Considering Iran does not permit followers of the Bahá’í faith into their university programs, the BIHE is one of the main tools of self-preservation and advancement for the Bahai’i community in Iran. The arrests echo similar raids that occurred in the late 1990s, where 36 Bahá’í educators were arrested, although most of them were shortly released. Bahá’í students are regularly denied from access to higher education, and even younger Bahá’í students are harassed and persecuted because of their faith. BIHE has served as an invaluable resource for the advancement of Baha’is by providing them with access to higher education, mostly through online classes. The physical headquarters of the BIHE had been housed in the homes of a few faculty and professors, but was shut down by the Iranian authorities in 2000.

As far as is known, these Bahá’í leaders have been arrested for nothing other than their faith, as further evidence of the extensive persecution of religious minorities in Iran. However, by targeting the Bahá’í Institute for Higher Education, the Iranian state is also denying the Baha’i community a fundamental right to development and denying them a crucial part of the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Considering the demand for an educated population in a globalised community, and the difficulty even Iranians of the majority have obtaining employment, this further obstacle in the path of Bahá’í education is an effective means of keeping the community marginalized and suffocating it even without the use of traditional violence.

Related posts:

1. Iranian Baha’i students discuss the denial of of higher education An excerpt from a very thought provoking and heartfelt post:...
2. Call for access to education for all members of the Iranian Baha’i community As the world marks Human Rights Day and the 60th...
3. Uzbekistani State Media Accuses Baha’is of Being Iranian Agents This July, a Baha’i citizen of Kazakhstan was arrested by...

On June 17th, several activist organizations in the United Kingdom hosted a seminar in the Houses of Parliament that “explored the crisis of human rights in Iran”. It was attended by Nazila Ghanea, the editor of the Journal of Religion & Human Rights, by women’s rights activist Shadi Sadr, and Member of Parliament Louise Ellman, among others. The seminar emphasized that the religious persecution and harassment are instigated and propagated by the Iranian regime, which often harasses businesses, universities and other members of civil society to get rid of individuals who belong to “deviant groups”, such as Baha’is.

Meanwhile, on June 20th a group of about 800 people rallied in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to support the human rights of “deviant groups”. In honor of Brazil’s thriving Baha’i population, the rally was attended by representatives of the government, many of Brazil’s religious communities, and many civil society organizations.

In a poignant display of solidarity, 8,000 pictures of the faces of the seven arrested Baha’i leaders were on display on the beach, to correspond with their 8,000 days of imprisonment. Brazilian congressman Chico Alencar summed up the message of the day with his statement, ”Religious freedom is something that cannot be touched.”

On June 28th, one of the lawyers of the seven Baha’i leaders tried to convince the European Parliament meeting in Belgium to demand such religious freedom from Iran. In a passionate speech, Mahnaz Parakand stated that the expectation of the people of Iran is “not to be left alone by the governments and international organizations whose primary policy is the respect of humanity and human rights…”

And Iran most certainly should not be left alone. Even as two more Baha’is arrested in the raid on the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education are released, more remain in Iranian prisons even after the international community took a strong stance against the arrests. Iran’s human rights abuses must continue to be condemned, and we must extend our solidarity to the Baha’i community from all levels.

Related posts:

1. 1 year anniversary for the imprisoned 7 Baha’i leaders Exactly one year ago, on the 14th of May, 2008,...
2. Sentence of the Iranian Baha’i leaders halved to ten years RAHANA, a human rights organization in Iran, reported today that...
3. The 7 Baha’i Leaders Refused to Participate in their Show Trial in Tehran According to reports by the Baha’i community and human rights...

Both mothers and both children are allegedly in need of immediate medical care, which is not being provided in the Iranian prison system.

Foad Khanjani

Zahra Nik-A’in and Taraneh Torabi are not the only ones neglected in Iran’s prisons. Denial of medical care is a frequent tactic of intimidation used by Iranian guards, one that has been condemned by many organizations around the world. Former student Foad Khanjani was denied medical care for a cyst in his abdomen despite having permission from the authorities, and Afif Naimi wasn’t transferred to the proper medical facilities for five years, since his arrest in May 2008 to his transfer in November 2012.

A researcher for Amnesty International said that:

The bottom line is that delay and denial of medical care as a means to put pressure on prisoners in Iran, and the ones we deal with are mainly political prisoners, is documented, we’ve spoken openly about it, we’ve campaigned on it.

The denial of crucial medical treatment is meant to silence the voices of those who are lost in Iran’s prisons, particularly those of political prisoners, and Iran must be held accountable. In the case of Zahra and Taraneh, it is not only their lives but also the lives of their children that are at risk. Because those of the Baha’i faith are particularly vulnerable to excessive and unfair imprisonment in Iran, the denial of medical treatment in prison is an issue that strongly affects the Baha’i community.

Related posts:

1. Sentence of the Iranian Baha’i leaders halved to ten years RAHANA, a human rights organization in Iran, reported today that...
2. More on Iranian Baha’i students The Baha’i World News Service has recently reported the following:...
3. Iranian authorities to Baha’i students: Scrap your dreams Every year, millions of students worldwide prepare excitedly for a...

News

Rainn Wilson’s Baha’i Background and Iran’s Prisoners of Conscience (Roll Call – May 7th)

Actor Rainn Wilson, known best for his role on the American TV show The Office, brought Baha’i rights to U.S. headlines when he spoke at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s commemoration for the five imprisoned Baha’i leaders in Iran. The Baha’i actor wants to raise awareness of the Baha’i plight in Iran and around the world.

