UN condemns escalating persecution of Baha'ís in Iran

The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres has placed the persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran among the world’s gravest human rights concerns, in his latest global report on intolerance and violence based on religion or belief. His recognition underscores that the persecution of Bahá’ís is a longstanding and systematic policy of religious repression that demands urgent international attention. “Bahá’ís in the Islamic Republic of Iran continue to face arbitrary arrests, imprisonment, and restrictions on access to education and livelihoods, targeted solely for their religious beliefs”, the report states. “Authorities routinely invoke vague charges such as ‘spreading propaganda against the regime’ to criminalize peaceful community activities. The rights of Bahá’ís, including to manifest their religion or belief, remain severely curtailed.”
“This is yet another powerful recognition, from the highest levels of the UN, that Iran’s persecution of the Bahá’ís is not only continuing but intensifying,” said Simin Fahandej, Representative of the Bahá’í International Community to the UN in Geneva. “The Secretary-General’s voice now joins that of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, successive Special Rapporteurs, Human Rights Watch, the Human Rights Council and many governments and organizations around the world, all of which have condemned this state-driven campaign to erase an entire community from Iranian society.”