ATTACH NT 3
Baha'i International Community Statement
at the 36th session of the
Sub—Commission on Prevention of Discrimination
and Protection of Minorities
Geneva — 19 Aug st 1983
9th Meeting
Agenda item 6:
Question of the violation of human rights
and fundamental freedoms
-J
Regrettably, the Baha'i International Community cnce again finds it
necessary to bring to the attention of the Sub—Commission under this
agenda item the matter of the ontinuing gross violation of the human
rights and fundamental freedoms of the members of the Baha'i religious
minority in Iran.
As we have explained in statements at previous sessions of the Sub—
Commission, the persecution of the Baha'i Community in Iran is
motivated solely by primitive religious prejudice. Since the Islamic
Revolution took lace, the 300,000 members of the Iranian Baha'i
counity - the largest religious minority in Iran — have suffered
intimidation, discrimination, violence and even'death simply. because
their religious beliefs differ from those held by the ruling
authorities.
Eowever, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary — including
documentary evidence previously submitted to the Secretariat and
available for insoection — the Government of the Islamic Republic of
Iran is continuing to assert that no Baha'i has been or is being
persecuted in Iran because of his religion.
In order to lend credence to this assertion, to justify its actions
against the Baha'is and to tr7 to divert international attention from
this humanitarian issue, the Government of Iran has embarked upon a
campaign of defamation designed to discredit the Baha'i Faith and
its followers. Whereas, in the early days of the persecution, the
Iranian authorities flatly denied that Baha'is were being persecuted
and executed in Iran, these same authorities are now claiming that
they are fully justified in persecuting and executing Baha'is, on the
grounds that the Baha'i Faith is not a religion at all but that it is
a subversive political organization whose followers are engaged in
international esoionage. These allegations are totally false and
the Baha'i International Community categorically denies them.
—1—
—2—
The latest attempt to defame the Baha'i Faith and its followers is
contained in the publication “Bahaism — its origins and its role”,
which has just been circulated to members of the Sub-Commission by
the representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran. According to
this document, the Baha'is were not only responsible for the policies
of the late Shah and for the operations of his secret police force,
SAVAL(, but were also — or are also — agents of Russian imperialism,
agents of British colonialism, agents of American expansionism, and
agents of Zionism. All of this presupposes a truly remarkable degree
of versatility on the part of the Baha'is — and of course the charges
contained in the Iranian document are so exaggerated and so contra-
dictory that it is very clear that they are false.
It is not our intention, in this brief statement, to deal with the
charges contained in the Iranian document, but we would like to draw
to th.e attention of the members of the Sub—Commission the fact that
the Bai-ia'i International Community has prepared a Commentary on that
document, in which the false allegations, are briefly discussed and
refuted. We have made this document available to Sub—Commission
members arid we have it available for anyone else who is interested.
Turning once more to the situation of the Baha'i community in Iran,
we regret to have to report that, during the twelve months that have
elapsed since the Sub—Commission last considered this matter, the
religious persecution of the Baha'is has continued unabated. Large
numbers of Baha is have been imprisoned solely because of their
religious beliefs and many have been executed because they refused
to recant their faith and embrace Islam. Countless others have
suffered harassment, dismissal from employment, confiscation of their
property and denial of education to their children. The entire Baha'i
community in Iran has suffered intimidation, discrimination and
hardship as a result of the Government's anti—Baha'i policies.
Thousands of Baha'is are now homeless and countless others have been
deprived of their means of livelihood. Upwards of 250 Baha'is are
currently being held without charges in Iranian prisons — some of them
already under sentence of death.
—3—
At the end of June, two prominent Baha'is were kidnapped in Teheran,
bringing to a total of 16 the number of prominent Baha'is who have
disappeared without trace.'
Since the start of the Islamic Revolution, 142 Baha'is have been killed
for their religious beliefs. Some have been stoned to death or beaten
to death or burned to death by mobs. A number have been assassinated.
But the overwhelming majority — 116 out of 142 — have been summarily
executed by order of the revolutionary authorities.
During the past year, the persecution of the Baha'is has been particularly
intense in Shiraz — the city in which the Baha t i Faith was born. In
September 1982, five Baha'is were tried in Shiraz on unspecified charges,
were offered their lives if they would recant their faith, and were
condemned to death when they refused to do so. In October and November
1982, over 80 Baha'is were summarily arrested in Shiraz arid imprisoned
without charges. Twenty—two were subsequently condemned to death, but —
in order to exert the maximum psychological pressure on the Baha'i
community — the authorities did not reveal their names.
The most notorious of the many incidents of persecution in Shiraz took
place only two months ago, in June 1983, when the authorities summarily
executed 17 Baha'is., Ten of the victims were women, including three
teenage girls. All had been arrested several months previously and
held without charges while severe pressure was put upon them to recant
their faith and embrace Islam. When they refused to do so, they were
condemned to death without trial.
All the incidents I have just mentioned are described in more detail
in materials published by the Baha'i International Community and
available to anyone who is interested.
More recently, the Baha'i International Community has received the
disturbing news that, during the past five weeks, 63 Baha'is - including
25 women — have been seized by the authorities in a renewed wave of
summary arrests. Almost half of these arrests took place in the Teheran
area, where the authorities have' apparently embarked upon a concerted
campaign to hunt down the members of Baha'i administrative institutions.
—4—
We are profoundly distressed at the plight of the Baha'i community in
Iran, and very gravely concerned for the safety of our fellow believers
who are currently being held in prison — especially those under
sentence of death in Shiraz. We urgently appeal to the Sub-Commission
to do everything in its power to intensify the efforts of the inter-
national community to persuade the Government of Iran to halt its cr iel
and senseless persecution of an innocent and defenceless minority.
19 August 1983
