Persecution of Baha’is in Iran escalates yet further
March 12th, 2009Dr Nazila Ghanea, an Oxford University human rights lecturer, has written a heavy article in the telegraph about the latest in a long line of violations of human rights against the Baha’is in Iran.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states in Article 19, that “everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression”, however this doesn’t perturb Iran’s Prosecutor General from removing this freedom from the 300,000 Baha’is in Iran.
Ayatollah Qorban-Ali Dorri-Najafabadi is Iran’s Prosecutor General and
has declared that the very expression of affiliation to the Bahá’í faith is illegal. This was communicated in a letter to the Minister of Intelligence, Ghulam-Husayn Ejeyee, who needs no encouragement to violate rights. Human Rights Watch named him one of Iran’s ‘Ministers of Murder’ four years ago.
Najafabadi stated that
“Adherence to a principle or belief is free [to anyone], but to openly express and proclaim it in
order to cause deviation in the thoughts of others, to manipulate, pretend, disseminate [ideas],
and otherwise attempt to deceive and confuse people will not be permissible.”
On March 4rth, the International Baha’i Community sent an open letter (found here) to Najafabadi, in which it responds
Such a statement tests credulity to an extreme. It is widely recognized that similar statements have been used by repressive regimes throughout the centuries to justify the arbitrary suppression of conscience and belief. The suggestion that it is possible to separate the convictions held by an individual from their expression in words and action begins an entirely false line of reasoning. To see its absurdity one need only ask oneself what it means to have faith if it is not consciously manifested in one’s relationships with others.
Najafabadi is simply just paving the way to yet more persecution, despite fantastic claims that “Bahá’ís in Iran are provided with all facilities afforded other Iranian citizens, and are respected as human beings” and that “much kindness had always been shown Bahá’í citizens of Iran”.
While the Baha’is are the particular victims of Najafabadi’s statements, the violations of freedom extend to all the Iranian people. The Prosecutor General is essentially shutting down freedoms of religion/belief, expression and even conscience for all of Irans people.
Iran’s criminalisation of the freedom of expression rights of hundreds of its Bahá’í citizens does not bode well for the wider cause of opinion, thought and conscience. In September last year, International PEN expressed alarm at increasing and widespread violations. The situation has just got a lot worse.
Dr Ghanea’s article is well worth a read -> go read!
