arthra
Baha'i
55. Reports continue to be received about members of the Baha’i community
being subjected to arbitrary detention, false imprisonment, confiscation and
destruction of property, denial of employment and Government benefits and denial
of access to higher education. A significant increase has been reported in violence
targeting Baha’is and their homes, shops, farms and cemeteries throughout the
country. There have also been several cases involving torture or ill-treatment in
custody.
56. The special procedures mandate holders have repeatedly raised the issue of the
Baha’is with the Iranian authorities. Since June 2006, the Special Rapporteur on
freedom of religion or belief, the Independent Expert on minority issues and the
Working Group on Arbitrary Detention have repeatedly raised the issue of the arrest
of 54 members of the Baha’i community in the city of Shiraz who were reported to
have been involved in community work. Also on 24 April 2007, the Special
Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief expressed concern that Baha’i students
were subjected to harassment, vilification and other forms of abuse by their teachers
and school administrators. It is alleged that the Baha’i students were forced to
identify their religion and then were insulted, threatened with expulsion and, in
some cases, summarily dismissed from school. In January and February 2007 some
150 such incidents were reported. Many of the students were informed they had
been expelled because of their faith. Moreover, in June 2006, the ILO Committee of
Experts concluded that no progress had been made in amending or repealing
legislation that was contrary to the ILO Discrimination (Employment and
Occupation) Convention of 1958. The Committee also expressed continued concern
regarding discrimination against members of recognized and unrecognized religious
minorities and ethnic minorities. The Committee noted that discrimination against
Baha’is remained particularly serious.
57. On 18 May 2008, it was reported that six members of the Baha’i leadership in
the country had been arrested and a seventh member had been detained
incommunicado in Mashhad since 5 March 2008. Subsequently, on 23 May, the
High Commissioner wrote to the Iranian authorities asking for information on the
reports in the light of the obligations of the Islamic Republic of Iran under the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to ensure that no one is
detained arbitrarily and to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief. The
being subjected to arbitrary detention, false imprisonment, confiscation and
destruction of property, denial of employment and Government benefits and denial
of access to higher education. A significant increase has been reported in violence
targeting Baha’is and their homes, shops, farms and cemeteries throughout the
country. There have also been several cases involving torture or ill-treatment in
custody.
56. The special procedures mandate holders have repeatedly raised the issue of the
Baha’is with the Iranian authorities. Since June 2006, the Special Rapporteur on
freedom of religion or belief, the Independent Expert on minority issues and the
Working Group on Arbitrary Detention have repeatedly raised the issue of the arrest
of 54 members of the Baha’i community in the city of Shiraz who were reported to
have been involved in community work. Also on 24 April 2007, the Special
Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief expressed concern that Baha’i students
were subjected to harassment, vilification and other forms of abuse by their teachers
and school administrators. It is alleged that the Baha’i students were forced to
identify their religion and then were insulted, threatened with expulsion and, in
some cases, summarily dismissed from school. In January and February 2007 some
150 such incidents were reported. Many of the students were informed they had
been expelled because of their faith. Moreover, in June 2006, the ILO Committee of
Experts concluded that no progress had been made in amending or repealing
legislation that was contrary to the ILO Discrimination (Employment and
Occupation) Convention of 1958. The Committee also expressed continued concern
regarding discrimination against members of recognized and unrecognized religious
minorities and ethnic minorities. The Committee noted that discrimination against
Baha’is remained particularly serious.
57. On 18 May 2008, it was reported that six members of the Baha’i leadership in
the country had been arrested and a seventh member had been detained
incommunicado in Mashhad since 5 March 2008. Subsequently, on 23 May, the
High Commissioner wrote to the Iranian authorities asking for information on the
reports in the light of the obligations of the Islamic Republic of Iran under the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to ensure that no one is
detained arbitrarily and to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief. The
Iranian authorities insist that the arrests were made on national security grounds.
Source:
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