Five years on, Baha’is appeal for release in Iran (AFP/France 24 – May 8th)

As the anniversary of the imprisonment of the seven Baha’i leaders nears, members of the Baha’i faith around the globe revitalized the effort to have the leaders released. They call for international attention on the issue and reiterate a need to ramp up pressure on the Iranian government. “There is this misconception that Iran doesn’t care what other governments and organizations think about it, but they do care,” said U.S. actor and Baha’i Rainn Wilson, “They care greatly about the fact that they’re perceived as being so backward and inhumane and unjust.”

A Baha’i is arrested in Gorgan (HRANA – May 10th)

HRANA reports a Baha’i resident of Gorgan was arrested on the evening of May 7th after her home was searched by intelligence agents. Shahidi is the wife of Kamal Kashani, another Baha’i was arrested 6 months ago with five others. They have not been sentenced with a crime.

Persecution of Baha’is continues in Iran (Daily Press – May 12th)

The seven Baha’i leaders are only a few of thousands being persecuted in Iran. Detained arbitrarily on ambigous charges, they suffer harsh conditions in prison with little hope of being released. For example, Mahvash Sabet, a schoolteacher arrested on March 5th, 2008. She was charged with propaganda against the Islamic republic. As Iran’s largest non-Muslim religious minority, Baha’is are often also subject to random home searches and aggressive questioning by intelligence agents. The international community is increasing pressure on the regime to release the seven leaders and other Baha’is being imprisoned unfairly.

“Five Years Too Many” campaign gathers momentum (Baha’i World News Service – May 12th)

The Baha’i International Community’s “Five Years Too Many” campaign to release the seven imprisoned Baha’i leaders has attracted international attention.

Opinion

Lloyd Axworthy: Everyone talks nukes, but don’t forget about Iran’s imprisoned Baha’i leaders (The Globe and Mail)

“The Baha’is reflect the cultural diversity of the people that make up Iran. They harbour no partisan loyalties and their contributions to the educational, scientific, and cultural advance of Iran since the religion emerged in the nineteenth century are significant. While the Baha’i Faith is an independent religion with a prophet-founder, Baha’u’llah, they respect the Prophet of Islam, just as they honour Iran’s classical heritage and the religion of ancient Persia, Zoroastrianism. They are not militant and have no intention of bringing down the regime, despite such false accusations by their oppressors.”

Robert Joustra: Educating the world about Iran’s persecution of the Baha’i faith (The National Post)

 ”The Iranian regime teaches that Baha’is are subhuman, irrational, illegitimate citizens and traitors. Scores have been executed after closed-door trials, banned or driven from posts in universities or government. Baha’i properties, including cemeteries, libraries, businesses and schools have been demolished or confiscated. Article 297 of the Iranian penal code, which previously stipulated that a smaller amount of blood money could be paid to a family for deaths of non-Muslims, was changed in 2004 to make for equal payment; but this does not apply to Baha’is, whose blood is held to be mobah: They may be killed with impunity.”

Send us links for the weekly round-up here.  

Related posts:

1. Baha’i Rights Media Round-Up: Week of May 6th, 2013 News 67-year-old Baha’i Prisoner’s Psychological and Physical Health Suffers (International Campaign...
2. Baha’i Rights Media Round-Up: Week of May 27th, 2013 News  Two Bahai aid workers sentenced to five months (Sen’s Daily...
3. Baha’i Rights Media Round-Up: Week of May 20th, 2013 News UN Experts Call for Immediate Release of Imprisoned Iranian...

Explore the guide here.

Related posts:

1. Baha’i prisoners forced to participate in Shi’a ceremonies Fuad Na’imi and Faizollah Roshan, two Baha’is from the Iranian...
2. The Persecution of Baha’is: an Interactive Timeline For the past 30 years, followers of the Baha’i Faith...
3. Trial of 7 Baha’i leaders delayed yet again The trial of the seven Baha’i leaders in Iran set...

Seventy Seven guilty verdicts issued by appeals courts (HRIRAN – May 29th)

In the past year, the appeals courts has issued 77 guilty verdicts, many of those cases involving Baha’i citizens. There’s a list at the link.

Four Baha’i citizens were sentenced to 152 months imprisonment (Sen’s Daily – May 31st)

The group sentenced includes sisters Nika and Nava Kholoose, Adib Sho’aie, and Mahsa Mahdavi. They’re carved with disseminating “propaganda against the regime” and participating in Baha’i organizations.

Baha’i Citizens interrogated upon return to Iran (HRANA – May 31st)

Iranian intelligence officers have been interrogating Baha’is as the airport as they return home from Turkey. Their belongings, including their laptops, cellphones and other electronics, were searched.

Two Bahais sentenced in Shiraz (Sen’s Daily – June 1st)

Baha’i citizens Hamid Eslami and Rahman Vafa’i were sentenced to three years in prison each and charged with the crime of “propaganda against the regime” and “membership in Baha’i organizations.” They were arrested in Shiraz on July 14th, 2012.

Opinion

Katrina Lantos Swett: Why the Baha’i 7 Matter (CNN)

“Baha’is in Iran have done no harm to their country, pose no threat to its people, and seek only to live in peace and worship in accordance with their conscience. As June elections approach, the world should demand that Iran free all Baha’is and drop the charges made against them on account of their faith. Iran should rescind every law permitting Baha’is to be killed with impunity, and Baha’is should be allowed to practice their faith fully.”

Zachery M. Heern: Iran’s Human Rights Crisis and the Baha’i Faith (YourMiddleEast)

“Iran’s systematic campaign to repress Baha’is is organized both nationally and locally. Understandably, most international coverage of Iran’s human rights abuses focuses on high profile national cases. However, local abuse also appears to be on the rise.”

