Human Rights Watch said on Monday that the persecution of the Bahai minority in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution is a crime against humanity.
Bahais, the majority non-Muslim minority in Iran, face persecution that includes arbitrary detention, confiscation of property, denial of access to education and employment, and even denial of the right to a dignified burial, according to the New York-based organization.
According to HRW: “The cumulative effect of decades of systematic repression by the authorities amounts to a crime against humanity of persecution and is a deliberate and serious deprivation of the fundamental rights of Bahais.”
The argument was that persecution, as defined in the Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), is a deliberate and serious denial of fundamental rights contrary to international law based on national, religious, or ethnic grounds.
According to HRW, although the severity of communal violations by the community “has varied over time”, the persecution of Bahais has not changed and “has affected virtually every aspect of Bahais’ private and public life”.
The Islamic Republic is said to harbor “extreme hostility against those of the Bahai faith,” an official government policy and Iranian law codify the repression of minorities.
According to Michael Page, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, “Iranian authorities are depriving Bahais of their basic rights in every aspect of their lives, not because of their actions, but simply because they belong to a religious group.”
“It is imperative that more international pressure be brought to bear on Iran to end this crime against humanity.”
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The fact that a renowned international organization has now declared that Iran’s treatment of the Bahais is a crime against humanity is said to be a first.
Unlike other minority groups, Bahais do not have reserved seats in parliament or recognition of their faith by the Iranian constitution.
Although the exact number of members of the community in Iran is unknown, activists believe it could still be in the hundreds of thousands.
The Bahai faith is a relatively new monotheistic religion that originated in Iran in the early 19th century.
According to HRW, Bahais are not allowed to pray freely, even in private, because they are a religious minority not recognized by the Iranian constitution.
“Regular state-sponsored incitement to hate campaigns” have been launched against them, and intelligence and legal authorities have been known to raid the homes of Bahais, confiscate their property, and either arrest them or summon them for questioning.
Mahvash Sabet, a 71-year-old poet, and Fariba Kamalabadi, 61, are prominent members of the community who were both arrested in July 2022 and are currently serving 10 years in prison.
Authorities had previously imprisoned both during the previous 20 years.
According to HRW, Iranian authorities still “systematically prevent students who identify as Bahais from registering at universities,” and Bahais are essentially barred from most public sector jobs.
It went on to say that even after someone dies, “local authorities interfere with funeral processes and refuse to allow Bahais to bury their loved ones in historically Bahai cemeteries.”
