Persecution of the Baha’is in Iran
The Baha’is of the United States have worked with members of Congress for more than 30 years to pass resolutions that condemn the state-sponsored persecution of Iran’s 300,000-member Baha’i minority, which has been marked by the execution of hundreds of Baha’is, the imprisonment of thousands more, and systematic and severe economic and social pressure on the Baha’i community. These resolutions shine a light on the actions of the Iranian authorities, and they contribute to an international outcry that has helped to mitigate the severity of the persecution.
In the 113th Congress (2013 – 2015), new resolutions were introduced on March 12, 2013:
These resolutions “condemn the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha’i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights.”
On December 20, 2013, the Senate passed Senate Resolution 75 with 35 bipartisan cosponsors. House Resolution 109 is now pending in the House of Representatives.
May 14, 2014 Congressional Call-In Day
May 14 marks the six-year anniversary of the imprisonment of the seven members of the Yaran, the former ad hoc leadership group of the Baha’is of Iran, who have been sentenced to twenty years in prison for their involvement with the Baha’i community. After six years behind bars, the Baha’i seven say “no” to religious discrimination against anyone. Stand with the Baha’i seven in calling for the freedom of all prisoners of conscience in Iran.
On May 14, people around the country are calling the Washington, D.C. offices of their representatives to ask them to cosponsor House Resolution 109 (H.Res.109), if they have not already done so. Please take action for the Baha’is of Iran. Please encourage your friends, colleagues in interfaith groups, and others concerned about human rights in Iran to take action as well.
- Find out who your representative is and obtain contact information for his or her office by visiting the U.S. House of Representative’s Find Your Representative page and entering your zip code.
- Check the list of cosponsors of House Resolution 109 to see if your Representative has cosponsored the resolution.
- If your Representative has not yet signed on as a cosponsor of H.Res.109, call his or her Washington, D.C. office and ask him or her to cosponsor the resolution.
- When speaking with a staff member in your representative’s office, explain that May 14 is the sixth anniversary of the incarceration of seven Baha’i leaders in Iran, who have been jailed for no other reason than their membership in the Baha’i Faith and their service to the Baha’i community. Express your hope that the representative will cosponsor the pending resolution, H.Res.109, in defense of Baha’is and other prisoners of conscience in Iran, as soon as possible.
- Emphasize that it is important for the representative to cosponsor the resolution – not simply to commit to voting for its passage – as the number of cosponsors will be viewed as a demonstration of strong support for the resolution.
- Please do not make additional requests or offer to provide additional information. Simply express your desire, as a constituent, that the representative become a cosponsor of H.Res.109.
- Please make telephone calls only; do not send requests in writing, via email or otherwise.
- If your representative has already signed on as a cosponsor of House Resolution 109, please do not call his or her office.
If you have any questions, please call the U.S. Baha’i Office of Public Affairs at 202-833-8990.
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