James Rhodes: Egypt and Iran: Persecuting Bahai and Christian Coptic Women (LA Progressive)

“We were forbidden to pray or have any interaction with the Muslim prisoners. If we were caught talking to each other, we were beaten. We were blindfolded and forced onto the floor with our feet elevated where they were struck with hoses and wood until they swelled to the point where we could not walk; but, they forced us to walk and when we fell down they would laugh and beat us some more…”

Related posts:

1. Bahai Rights Media Round-Up: Week of June 17th, 2013 Baha’i Iranian refugee Sobhan, who spoke to EuroNews about Baha’i...
2. Baha’i Rights Media Round-Up: Week of June 10th, 2013 News Adnan Rahmat-Penah remains in limbo (Sen’s Daily – June 2nd)...
3. Baha’i Rights Media Round-Up: Week of May 27th, 2013 News  Two Bahai aid workers sentenced to five months (Sen’s Daily...

Adnan Rahmat-Penah remains in limbo (Sen’s Daily – June 2nd)

In the past six months, as Rahmat-Penah, a Baha’i from Shiraz, has been waiting in`Adel-Abad prison, the date for his sentencing trial has been rescheduled several times.  THe sentencing process was first scheduled for April 16, then moved to the 17, then once again to the 30th. His family was finally told that the revolutionary court would hand him his sentencing on May 23rd, but once again they were sent away. Officials blame filing for the delay.

Omid Djalili: ‘I’m taking on the Iranian government on behalf of women. It’s nutty’ (The Telegraph – June 4th)

Omid Djalili is a British-Iranian comedian of the the Baha’i faith. This week, he launched Prison Poems, a collection of poems by his former teacher, Mahvash Sabet, who is currently imprisoned in Evin prison. The Baha’i writer is one of over a 100 imprisoned in Iran for nothing more than their faith. The poems depict life in a women’s prisons and the diversity of characters, many of them imprisoned unjustly, sequesterd there. Djalili hopes the publication of Sabet’s books will bring light to the situation of women and Baha’is in Iran.

Opinion

Roxana Saberi: Silenced in Iran – The Plight of Bahai Prisoners of Conscience (Daily Beast)

“When I shared a cell in Tehran’s Evin Prison with Mahvash and Fariba, they faced charges including spying for Israel, where Bahai headquarters are located, insulting religious sanctities, and spreading corruption on earth. These three charges can result in the death penalty, yet the two women had not been able to see their attorneys even once.

I asked them why they had not fled Iran before their arrests. They must have known they were at risk as leaders of the country’s Bahais.

They replied that they loved Iran and wanted to serve not only Bahais there but also the entire nation.”

Firuz Kazemzadeh: Five years of injustice –  The plight of seven Baha’i leaders in Iran (The Washington Post)

“‘I’ve never seen my mother so heartbroken as when she returned from her visit to Evin prison to see my sister, Fariba,’ Iraj Kamalabadi recounts of his mother’s visit with his sister, Fariba Kamalabadi, in Iran. It had been four years since his mother and sister had seen each other. Kamalabadi explained that during his mother’s visit, every minute of waiting felt like a year. Finally, a rough voice called, ‘Visitors for Fariba Kamalabadi, come forward.’”

A.E. Lefton: A Dark Privilege: Bearing Witness to Victims and Prisoners of Conscience in Iran (OnBeing)

“As I sat in that dark London office, alone with the faces and stories of women and men who refused to deny their faith and were put to death because of it, I began to see their sacrifice in a more human light. This is a world that too easily contains death and sacrifice in two-dimensional space, flattening out suffering into a stark chiaroscuro of darkness and light. But in some ways, this denies the relevance of their lives to ours. Although most of us will never be called upon to lay down our lives, each of us will be tested.”

Related posts:

1. Bahai Rights Media Round-Up: Week of June 17th, 2013 Baha’i Iranian refugee Sobhan, who spoke to EuroNews about Baha’i...
2. Baha’i Rights Media Round-Up: Week of June 3rd, 2013 News  Seventy Seven guilty verdicts issued by appeals courts (HRIRAN...
3. Baha’i Rights Media Round-Up: Week of May 6th, 2013 News 67-year-old Baha’i Prisoner’s Psychological and Physical Health Suffers (International Campaign...

Himself a revolutionary who was arrested shortly after he fought against the Shah in 1962, Rouhani should have more empathy with those seeking social or political change. However, in stark contrast to his flowery campaign rhetoric, he ardently called for the execution of pro-democracy student protesters in 1999.

Even if Rouhani has had a change of heart since then, is real reform possible under the unequivocal authority of the Supreme Leader? Though he urges his supporters to be patient, it would be naive to cease all skepticism. After all, the Iranian people have been promised reform in the past. Khatami’s proposal to change Iran’s civil and penal codes to improve human rights was dismissed by the Gaurdian Council during his presidency.

If Rouhani is truly more than a symbolic figurehead in Iran’s Governance of the Jurist system, he should start his presidency by immediately freeing the hundreds of prisoners of conscience in his country, including Majid Tavakoli, Nasrin Sotoudeh, and the seven Baha’i leaders. He should also dismantle any and all unjust laws and ban practices that have lead to the wrongful imprisonment of so many Iranians.

As we contended recently, Rouhani’s mission to reform Iran will likely be obstructed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei — if such a mission exists at all.

Related posts:

1. What Does Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s New Reformist Leader, Mean For Baha’is in Iran? On Saturday, after Iranians turned out en masse to vote...
2. Iran’s human rights condemned by UN The Third Committee of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday,...
3. European Parliament Resolution on Human Rights in Iran Last week, on 25 October 2007, the European Parliament approved...

