Baha'js fear that if the pre-
sent course of persecution in
Iran is left unchecked and
governments of the free world
del t.y effective intervention on
behalf of this beleagured com-
munity, those in authority in
Iran may pursue their admit-
ted design, and continue the
campaign of terror with a
view to exterminate the inno-
cent and defenceless Baha'i
minority in Iran. At present
the authorities have a list of
about 4,000 key Baha'is for
The present state of affairs
is the cWirnjnation of a syste-
matic caw aigo of intimida-
tion aga insi the Iranian Baba'i
communIty that has taken
the f'z;:u of forcing in-
divjdaE j Baha'js to recant
their faith, of economic
repress ion, vi!ification false
accusation, assassination and
wrongi ul arrest, imprisonment
and execution, and has called
forth protests from the hignest
international authorities.
The National Spiritual
Assembly of the Baba'is of
India are left with no choice
but to appeal, through the
free press of India, to the
hearts and conscience of our
people and Government to
intervene on behalf of the
defenceless .Baha'is of Iran.
POON
Pugwasb
Moscow Aug, 29 (1
Arms control and stren
ing of European securit:
b among many topics
discused at the 31 st Pu
Conferecce which ope
the Caudian resort tot
Banif, yesterday
Over 200 scietktjsts fr
countries are attendjg
six-day conference, r
State from. Banff W
Canada.
The conference devot
the quest peace in a
Ridded dworld expressec
cern over, the us decis
go ahead with producti
neutron bombs and the I
plan to deploy new US
urn range nuclear rnissh
Western Europe.
The scientists dem
taking up early mea ur
check the arms race, espe
nuckar ones to stren
mutual .eonfidence ai
countries and to eni
detcnte.
They also called for
control talks. between th
and the Soviet Union a
earliest possible date.
The Pugwasb move.
was founded in 1956
Albert Einstein and Bet
Ruseil issued a joint n
festo calling all. scientist
pool their efforts and pre
a nuclear catastrophe.
Angola aske
OAU. br he!
Lisbon, Aug. 28 (Rent
The Government of An
tonight ached Member St
of the Organ isation of Afr
Unity (OAU) to help e.
South African forces f
Angolan territory.
The Angolan News Ag
ANGOP said the Counci
Ministers isued a staten
calling on all OAU memi
to contribute aid to “e
the attacking army of So
Africa's racist regime ft
Angolan territory”.
The Statement said So
African forces were still
Angola's Southern Kurt
Province. It said access to,
ta the provincial capital of
giva werc being cut and
town itself was being bomb
Conferenc
aOthAUOUSTl9al
BPOOOS3°4. ,
Bahai's >being
k
in
U. N. intervention sought for
Iranian Baha'is
Pune, Aug. 29: The Baha'is of India have appealed to Dr. Kurt
Waldheim to send a special representative or a Commission to as certain
for himself the plight of the Baha'is in Iran. Recent exécu jons of lead-
ing Baha'.is on trumped-up charges clearly indicate that having destroy-
ed the ecoflomic base of the. community and confiscated their spiritual
administrative centres,. The authorities are now coneentratThg on des-
troying the Baha'i leadership at the city, provinci i a i1 n itiona level.
The cream of tbe.Baha's community are either in riso or have been
killed. The execution of seven highraaking Bah ' s in X ezd last Sept-
ember was followed by the murner o prominent. h h vers in Tehran and
Azerbaijan. . Last week, seven leading members if the. B ha'i- Assembly
of Hamadan were executed. Seven most active• at d .intporfant Baha'is
of Tehran were executed by the firing squad after icg1i'eld in solitary
Confinement for nearly two years. Baha'is fear ii unless nteroatjonal
action and support is. mobilized, their com'nity in Iran wili;be
obliterated. . . . .
By now, torture and killings bank accounts confiscated, Iiquid j .W rld-wjde app.
of Baba'is have assumed ajprivateeàt.erprises were looted edis have Jiai4jttie. effect on
kind of legality by. the appro-. oi wreaked, farms and or- the Goverurnent of Iran and
vat given to it by the Supreme ëhhrds were burned, and the ominous portends . of a
Judicial Council in Tehran.j thousands of Baha'is were religious genooae are looming
The Times. of London coin- dischárged from public andl large. In it of even the
mented: “What makes the private employment. . best efforts -last year, the
new wave of persecutions so holiest sht jne of1he .Baha'js
alarming ‘is that. courts are A campaign to terrorize the ‘in Iran-the House of the Baha
beginning to presecute and community , was let loose in Shiraz' was obliterated,
when infiamatory sermons 0f bearing ample evidence of the
even legitimize executions, the Shi'ih clergy preceded determination of the present
on the ground that the accus-
ed person is a Baha'i” ‘ attacks by mobs that destroy- authorities to eradicate the
The oppression of the ed Baha'i shrines and holy Baha'i co nmunjty.
Baha'is entered a nighly sinis- places, desecrated cemetrjes
ter and systematic phase and raped and beat up meni-
when, about two years ago, bers of the Faith in scores of
the National Ba'ha'j Centre tOWn and villages. To make
Tehran was seized and corn- matters worse, the controlled,
plete records of the Baha'is Iranian media collaborated
were taken away. This action by giving wide publicity to
provided those responsible for hate propaganda against
the persecution with the means Baha'is
of identifying members :‘of the
Baha'i Community throughout
Iran. Leading Baha'i in the
country were then arrested
one by one.' It appears that
an execution list has been
prepared which is now being
implemented in stages.
Following the seizure of
Baha'i statistical records, there
began a campaign of systema-
tic destruction of the economic
base of the community. Baha'i
:assets were arbitrarily seized,
pensions were cancelled and
0
