "only last summer, two music teachers in Qaemshahr were dismissed after a letter from the Ministry of Intelligence was sent to their employers," and these actions are carried out by the "Ministry of Intelligence," which operates under Pezeshkian's presidency. The global Bahá'í community also stated: "A Bahá'í vendor in Shiraz was threatened by security agencies after closing his plumbing store during Bahá'í holidays. Agents also raided the homes of numerous Bahá'ís in Kerman and Shiraz, confiscating their property." Furthermore, "many Bahá'ís" were arrested last month, including in Shiraz, Tabriz, Urmia, and Fardis. The statement also emphasized: "The global Bahá'í community is alarmingly aware of new cases of the government's ongoing attempts to 'cleanse' Iran of Bahá'í history and identity, including the burning of Bahá'í cemeteries in Ahvaz by unknown individuals and tensions in Kashan over the burial of a Bahá'í. The Bahá'í cemetery in Tehran has been blocked to Bahá'ís by Ministry of Intelligence agents for years. These agents have buried deceased Bahá'ís without adhering to burial rites and without the knowledge of their families, in mass graves that are the burial sites of thousands of political prisoners from the 1980s. The global Bahá'í community reminded that officials at Evin Prison have banned phone calls and family visits for Mahvash Sabet, a well-known Bahá'í woman internationally. According to Simin Fahandj, the representative of the global Bahá'í community, the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran "must respect human rights and treat everyone equally before the law," and if Masoud Pezeshkian's actions are to align with the people's demands and his own statements, he and his colleagues must respect the rights of Bahá'ís, other religious and ethnic minorities, women, and all those under his government's protection. Citizens of Bahá'í faith have systematically faced executions, widespread social and political discrimination, and illegal actions including arrests and desecration of their cemeteries since the 1979 revolution. Previously, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom expressed concern over the intensifying pressure on religious minorities in Iran and the Islamic Republic's campaign against Bahá'ís. This commission stated in a report that Islamic Republic officials have systematically targeted Bahá'ís, Christians, Gonabadi dervishes, Zoroastrians, Yarsani, Shia and Sunni Muslims, and non-religious individuals for harassment, arrest, long-term imprisonment, exile, or prohibition from participating in political and social activities over the past few decades.