Ramin Aidalkhani transferred to Meshginshahr prison (Sen’s Daily – June 25th)

Ramin Aidalkhani, a Baha’i who is serving a two-year sentence on charges of propaganda against the regime and insulting the “Beloved eager”, was unexpectedly transferred from Parsabad Prison to Meshginshahr Prison last month. After his two year sentence is complete, he will also serve 5 yearsin exile from the Ardabil Province, where he is from.

Hushang Fana’ayan freed (Sen’s Daily – June 27th)

Hushang Fana’ayan, a Baha’i who was serving three years in Babol Prison after participating in a Nineteen Day Feast, was released on parole last week. He reportedly suffered poor conditions while in prison and was denied furlough to be treated for his health problems.

Opinion

Dwight Bashir: Why a Lynching Is No Way to Celebrate Freedom (Foreign Policy)

“Egypt’s new constitution, approved by referendum in December, includes a number of problematic provisions that do not bode well for religious freedom, such as criminalizing blasphemy and limiting places of worship to Muslims, Christians, and Jews, thus leaving out small religious communities such as Baha’is. The Baha’i faith remains banned and Egyptian officials have said that the community would likely face the burden of suing in court for recognition to test the new constitution.”

Other 

Special Report: Iran vs. Its People: Abuses Against Religious Minorities

“The Iranian government bars Baha’i youth from undergraduate or graduate studies since it does not formally recognize their religion. In addition to these formal restrictions, Iranian authorities have recently conducted raids in at least four different cities. They raided more than 30 homes of Baha’is involved with the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education (BIHE), making arrests and confiscating books, documents, computers, and other materials. While several Baha’is were released shortly after being detained, seven were tried and found guilty of membership in a deviant sect conspiring against Iran’s national security; they were given prison sentences of either four- or five-year terms. Since 2008, seven additional Baha’i leaders—“the Baha’i Seven”—have been jailed by the government based on an assortment of dubious charges ranging from espionage to “corruption on the earth.” Their attorneys, including Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi, reiterate that the charges against them are baseless.”

Related posts:

1. Bahai Rights Media Round-Up: Week of June 17th, 2013 Baha’i Iranian refugee Sobhan, who spoke to EuroNews about Baha’i...
2. Baha’i Rights Media Round-Up: Week of May 6th, 2013 News 67-year-old Baha’i Prisoner’s Psychological and Physical Health Suffers (International Campaign...
3. Baha’i Rights Media Round-Up: Week of May 27th, 2013 News  Two Bahai aid workers sentenced to five months (Sen’s Daily...

Noura was briefly released on bail before being tried in a closed court. She was sentenced to pay a 1 million toman fine and serve 5 years in prison in Masshad, which she began in September of last year. An attempt to appeal the sentence failed. Last May, Nabilzadeh and one other female prisoner were abruptly transferred from Vakil Abad Prison to the Ministry of Intellligence without explanation. It’s unclear whether she ever returned to Masshad or whether she is still at the MOI, although agents at the time had said the transfer would only last 10 days.

For many Baha’is in Iran, this is a familiar narrative; it was particularly poignant for Noura, whose father Davar Nabilzadeh, also went through a similar ordeal on the same charges. Davar is serving a 5-year prison term for “anti-regime propaganda, acting against national security by membership in Baha’i organizations, communicating with foreigners after traveling abroad, organizing illegal gatherings, and publishing and distributing Baha’i CDs and books.”

Related posts:

1. Prisoners In Profile: Azizollah Samandari, BIHE Teacher Last week, Aziz Samandari, a 40-year old professor from Tehran,...
2. Baha’i Rights Media Round-Up: Week of May 6th, 2013 News 67-year-old Baha’i Prisoner’s Psychological and Physical Health Suffers (International Campaign...
3. Baha’i prisoners forced to participate in Shi’a ceremonies Fuad Na’imi and Faizollah Roshan, two Baha’is from the Iranian...

Last week, Aziz Samandari, a 40-year old professor from Tehran, was awarded the Supreme Commitment Award by New Zealand’s Parliament, an honor recognizing his work in technology and higher education. Samandari, however, was not present to accept his award. He was, instead, in a cramped 2×3 meter cell in Iran’s ill-reputed Evin Prison, where he is serving a 5-year sentence.

In 2010, Samandari, representing the BIHE, had entered the Global Enterprise Experience (GEE), a business competition hosted by Victoria University in New Zealand. A few months later,  Samandari was arrested in his home by Iranian security officials on charges of “active membership… in the misguided Baha’i sect” and communicating with foreigners, an accusation that referenced his participation in the competition. The Iranian Revolutionary Court handed down his sentence in October of 2011, after a quick 10-minute trial in which Samandari was only asked one question regarding his faith. His involvement in the BIHE was leveraged as evidence against him as was his contribution to the GEE.

“The Global Enterprise Experience competition means a lot to students worldwide and for some participation can even be risky,” said Deb Gilbertson, an organizer of the competition, “In Aziz’u’llah’s case he has been imprisoned for the very things that we are celebrating in this contest—getting an education and working in partnership across cultures.”

Bahman Samandari, Aziz Samandari’s father, a founder of the BIHE.

The BIHE, an underground school for members of the Baha’i faith in Iran, exists to mitigate the disastrous effects Iran’s policy of denying openly religious Baha’is access to higher education. Samandari’s father, Bahman Samandari, was one of BIHE’s founders — he was arrested in March of 1992, accused of being a spy and committing adultery, and executed the next day. In his work for the BIHE, Aziz Samandari had been honoring his father’s death by continuing the tradition of resistance through education and knowledge. Kazem Samandari, Bahman’s son, said the Iranian regime was perpetuating its own tradition of Baha’i persecution by arresting Aziz Samandari for the same crimes of his father.

