Watchdog

A group of UN rights experts have called on Iranian authorities to stop the persecution and harassment of religious minorities and end the use of religion to curtail the exercise of fundamental rights.

“We are deeply concerned at the increasing arbitrary arrests, and on occasions, enforced disappearances of members of the Baha’i faith and the destruction or confiscation of their properties, in what bears all the signs of a policy of systematic persecution,” the experts said in a statement published on August 22.

SEE ALSO:

Iranian Officials Restrict Movement Of Baha'is As Pressure Campaign Builds

The UN experts said the acts were not isolated but formed part of a broader policy to target any dissenting belief or religious practice, including Christian converts, members of the Gonabadi dervish order, and atheists.

“The international community cannot remain silent while Iranian authorities use overbroad and vague national security and espionage charges to silence religious minorities or people with dissenting opinions, remove them from their homes, and effectively force them into internal displacement,” the experts said.

Baha’is face systematic persecution in Iran, where their faith is not recognized in the constitution.

In past weeks, Iranian authorities have ramped up their crackdown against Baha’is, arresting about a dozen individuals and raiding the homes and businesses of many others across Iran.

On August 2, the Baha’i International Community (BIC) reported that authorities had also destroyed six Baha’i homes and confiscated 20 hectares of land in the northern province of Mazandaran.

Iran’s Intelligence Ministry accused some of those arrested of being involved in espionage. The ministry did not provide any evidence to back up its claim, which was dismissed by the Baha’i International Community as "outright fabrications."

The UN experts called for the immediate and unconditional release of all individuals detained on the basis of their religious affiliation, and accountability for the systematic persecution of religious minorities by Iranian authorities.

Iranian activists Abbas Vahedian Shahroudi and Javad Lal Mohammadi have been placed in solitary confinement after raising objections with officials at the Vakil Abad prison over the terms of family contact.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), which covers human rights violations in Iran, reported on August 22 that the pair were transferred to solitary confinement recently after arguing with the head of the prison over restrictions on contact with their families and the requirement that all discussions with family members take place in the presence of the prison officers.

Vahedian and Mohammadi are among the 14 activists in Iran who have publicly called on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to resign. They have demanded the implementation of a new political system that is framed by a new constitution securing the dignity of the people.

All 14 political activists were arrested after the publication of this letter in June 2019 and most have been handed lengthy prison sentences.

Criticism of Khamenei, who has the last say on almost every decision in the Islamic republic, is considered a red line in Iran. Those accused of crossing that red line often land in prison, where political prisoners are routinely held in solitary confinement and subjected to various forms of torture.

Abbas Vahedian Shahroudi, who is a teacher, is a well-known civil and labor activist. He has also was arrested, interrogated, and sentenced in 2018 on charges such as "acting against national security" and "collaborating with groups opposed to the regime."

Javad Lal Mohammadi is also a political activist and one of the signatories of the letter criticizing Khamenei. Mohammadi has been sentenced to a total of 21 years in prison.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda.