BAHA’IS
ARE UNDER PRESSURE IN IRAN
The Iranian
Leadership sentenced three individuals named Haleh
Rouhijahromi, Raha Sabet Servestani and Sasan Taghavi to
imprisonment changing between 2 to 4 years last month for
allegedly spreading the Baha’i belief during an organization
aiming to provide free advance courses to poor people.
According to the information provided by Ali Reza Jamshidi,
Iran’s judiciary spokesman, 51 of the 54 Baha’is, who were
accused with acting against the Islamic regime, were found
not guilty.
“The
individuals who were arrested and sentenced to imprisonment
in regard with the free advance courses are members of the
non-governmental organization called “World Children
Research Organization”, the activities of which have been
authorized by the Ministry of Interior,” said R.S.
Sarvestani, sending a petition to the Chairmanship of the
Iranian Judiciary upon the mentioned verdict. “During the
courses, internationally acclaimed publications called
“Breezas of Confirmation” are used and thus our colleagues
are innocent,” underlined Sarvestani.
“The
pressure against the Baha’is are increasing day by day.
Several Baha’is had to abandon their university education
and leave the country. International human rights
organizations and the United Nations (UN) should increase
their efforts against the mentioned pressures,” stated the
International Baha’i Community.
Available
information indicates that the Iranian Leadership, trying to
identify the Baha’i students studying in universities and to
suspend their education, did not announce the results of 800
students who attended the university entrance exam for the
2007-2008 term. Meanwhile, as of late 2007, by means of the
councils planned to be set up in certain cities, Tabriz in
particular, they aimed to prevent individuals engaged in
missionary and Baha’i activities, along with people who act
against Islam.
The members
of the expatriate Baha’i Community emphasize that while the
Iranian regime granted the right of survival to non-Muslim
congregations, hundreds of individuals belonging to their
congregation have been executed or imprisoned since the 1979
Islamic Revolution. As is known, currently around 350
thousand Baha’is are living in Iran.
