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INTERNATIONAL pressure for
a United Nations special inquiry
into the persecution in Iran of
the 300,000 people of the
minority Baha'i religion will be
strengthened by. last Friday's
execution of a Briton visiting
Iran, whose death is directly
linked to his membership of the
faith.
Habbibollah Azizi, aged 65,
was executed last week having
been under arrest In Teheran
since late last year. Azizi moved
to Bournemouth 12 years ago
and became * British resident in
1979. He returned to visit his
mother in Iran but was arrested
two days after arrival.
Evidence now before the
human rights sub.commissiofl on
the prevention of discrimination.
meeting in Geneva, gives har-
rowing details of executions.
murders, torture and economic
harassment . of the Baha'i reli-
gious community since the 1979
revolution In Iran.:
Forcible mass conversions are
a daily occurrence, and murders
and executions are increasing.
Ben Whitaker, director of the
London-based 1 linority Rights
Group, says that they are
threatened by a systematic ofli-
cial policy of extermination.
Immediately after the 1979
revolution, their adjniiiistrative
offices were raided by revolution.
ary guards and mobs incited by
mullahs. Their cemeteries were
desecrated. The authorities then
claimed that this violence was
random, and responded by con-
fiscatin “for their protection
the religion's holy places, hospi-
tals, clinics and other community
propertY.
The holy placas have since
been vandalised or demolished
and the most sacred of them, the
House of the Bab in Shiraz, has
been razed to the round. Last
June orders were given to build
roads and a public square on the
site.
Members have also been dis.
missed from their jobs in the
civil service and the schools and
deprived of their pension rii 1 hts.
Businessmen have had their
premises and assets confiscated.
Whole rural communities have
been driven from their homes.
The religion was born in Iran
a century ago, but is now world-
wide, with several million adher-
ents, including 4,000 in Britain.
As convenient sca egoats at
times of national . upheasraL
members have been variously
accused of being agents for
Tsarist Russia, for British
imperialism, for international
Zionism and for the Central
Intelligence Agency.
They are vulnerable to these
2 ccusations because they believe
in world government and do
not take part in national dec.
tions or accept political posts,
though they are required by
their religion to obey whatever
national government is in power.
Buc, u n Ii k e Christianity.
Judaism and other minority
religions in Iran, this faith s not
recognised by Iran's new Islamic
constitution and is effectively
put outside the protection of the
law.
The United NatIons sub -com•
mission is expected to issue a
format condemnation next week.
accusing the Iranian government
of “systematic persecution
motivated by religious intoler-
ance and a desire to eliminate
the faith irs the land of its birth.”
The Iranian government
denies the charge, claiming that
adherents have been executed
for crimes “—such as espion-
ace. corruption or warring
against God. Almost all of those
executed have been olTered their
lives if they would convert to
Islam.
Their case is expected to come
up bcfore the United Nations
General Assembly later this
month. Irais has turned a deaf
ear to appeals by the European
parliament and the Council of
Europe as well as diplomatic
efforts by a growing number of
governments. The leadership
continues to consider them a
heretics and — despite the fact
that their religion speciRcallv
forbids them to engage in politi-
cal activity — a a — political
sect.” . T — - -.
—BPOOO571
, ..) C t .. (. ‘.
3EPTEMBER 19
9
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by Rosemary Rightl!r