“History repeats itself in a cruel manner,” said Kazem Samadari, “Aziz is being jailed arbitrarily in Evin exactly twenty years after his own father, Bahman Samandari – my brother – was summarily hanged for his religious beliefs in the same prison on 18 March 1992. The body of my brother was never returned to our family. We only received a hand written note from him saying he refused to recant his Faith.”

Prior to his October 2011 arrest, Samandari had been arrested once before. He had been one of six arrested in a series of raids on the homes of 11 Baha’is and taken to Evin Prison. His cousin, Caroline Samandari, wrote in The Indian Express at the time that no formal charges had been made and that he had been denied access to a lawyer or family visits.

“As I try to internalise the news of the arrest of Aziz, I am surprised at my own feelings,” she wrote, “I… cannot find in my heart any trace of hatred or of willingness to seek revenge against those who have so systematically persecuted my family and all the other members of the Bahai community in Iran. I also refuse to blame Islam, even for a second, for what is being done supposedly in its name.”

Related posts:

1. Prisoners In Profile: Noura Nabilzadeh, Children’s Rights Activist On a hot summer day in June, Noura Nabilzadeh, an...
2. Baha’i prisoners forced to participate in Shi’a ceremonies Fuad Na’imi and Faizollah Roshan, two Baha’is from the Iranian...
3. Iran’s Secret Purges Aziz Samandari was amongst the 6 Baha’is who were arrested...

Guilty Verdict in the Murder of John Veira in Suriname (Sen’s Daily – July 4th)

The family of John Veira, a Baha’i from the Republic of Suriname, finally receive closure following the conviction of Sergio Brank, who has been found guilty of Veira’s murder. Brank was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the shooting. Veira, who was shot three times outside of his home in 2010 on the first day of Ridvan, was 59 years old. Unfortunately, there is no information on why Brank was targeted or what motivated his killing.

His son, Jeewan Veira, spoke out about his father’s murder: “My father had integrity. He was in the way for people engaged in shady dealing. Even if you put a bag of dollars in front of him, he woudn’t take it. The only way those people could get past him was by clearing him completely out of the way.”

Baha’i Memorial Service Raided in Tenakbon (Sen’s Daily – July 5th)

A memorial service of about 80 people marking the one-year anniversary of Layli Sobhani’s death was raided by security forces in Tenekabon. Although no one was arrested, but a group of agents invaded the home where the even was being held and abused those attending the servce with anti-Baha’i abuse: “You members of the deviant Bahai cult … you really have no right to meet, you have no right to protest, you don’t even have a right to have a picnic.”

Noura Falah Arrested in Shiraz (Persian Banoo / Twitter – July 8th)

Baha’i Noura (Samitra) Falah summoned by Intel office in Shiraz then arrested #Iran #Iranelection #HumanRights

— Persian Banoo (@persianbanoo) July 8, 2013

 Falah was previously arrested, along with ten other Baha’is, in February of 2012 in Shiraz and sent to Pelak 100 prison. Her home was also searched and raided and their personal items were confiscated.

Related posts:

1. Baha’i Rights Media Round-Up: Week of June 3rd, 2013 News  Seventy Seven guilty verdicts issued by appeals courts (HRIRAN...
2. Baha’i Rights Media Round-Up: Week of June 24th, 2013 The ten Baha’i women executed in Shiraz 30 years ago...
3. Bahai Rights Media Round-Up: Week of June 17th, 2013 Baha’i Iranian refugee Sobhan, who spoke to EuroNews about Baha’i...

The Báb’s claim that he was the Promised One or Qa’im of Shi’a Muslims agitated the local religious authorities. As he gained more and more followers, he became involved in a number of confrontations with the clerical administration. His followers were persecuted and a series of uprisings resulted in massacres of Bábis that number in the thousands. Local villagers targeted Bábis with violence and drove them out of their towns and cities.

The Báb was put on trial to prove his divinity and the clergy attempted to paint him as insane. The trial did not result in a conviction, but a fatwa was issued declaring his apostasy and the clergy demanded he be punished — they administered 20 lashes to the bottoms of his feet.

In 1850, after a change in regime, the Qajar government of Persia finally ordered the Báb’s execution. On July 9th, his execution was to be a public spectacle and an audience gathered to watch him die in the courtyward of the army barracks where he was being confined. The firing squad arrived, the shots were taken, but when the smoke cleared, the Báb was gone. The bullets had cut him free of the ropes. They found him back in the barracks, completely unharmed. A second firing squad of Muslim soldiers was arranged once again. This time, when the shots fired, they killed the Báb.

Baha’is today mourn the death of the Báb — not just as central figure of their faith, but also as a symbol of strength in the face of hatred, bigotry and religious intolerance.

Related posts:

1. Anniversary of Ihsanullah Kathiri’s execution in 1983 Ihsanullah Kathiri, a Baha’i from Tehran, was executed exactly 26...
2. The Struggle Continues Photo of the Shrine of the Báb, Mount Carmel (BWNS)...
3. Remembering July, 1997 10 years ago, two Baha’is were killed in Iran merely...

Two more Baha’is were arrested in Sanandaj, the capital of Iran’s Kurdistan Province. The home of Samim Zara’i was raided on Saturday, July 6th by security agents, who subsequently arrested him. HRANA also reports that Sama Raufi was also arrested — but there is not much information on his detainment, only that he was arrested in “the past two months”.

Related posts:

1. New wave of arrests in Iran Recently, Human Rights Activists in Iran published several troubling reports...
2. More raids, arrests in Iran Several news sources have reported that several homes in Terhan...
3. Iran: Four Baha’is arrested in November in Nour Over the past month sources from Iran have reported about...

