Proposed Resolution by American Senators Condemning Violations of Baha'i Rights in Iran

Marco Rubio, Republican Senator from Florida, Ron Wyden, Democratic Senator from Oregon, Dick Durbin, Democratic Senator from Illinois, and John Boozman, Republican Senator from Arkansas, on Tuesday, April 25, condemned the violation of Baha'i rights by the Iranian government by presenting a draft resolution in the U.S. Senate. According to Senator Rubio's office, the draft condemns the violation of religious minority rights in Iran and calls on the Islamic Republic to release those imprisoned due to their religious beliefs, including seven leaders of the Baha'i community in Iran. Senator Rubio stated: "The Iranian government has discriminated against Baha'i citizens for decades and has brutally pursued and harassed them." He added that the Iranian government targets schools, merchants, and other members of the Baha'i community, and unjustly, seven Baha'i leaders have been imprisoned since 2008. The lack of religious freedom in Iran for Baha'is and other religious minorities is an issue that cannot be ignored. Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaleddin Khanjani, Afif Naimi, Saeed Rezaei, Behrouz Tavakoli, Vahid Tizfahm, and Mahvash Sabet, the seven leaders of the Baha'i community, were arrested in May 2008 and have been imprisoned since then. Asma Jahangir, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, reported last year that the situation of both official and unofficial religious minorities in Iran remains extremely concerning. The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran stated that Baha'is continue to be systematically and purposefully discriminated against and are deprived of the right to live. Currently, according to reports from human rights organizations, over 300,000 Baha'i citizens live in various cities across Iran, but the increasing restrictions, harassment, and discrimination faced by members of this religious community in recent years have forced some to leave Iran for education and a better life. Meanwhile, educational restrictions for Baha'i citizens in Iran have led community leaders to establish an independent educational structure for Baha'i students, and in recent years, some of the arrested Baha'is have been accused of participating in the education of these citizens. In this context, the "arrest of eight Baha'i citizens" in Iran last week raised concerns about the health of Jamaleddin Khanjani, an 83-year-old political prisoner. A letter from two thousand Baha'is and human rights activists to Rouhani urged that "conditions for Baha'i education be provided." Asma Jahangir reiterated that the situation of religious minorities in Iran remains extremely concerning.