The U.S. Calls for the Release of Seven Bahá'í Leaders Imprisoned in Iran Again

On Saturday, May 25, the United States urged Iran to ensure the freedom of religions and other freedoms in the country and to release seven leaders of the Bahá'í community who have been imprisoned for eight years and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaleddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeed Rezaei, Behrouz Tavakoli, Vahid Tizfahm, and Mahvash Sabet are the seven Bahá'í leaders who were arrested by security officials eight years ago and were convicted on charges such as 'espionage, insulting sacred beliefs, and propaganda against the Islamic Republic' and sentenced to 20 years in prison. John Kirby, the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, emphasized in a statement on Saturday that his country, in line with the international community, condemns the 'continued imprisonment' of these Bahá'í leaders and calls on the Islamic Republic of Iran to 'immediately release them along with other political prisoners.' The statement also urged Iranian officials to 'adhere to their laws and international commitments, which guarantee freedom of expression, religion, belief, and assembly for all citizens.' Among the seven detained Bahá'í leaders, Fariba Kamalabadi has recently been on leave outside of prison after eight years of imprisonment, which sparked severe reactions among conservative figures and media following Faezah Hashemi's visit with her. Despite these reactions, Ms. Hashemi defended her meeting with Fariba Kamalabadi, stating that she has a 'human rights perspective' towards the Bahá'í community in Iran, as 'they should enjoy the same basic rights as other citizens, which unfortunately they do not.' She added, 'Whether I am a Muslim and they are Bahá'ís or which religion is good or bad is not the issue. The issue is human rights and that certain groups in our society, including Bahá'ís, unfortunately do not enjoy their basic rights.' The Islamic Republic recognizes several religious minorities in its constitution, including Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians, and emphasizes some of their social rights, such as having a representative in parliament, but refuses to recognize the Bahá'í community, which has a significant following compared to other minorities in Iran, imposing restrictions on their employment and education. Currently, according to human rights organizations, over 300,000 Bahá'í citizens live in various cities in Iran, but the increasing restrictions, harassment, and discrimination against members of this religious community in recent years have forced some of them to leave Iran for further education and living. In this context, educational restrictions for Bahá'í citizens in Iran have led the leaders of this community to establish an independent educational structure for Bahá'í students, and in recent years, some of the charges against detained Bahá'ís have been related to their participation in educating these citizens.