Leva Khanjani gets leave from prison (Sen’s Day – July 10th)

On July 11th, Leva Khanjani, a Baha’i student who was banned from pursuing her education, was granted prison furlough and temporarily released from Evin Prison. Khanjani, who is the granddaughter of one of the seven Baha’i leaders serving 20-year sentences in Iran, was arrested with her husband, Babak Mobasher, in early 2010. They were two of 12 Baha’is whom the regime has blamed for the 2009 Ashura protests. They are both serving 2-year sentences.

Nura Fallah interrogated, released (Sen’s Day – July 10th)

A Baha’i from Shiraz, Nura Fallah, who was taken into the Ministry of Intelligence on July 8th, was interrogated and released.

Bahai student expelled from university in Shiraz (HRANA – July 12th)

Ayda Bandi, a Baha’i student who was studying English literature at Payame Noor University in Shiraz, has been expelled from school. Bandi says she was given an ultimatum to either convert to Islam or leave the country. She has left the religion box empty when filling out her school forms. When a school administrator asked her to fill it in, she wrote in “Baha’i”. In a letter she sent to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, she explained, “He told me ‘convert to Islam and continue your study or flee such as the other Baha’is and continue your studies abroad. Also I am sorry that you cannot study here, but I cannot do anything for you.’ Why I cannot be here? What’s my faith business with my study?”

Concerns for the health of Rahman Vafa’i, imprisoned in Shiraz (Sen’s Day – July 13th)

The family of Rahman Vafa’i, a 59-year old Baha’i in Adel Abad Prison who suffers from “high blood pressure and pain from a sciatic nerve”, is raising concerns that Vafa’i is not receiving the medical attention he needs. Treatment for his condition stopped after he entered prison, where he is serving a three year sentence. He reportedly has lost “all feeling in his left foot” and requires surgery. The prison doctor, however, has not deemed the surgeryy necessary.

Shamim Ettahadi is sentenced to 5 years (HRANA – July 14th)

Baha’i Shamim Ettahadi, who was arrested in mid-March on charges of “propaganda against the regime” and “acting against national security”, has been sentenced to 5 years in prison. Ettahadi, who was is from Yazd, is accused of taking and disseminating a video of the destruction of a Baha’i cemetery. He had been previously incarcerated on similar charges in 2011.

Related posts:

1. Baha’i Rights Media Round-Up: Week of June 8th, 2013 News Guilty Verdict in the Murder of John Veira in...
2. Baha’i Rights Media Round-Up: Week of June 24th, 2013 The ten Baha’i women executed in Shiraz 30 years ago...
3. Baha’i Rights Media Round-Up: Week of June 10th, 2013 News Adnan Rahmat-Penah remains in limbo (Sen’s Daily – June 2nd)...

“For years, we as Baha’is have been deprived of the right to education as part of our everyday lives. It is as if our foreheads were all branded at birth with a stamp of discrimination.

It has not been uncommon to hear swear words yelled at us in the classrooms, to be expelled from grade schools and universities and to have the word “incomplete”, mysteriously written on our transcripts – a word hundreds of us have heard as the excuse for our expulsion.

However, we did not get used to it. We did not surrender. We established our own university under the most challenging circumstances. We kindled a light in such dark days in Iran, by which hundreds of us young Bahais could slowly pursue our dreams. Even this, eventually, was not tolerated. The government officials attacked it over and over. They closed the university centers several times and interrogated our classmates, to put out this shining light.”

These are the words of Bashir Ehsani, a university student living in Tehran. He wrote them in a letter last year, as part of an awareness campaign on the plight of Baha’i students in Iran. In particular, the campaign, called Education Under Fire, focused its attention on the Baha’i Institute of Higher Education, an underground university serving Iran’s persecuted Baha’i community. Like many Baha’is in Iran, Ehsani was prevented from pursing his education in public universities because his faith is not recognized by the state — so he attended BIHE, not just out of necessity but out of resistance to an oppressive government. It was in this same spirit that he became a defender of education and children’s rights, and it was this work within his community that would eventually land him in prison.

On February 10th, 2011, Ehsani, his mother, and six other Baha’is were arrested by Iranian security officials without warning. They were being accused of inciting and pariticpating in the Ashura protests of 2009, in which Iranians all over the country staged massive demonstrations protesting the reelection of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The government, fearing unrest and the possibility of insurrection, painted the protests as a Baha’i conspiracy. During the protests, Ehsani was briefly detained and released. But as the anniversary of the Ashura protests approached, Iranian security officials began a crackdown on Baha’i activists, in an attempt to discourage a repeat of the previous year’s uprising. Ehsani was among 26 who were arrested. He was charged with public disorder and possession of satellites, accused of threatening national security and conspiracy against the regime. His sentence was five years — two years in prison and three in suspension.

Even as he was being pursued by security agents, Ehsani’s message to the world beyond Iran and to his fellow Baha’i Iranians at home and abroad was imbued with a sense of solidarity, defiance and hope:

“Our pain is a shared pain. Our cry is a shared cry. So this pain cannot be cured by each one of us separately. We should be each other’s voice and work together. We should put an end to our separate efforts. The more they attack us, whether we are in prison or in exile, we are labeled as “incomplete documents” or “starred student.” Whether we are Kurd or Fars, our message is clear: we will not be silent. We have the hope of a life with equal opportunity and freedom in Iran, the hope of an education without discrimination, the hope which cannot be taken and gives meaning to our lives.”

Related posts:

1. Prisoners in Profile: Navid Khanjani, Journalist & Human Rights Activist On January 30, 2011, the Iranian judicial courts handed out...
2. Prisoners In Profile: Noura Nabilzadeh, Children’s Rights Activist On a hot summer day in June, Noura Nabilzadeh, an...
3. Prisoners In Profile: Azizollah Samandari, BIHE Teacher Last week, Aziz Samandari, a 40-year old professor from Tehran,...

