UN Rapporteurs and Experts Condemn Targeting of Baha'i Women by the Islamic Republic

A group of 18 special rapporteurs and experts from UN working groups criticized the Islamic Republic of Iran in a joint letter on Tuesday, November 1, for the recent increase in attacks against Baha'i women in Iran. They stated that these women face double discrimination due to both their gender and their Baha'i faith. According to the Baha'i International Community, they expressed serious concern over what appears to be a systematic increase in targeting Baha'i women across Iran. The letter details actions such as arrests, summons for interrogation, disappearances, home searches, confiscation of personal property, restrictions on movement, and prolonged deprivation of their freedoms. This letter was issued prior to the sentencing of 10 Baha'i women in Isfahan to a total of 90 years in prison this week. The 18 rapporteurs and experts had sent their letter to the Iranian government in late July, outlining violations of the rights of Baha'i women in the country and demanding accountability from officials. Additionally, the Iranian authorities were given 60 days to respond before the letter was made public, but no response was received. Following this, the rapporteurs and experts publicly released their letter regarding the ongoing repression of the Baha'i community by the Iranian government. The Baha'i International Community noted that the UN special rapporteurs and working group members are independent experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate, monitor, and report on specific human rights violations worldwide. These rapporteurs and experts have mandates related to women's and girls' rights, freedom of religion or belief, peaceful assembly, education, freedom of expression, and many other issues. They also have special mandates concerning countries like the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has serious human rights concerns. The report indicates that Baha'i women currently make up two-thirds of all cases of persecution against Baha'is in Iran. Forms of persecution include arbitrary detention, deprivation of education, home searches, separation from family, legal summons, trials based on false criminal charges, and long-term and unjust imprisonment. Statistics also show that Baha'i women suffer more than others from the negative effects of these repressions. Simin Fahandaj, representative of the Baha'i International Community at the UN in Geneva, stated, 'When Baha'i women are attacked, the entire family feels the pain and suffering of this injustice. This week, we witnessed the cruel and completely unjust sentencing of 10 innocent Baha'i women in Isfahan to 5 or 10 years in prison. Now, the children of these women, like many other children, will be taken from their mothers. Husbands, daughters, and sisters are separated from their loved ones without any reason, solely because of their beliefs.' She further added, 'Since the 2022 movement, the Iranian government has sought to severely repress various groups, especially women. Baha'i women, who have faced oppression for decades due to their faith, are now more affected by discriminatory policies that target them for both their gender and their beliefs. The recent sentencing of these 10 women to prison solely for their beliefs clearly reflects the urgent concerns of UN experts.' Fahandaj stated, 'These 18 UN experts, each representing the collective conscience of humanity in specific areas, have now collectively called on the Iranian government to end the persecution of Baha'i women and indeed all Baha'is. This is an exceptional action and a powerful message to Iranian authorities that they can no longer hide their heinous actions against Baha'is behind a propaganda of hate and lies about this community.' She added, 'It is now clear to the global community that Baha'is in Iran are persecuted for one reason only: their beliefs. The statement from these 18 prominent individuals, each selected by the UN as human rights experts, is a testament to this reality.' The UN rapporteurs and experts in their letter called for immediate action from the Iranian government and the immediate release of all Baha'i women. They stated that prisoners should receive immediate and complete medical care and mechanisms should be established to hold violators of Baha'i women's rights accountable. They also expressed concern about the continued criminalization of freedom of religion or belief, freedom of expression, and the right of Baha'i religious minority members to participate in various aspects of their community's cultural life by the Iranian government. The letter emphasized, 'The systematic nature of these rights violations indicates a persistent pattern of targeted discrimination and repression of this community and its members due to their religious identity. We are also concerned that this group of oppressed individuals faces compounded and intersectional persecution as both women and members of the Baha'i religious minority.' The letter adds, 'Furthermore, we express concern about the significant effects of the aforementioned allegations of terror imposed on other members of the Baha'i religious minority and on their ability to enjoy their human rights and freedoms.' The Baha'i International Community noted that this historic action by the UN special rapporteurs and experts follows the release of two reports by the UN fact-finding committee on Iran, documenting human rights violations against Baha'is following the 2022 movement and providing detailed accounts of the impact of the repression of Baha'i women and, more broadly, all Baha'is in Iran by the Iranian government. These reports labeled Baha'is as 'the most oppressed religious minority in the Islamic Republic of Iran' and noted that since the protests, there has been a significant increase in hate speech against Baha'is and the persecution of Baha'i women. The persecution and repression of Baha'is over the past 45 years by the Islamic Republic of Iran were also detailed in a report in April 2024 by the organization 'Human Rights Watch' titled 'Boot on My Neck.' This report specified that the Iranian government's treatment of Baha'is constitutes a crime of repression against humanity. Baha'i women face the same pressures that all women in Iran experience, but in addition, they are deprived of access to education and employment and are arrested and imprisoned due to their belief in the Baha'i faith. Fahandaj stated, 'No one should ever be persecuted because of their gender, beliefs, race, or ethnicity. Empowering women makes society more peaceful, stable, and prosperous, and is the right thing to do. Unfortunately, in Iran, not only are women under pressure from all sides, but members of religious minorities like Baha'is face compounded discrimination that adds to the social and economic pressures they and their families face.' The representative of the Baha'i International Community at the UN in Geneva emphasized that Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of the 14th government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, began his presidency with the promise of 'equality for all' and stated, 'He must now show that his words include Baha'is as well, Baha'is who have endured every gross and imaginable violation of human rights and deserve to live as equal citizens in their own country.' The letter from the special rapporteurs and experts of the UN working groups addressed to the Islamic Republic of Iran was signed by Alexandra Zantaki, Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights; Awa Balde, Special Rapporteur and Chair of the five-member working group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances; Dorothy Estrada-Tanck, Special Rapporteur and Chair of the five-member working group on Discrimination against Women and Girls; Frida Shahid, Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education; Gina Romero, Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Peaceful Assembly; Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression; Javaid Rehman, Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran; Nazila Ghani, Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief; Nicolas Laurent, Special Rapporteur on Issues Related to Minorities; and Reem Alsalem, Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women and Girls and its Causes and Consequences.