Kumar Ayer, the everlasting consultant of the UK’s World Trade Organization and the UN, informed the UN Human Rights Council that the Bahai group in Iran is one in every of a number of minority teams focused by the Islamic Republic after the Israeli navy assault in June.
“In Iran, the arrests of greater than 20,000 folks have been raised critical issues because the 12-day conflict in June,” Iyer mentioned through the September 23 dialogue held on the sixtieth session in Geneva. “Many of those arrests are a measure that focused already marginalized teams, together with members of Balch and Kurdish minority, in addition to Bahai, a spiritual Christian and Jewish minority.”
“The ongoing use of the dying penalty as a political software is horrifying and we repeat our opposition to the dying penalty in all circumstances,” he added.
The 12-day battle concerned Israel and the United States finishing up a strike focused by focusing on Iran’s nuclear program. The United States led an in a single day strike at a number of Iranian nuclear energy crops that violated the location, with Israeli operatives finishing up focused assassinations of senior navy personnel.
The Islamic Republic ordered the worldwide eradication of Bahai in 1991, based on the report.
Analysts mentioned the assault uncovered weaknesses within the Islamic Republic’s protection and broken the status amongst Iranian inhabitants. Since then, the Islamic Republic has arrested lots of of individuals suspected of spying for Israel. They have additionally tried to curb the nation’s residents’ uncertainty by cracking down on staff and minority teams. Many proceed to take part in anti-government protests.
“We haven’t seen any direct accusations or accusations of spying among the many Bahay group,” mentioned Padide Sabethy, a spokesman for the Bahay International Community (BIC), a consulting group based mostly in Geneva. “However, we’ve seen the escalation of persecution and arrest of Bahai throughout this era.”
“Every time the Iranian authorities feels susceptible, they often enhance the stress on the inhabitants,” Sabethy mentioned. “Recently, the accusations in opposition to Bahai are linked to propaganda membership to the Bahai group and the regime.”
Bahais is Iran’s largest minority group and has been persecuted each day because the 1979 revolution. The faith has an estimated 5-8 million followers in over 190 nations. A 1991 memorandum, drafted by the Iranian authorities, issued on the instructions of Iran’s supreme chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, known as for the worldwide eradication of the Bahai group.
The Iranian regime accuses 13 Bahais of arresting them and changing them, Iranian media say
According to a 2024 report from the United Nations, no less than 70 Bahai have been sentenced to detention or jail sentences, whereas 1,200 Bahai are engaged in court docket circumstances or have been sentenced to lengthy jail phrases.
Baha’s repression in Iran has been persistently condemned by the United Nations, European lawmakers and human rights teams. A 2024 report by Human Rights Watch mentioned that Iran’s therapy of Bahai belongs to crimes in opposition to humanity. And in April, the UN Human Rights Council known as on the Islamic Republic to “eradicate all types of discrimination and violence based mostly on thought, conscience, faith and beliefs in opposition to those that belong to a minority of faith or beliefs which are really acknowledged and never acknowledged by regulation.”
Earlier this month, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ report on September 21 condemned the continued suppression of Bahai in Iran.
The report, entitled “Fighting intolerance, unfavorable stereotypes, stigmatization, discrimination, violence in opposition to folks, incitement of violence, and incitement of violence based mostly on faith and perception,” defined the therapy of minority teams all over the world.
“The non-governmental group, Bahay International Community (BIC), has mentioned that the non secular profiling and propaganda accusations introduced in opposition to Bahay within the Islamic Republic of Iran have been often framed in ambiguous phrases, comparable to “spreading propaganda in opposition to the regime” and “actions in opposition to nationwide safety,” Guteres mentioned within the report. “The Bahai International group emphasised that these accusations had no proof base and have been utilized disproportionately in response to peaceable non secular actions, comparable to ethical training lessons and gatherings for worship.”
Sabethy mentioned the report is essential.
“The Secretary-General’s Global Report has a particular weight as it’s printed on behalf of your complete United Nations system, which displays the consensus views on the highest degree of the worldwide group,” Sabethy famous. “More importantly, this report confirms the persecution of Iran’s Bahai and locations it firmly on the worldwide agenda, and really hones the Iranian authorities’s repeated denial of human rights abuses.”
“There is little doubt that the United Nations faces a number of challenges: sure occasions and lack of inactivity that undermine the UN’s capabilities,” Sabethy responded to President Donald Trump’s remarks to the UN General Assembly, describing the UN as an inefficient group.
“They are nonetheless taking what the UN, their skilled group, and their government administrators say of their report, so that also has some weight,” Sabety mentioned. “The solely line of protection for the Bahai group is to method Bahai all over the world, to method governments and worldwide human rights teams. As such, the United Nations and these human rights teams are the lifelines of Bahai, Iran.”
In his UN speech, Trump mentioned: “What is the aim of the UN? There is such an incredible risk for the UN. All they appear to be doing is to jot down a letter of actually sturdy language and by no means final for that letter. The empty phrases do not resolve the conflict.”
“The Secretary-General’s persecution of the state of affairs underlines the significance of Baha’s persecution as a long-standing coverage of spiritual repression that requires pressing worldwide consideration,” the assertion continued. “The Bahais of Islamic Republic of Iran continues to face arbitrary arrests, incarceration and restrictions on entry to training and livelihoods that focus on non secular beliefs alone.”
Six Iranian Bahai ladies have been sentenced to a complete of 39 years in jail on expenses associated to their non secular beliefs, based on a September 8 report by the US-based human rights activist information company (HRANA). The 11 ladies have been initially detained by Iranian officers.
Women – Zarrindokht Ahadzadeh, Farideh Ayoubi, Noora Ayoubi, Neda Mohebi, Zhaleh Rezaei and Atefeh Zahedi did not convict throughout a listening to held at Branch 11 of the Hamedan Court of Appeals on August twelfth.
The mosnake was convicted of “training and transmission of Sharia” and “membership of the Bahai group.” The remaining ladies have been convicted of “membership within the Bahai group” and “training and transmission of Sharia.”
“Some of those ladies have younger youngsters, and we nonetheless need to see the Iranian authorities in particular person and see their conscience and admit that the true persecution of Bahai and ladies particularly is against the law. “We nonetheless hope that they may rethink these heavy sentences for the ladies of Hamedan who’re being prosecuted for believing within the Bahai religion.”
The lady’s gentle letter was additionally talked about within the report of the UN Secretary-General, including that the BIC had been sharing the data.