Nourizad — who previously made headlines when he wrote a letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei criticizing the regime for its violent 2009 crackdown on protests after the reelection of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad  – says he was inspired by the pope, who was photographed washing and kissing the feet of Muslim women held in a juvenile detention center near Rome. He wrote on his blog:

“Today I went to see a small Bahai family: small in the sense that only the grandmother and her four-year-old grandson remain. I seated Artin, the four-year-old, on a chair and, on behalf of all the arrogant Shiah [sic], I asked his forgiveness, and I kissed his little feet. … Today, I am not fasting [for Ramadan], because I am ill. Artin brought me water, and I drank, he brought me fruit, and I ate.

“I told Artin: ‘My little boy, I apologize to you on behalf of all of those who, in these Islamic years, have made you and your [Baha'i] fellows face injustice.’

…

“Little Artin meets [his parents] every Sunday. He goes to Karaj [prison] to meet his father and uncle and to Evin prison to meet his mother. Artin’s parents have not committed any crime, except that they’re Baha’i.

…

“When the pope, the leader of the world’s Catholics, bends, washes, and kisses the feet of a Muslim criminal, why shouldn’t I kiss your feet as a representative of the office of [Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei] and the [many] Shi’ite sources of emulation?”

Nourizad used to write a column for Kayhan Daily, an ultraconservative newspaper overseen by the office of Ali Khamenei. He left the position and joined the opposition after the June 2009 elections and the protests that followed. When the regime cracked down on protesters, Nourizad penned a letter publicly shaming Khamenei and the regime. He was arrested and sentenced to three and half years in prison, from where he continued writing protest letters.

Sen Mcglinn of Sen’s Daily praised Nourizad’s exhbition of sympathy as a worthy “rejection of anti-Bahaism”:

Mr. Nourizad’s act, and posting the photograph on his blog, is a demonstrative rejection of both the ideology of the Islamic Republic, which has made anti-Bahaism a feature of its version of Iranian identity, and of the Othering of Bahais in Iranian culture, which is much older than the Islamic Republic. Bahais are popularly regarded as unclean, and this has been confirmed by religious authorities in numerous fatwas since the Revolution. Bahais are therefore not allowed to work in food industries in Iran. To visit a Bahai home and accept food and drink creates a potent symbolic image, showing an alternative Iranian identity which would be free of bigotry and discrimination. It is also a gesture of reconciliation, and for a man living in Iran, an act of courage.

Related posts:

1. Baha’i Rights Media Round-Up: Week of July 29th, 2013 News Zhinous Rahimi begins 1-year sentence (Sen’s Daily – July...
2. Baha’i Rights Media Round-Up: Week of July 22nd, 2013 News An Update on the Destruction of the House of...
3. Khamenei Urges Iranians To Avoid Baha’is in New Edict Only days before Iranian president-elect Hassan Rouhani is slated to...

An Update on the Destruction of the House of Baha’u'llah in Baghdad from the Universal House of Justice (Messages from the Baha’i World Centre – July 17th)

Few details have emerged on the destruction of the house of Baha’u'llah in Baghdad, which happened in June, but the Universal House of Justice released another statement last week finally shedding a little bit of light on the situation. They say the destruction is total — the house was razed “almost to the ground” to make way for the construction of a mosque. The demolition took place over a period of three days and three nights with no legal permit, though it appears to have been a plan long in the making. They also report that the Department of Annuities is looking into the matter and hopefully seeking to halt any construction on the property. They write in their statement:

“In the world at large, it has become all too familiar for a blow of this severity, dealt to a hallowed site, to provoke an aggressive response. The Baha’is of Iraq, trained by the hand of the Abha Beauty, will of course remain the embodiments of kindness and forbearance, hopeful of a just outcome. They are under no illusion as to the magnitude of the loss which they, on behalf of the worldwide Baha’i community and beyond, are being forced to bear. But their eagerness to render service to their society will not be diminished by this calamity, nor will they be any less conscious of the pressing need for the whole of humanity to be acquainted with Baha’u'llah’s teachings.”

Faran Hesami, Kamran Rahimian and their son, Artin

Artin’s Dad Responds To Nourizad From Prison (Tavaana – July 24th)

Last week, Muslim filmaker and former conservative columnist Mohammad Nourizad was applauded for visiting the home of Artin, a young Baha’i boy whose parents are in imprison, and speaking out on the injustices perpetrated by the regime against Baha’is. His mother and father, Faran Hesami and Kamran Rahimian, respectively, are currently serving four years for their involvement in the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education. Rahminian wrote Nourizad a letter following the much-publicized visit:

“Peace means the acceptance of pluralism, and the ability of multiple groups to coordinate in pursuit of a common goal – with that goal being the happiness and comfort of all. Justice means giving every individual the opportunity to make use of all of their capabilities. Freedom means the potential and capacity of a human being to grow, evolve, and prepare for change, in line with the values of humanity, without any exceptions among mankind, and without regard to anything which serves to differentiate us, such as ethnicity, race, nationality, gender, religion, or education. The whole of mankind has been created in God’s image.”

Related posts:

1. Baha’i Rights Media Round-Up: Week of July 29th, 2013 News Zhinous Rahimi begins 1-year sentence (Sen’s Daily – July...
2. Baha’i Rights Media Round-Up: Week of July 3rd, 2013 News Ramin Aidalkhani transferred to Meshginshahr prison (Sen’s Daily – June 25th)...
3. Bahai Rights Media Round-Up: Week of June 17th, 2013 Baha’i Iranian refugee Sobhan, who spoke to EuroNews about Baha’i...

