Bahá'í World Community: End Economic Suppression of Bahá'ís in Iran

The Bahá'í World Community based in Geneva on Tuesday, September 6, sent an open letter to Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, urging him to end the "economic suppression of Bahá'ís" in Iran. This organization advocating for the rights of Bahá'ís criticized the "economic apartheid" against Bahá'ís in Iran and accused the officials of the Islamic Republic of adopting "deliberate policies" and "organized discrimination" against Bahá'ís. The letter states that since the 1979 revolution, the Bahá'í community in Iran has always been the target of "severe economic injustices," and there has been no sign of improvement in their situation since Hassan Rouhani's government took office. The organization described the economic inequality faced by Bahá'í citizens in Iran as a "deliberate policy" of the Islamic Republic's officials. The letter also mentioned the dismissal of Bahá'í employees from the public sector and the numerous restrictions imposed on them in the private sector, their exclusion from a wide range of jobs, confiscation of property, harassment of business owners, and closure of their shops as part of the Iranian government's policies towards Bahá'ís. In recent years, multiple reports have emerged about the closure of businesses owned by Bahá'ís in several cities across Iran. The Bahá'í World Community in Geneva also labeled the detention of Bahá'ís as "arbitrary" and stated that these detentions have "unfavorable" economic effects on the Bahá'í community. The letter criticized the "deprivation of Bahá'í youth from continuing their education or engaging in various sports, cultural, and artistic activities," assessing the economic consequences of these deprivations as "severe." The Bahá'í World Community in Geneva accused Iranian officials of contradictions between their statements and actions regarding economic justice, unemployment reduction, and creating equal opportunities for all Iranian citizens. This organization emphasized that equality among citizens in enjoying basic rights and freedom of belief, according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a right of all Bahá'í citizens in Iran. Furthermore, the Bahá'í World Community stated that since the President of Iran is responsible for safeguarding the rights of all citizens, they addressed Hassan Rouhani: "Since belief in the Bahá'í Faith is not a crime, why are Bahá'ís facing comprehensive violations of their civil, economic, social, and cultural rights?" The situation of Bahá'ís in Iran has consistently drawn criticism from the international community and human rights organizations in recent years. The U.S. State Department, in its annual report on religious freedoms worldwide on August 11, accused Iranian officials of "violating the rights of religious minorities." The report indicated that by the end of the previous year, at least 380 individuals from religious minorities, including 82 Bahá'ís, were imprisoned in Iran. However, the Iranian Foreign Ministry labeled the U.S. report as "repetitive, undocumented, unrealistic, exaggerated, and unconstructive," claiming that it was prepared "based on political motives." Recently, Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, along with Heiner Bielefeldt, the UN's senior observer on freedom of religion and belief, expressed concern over the "hostile remarks" of Iranian officials against Bahá'ís and the creation of "hatred" towards this minority in Iran. Nevertheless, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the Attorney General of Iran, warned Iranian citizens last June that if they communicate with Bahá'ís, they should expect legal consequences. The United Nations also criticized in its latest report last March the "systematic discrimination and detention and harassment of Bahá'í citizens in Iran." Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaleddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeed Rezaei, Behrouz Tavakoli, Vahid Tizfahm, and Mahvash Sabet are seven leaders of the Bahá'í community who were arrested eight years ago by security officials and sentenced to 20 years in prison on charges such as "espionage, insulting sacred beliefs, and propaganda against the regime." The United Nations, the European Union, and the United States have repeatedly called for their release. According to the Bahá'í community in Europe, about 300,000 Bahá'ís live in Iran, but the laws of the Islamic Republic do not recognize Bahá'íism as a religion. In this context, the conviction of a Bahá'í citizen in Shiraz on charges of "propaganda against the regime" to "five years in prison" highlights the ongoing repression.