Unanimous Resolution Passed by the European Parliament — Strasbourg — Concerning the Rights of the Baha’i Community in Iran

          
          /
          
          UNANIMOUS RESOLUTION PASSED BY THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
          • IN STRASBOURG, ON FRIDAY, ? SEPTEMBER 1980, CONCERNING
          THE RIGHTS OF THE BAHA'T COMMUNITY IN tRAN.
          The European Parliament S
          — recalling its unfailing attachment to international protection
          of human rights,
          recognising in particular the need to protect the rights of
          religious minorities in all countries,
          concerned at the systematic campaign of persecution directed in
          Iran against the 300,000 members of the Bah 'i community (the
          biggest religious minority in r n) and the accompanying violations
          of elementary human rights, in particular:
          (a) the refusal of any legal protection to the Bah ' minority,
          (b) the summary arrest, detention and execution of leaders of the
          Bah 'i community,
          (c) the confiscation or destruction of the resources and means of
          subsistence of the Bah ' and the arbitrary dismissals or refusals
          to employ Bah ' s,
          (d) the threats and acts of violence against the Bah '{s in an attempt
          to force them to repudiate their Faith,
          i) condemns the violation of the human rights of all religious
          minorities in I ran, more particularly the members of the
          Bah 'i Faith, whose rights as a religious minority are not
          recognised by the Iranian Constitution;
          ii) calls upon the Government of Iran to grant the Bah 'I
          community the legal recognition and protection to which
          all minorities are entitled under the provisions of the
          various UN Acts and Conventions on human rights;
          iii) also condemns the illegal measures taken against Catholic
          and Anglican leaders, and the execution of leading members
          of the Jewish community;
          iv) calls upon the Foreign Ministers of the European Communities
          meeting in political cooperation to make urgent representations
          to the Iranian authorities to put an end to the persecution of
          the members of the Bah 'i community, and to allow them to
          practise their religion freely and enjoy all civil, political,
          social, economic and cultural rights, requests the COmmission
          and Council of the European Communities to impose an embargo
          on all sales of surplus agricultural products to Iran where
          subsidies by European taxpayers are involved until full human
          rights are restored to Iranian citizens;
          v) instructs its President •to forward this Resolution to the
          Foreign Ministers meeting in political cooperation, to the
          Government of Iran, to the Governments, and Parliaments of
          the Member States and to the Secretary General of the United
          Nations.
          JUSTIFICATION
          All the evidence suggests that the arrests and executions of the
          Bah ' s are continuing to increase and are being carried out
          according to a pre—arranged plan. Only a speedy response by t.he_. -
          European Parliament can stop these developments.”. 13P0004
          
        

          
          f t
          S