Khanjani’s own activism comes from a deep, personal place: as a Baha’i, he was banned from pursuing higher education. In an interview with the Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation (ABF) in 2009, Khanjani explained why this was:

Denying Baha`is the right to education was based on a directive by the Cultural Revolution Council, issued in 1991. This directive states that Baha`is do not have the right to education. It is written by Mr. Golpayegani and is signed by [the Supreme Leader] Khamenei during the Cultural Revolution. It is an [internal] law that has never been announced [which] says that Baha`is do not have the right to higher education. They can only study up to the university level. Some claim that this directive no longer exists. [But] it has been published on several websites and shown several times. This is a directive which they refer to unofficially, but it has never been publicly announced by a governmental source. It is used, but it doesn’t formally exist.

After several of his friends received expulsion orders referencing their Baha’i faith as the reason they were being denied University admittance, Khanjani helped found the Oppose Discrimination in Education Association and began his career as a stout activist for education rights. The Association advocated for all people deprived of their rights to schooling in Iran, not just Baha’is, though the regime labelled the group as a seditious Baha’i group. In response to Khanjani’s criticism of the government’s treatment of Baha’i students, state news outlets organized a media campaign against him, using him as an example of the subversive nature of the Baha’i community. He was called “a member of the cyber army” and “one of the perpetrators of the soft war” against the Islamic Republic. Because of his faith, they attempted to portray him as an outsider to Iranian society, said Safora Elyasi, a spokesperson for the Association.

“Other human rights activists have been facing such sentences, but the 12-year sentence of Mr. Khanjani is enormous compared to those who are sentenced to four, five, six and even seven years. We expect leaders of Green mMovement to react to Mr. Khanjani’s conviction because if they stay silent now, the question of ”insider and outsider” will be brought up, because of religious differences, and they cause the movement to fail right now,” she said. In regards to the Association, she added,  ”We are fighting against discriminations. Mr. Khanjani always believed that we need to fight against all kind of discrimination, either ethnic, national, religious, academic or human rights related.”

On March 2nd, 2010, six intelligence officers raided the home of Khanjani’s father. After searching through and confiscating his personal belongings, they arrested Khanjani and had him transferred to Evin Prison, where he would stay for 65 days, deprived of legal assistance. For 25 of those days he was in solitary confinement. According to the Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation, “He was beaten several times and went on a hunger strike in order to protest the bad conditions of his detention and the prison authorities’ failure to respect his rights as a defendant. He was also under pressure to record video interviews to confess against himself.”

He was released briefly on $100,000 bail, and then later sentenced to the 12 years. But it was not long after that Khanjani was arrested again — along 34 others volunteer students and relief workers  – while providing aid to earthquake victims in Azerbaijan. Security officials had raided the relief camp and detained the workers in the Tabriz intelligence office. Later, state media would claim the workers were all Baha’is plotting against the regime. This transgression added another 5 months to Khanjani’s sentence. In September 2012, he was transferred to Raja’i Shahr Prison, where he is currently serving the rest of his sentence.

Last March, Khanjani wrote a letter from prison, quoting the poetry of Ahmed Shamloo, a prominent Persian poet, to describe his emotional and mental state:

“Again, we are left with a city that has lost its beat.

All that is left are hyenas, wolves, and foxes.”

Related posts:

1. Prisoners in Profile: Bashir Ehsani, Education Rights Activist “For years, we as Baha’is have been deprived of the...
2. Prisoners In Profile: Noura Nabilzadeh, Children’s Rights Activist On a hot summer day in June, Noura Nabilzadeh, an...
3. Prisoners In Profile: Azizollah Samandari, BIHE Teacher Last week, Aziz Samandari, a 40-year old professor from Tehran,...

Zhinous Rahimi begins 1-year sentence (Sen’s Daily – July 27th)

A Baha’i from Tehran, Zhinous Rahimi, surrendered herself at Evin Prison last week to begin serving her one-year sentence. Rahimi had been one of almost 20 Baha’is arrested in wave of arrests made across Tehran, Mashhad and Shiraz in July 2012. They searched her home and confiscated her personal belongings. She was released on a bail of 100 million toman a few weeks later.

Manizhe Nasrollahi has been released from prison (HRANA – July 29th)

Baha’i Manizhe Nasrollahi, who is from Senman, was released from Evin Prison on Friday after completing her three and a half-year sentence for “propaganda against the regime” and “participation in a Baha’i organization”. Nasrollahi had been imprisoned in June 2009 for “activities against [National] security by teaching the Baha’i Faith, as well as membership in an organization opposing the Islamic regime and related to the Baha’is”, according to Iran Press Watch. Nasrollahi had been a “member of the informal administrative committee of the Baha’is of Semnan”, which had been shut down by the Revolutionary Court.

Opinion

Mehrangis Kar: A Historic Kiss (Rooz Online – July 24th)

Kar writes on the now-infamous kiss of Mohamed Nourizadeh: “This kiss comes out of the tortures, beatings, persecutions and hatred that have filled Iranian prisons, and it is an invaluable feat. Nourizadeh, a Shii writer who for years had the love of the rulers of Iran, has been so tortured and disgusted with the Shiite regime that his message with this kiss is that his fate is now tied to that of the Baha’i child.”

Diana Ala’i – Video – “We All Have to Stand Up for Another” (HRIRAN – July 24th)

Related posts:

1. Baha’i Rights Media Round-Up: Week of July 3rd, 2013 News Ramin Aidalkhani transferred to Meshginshahr prison (Sen’s Daily – June 25th)...
2. Baha’i Rights Media Round-Up: Week of July 22nd, 2013 News An Update on the Destruction of the House of...
3. Baha’i Rights Media Round-Up: Week of June 8th, 2013 News Guilty Verdict in the Murder of John Veira in...