Source: www.iranhr.net
Translation by Iran Press Watch
Javad Abbasi Tavaloli, “Our Rights” Magazine:
“The regime’s attitude towards them (Baha’is) must be such that the path of their progress and growth is blocked…”
The above phrase, taken from the decisions of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution in February 1991, represents the two-fold strategy of oppression that has been inflicted upon the Baha’is of Iran since the inception of the Islamic Republic.
The mass executions of Baha’is in the 1980s, the imprisonment of Baha’i leaders and followers, the mass expulsion of Baha’i students from educational centers, the closure and sealing of Baha’i shops and businesses, and the destruction of Baha’i cemeteries all demonstrate to the Islamic Republic’s deliberate and systematic attempt to physically eradicate the Baha’i Community of Iran and force survivors to leave their homeland.
Over the past four decades Iran’s judiciary, with the complicity of security agencies, has criminalized belief in the Baha’i faith, without any explicit legal clause in Iran’s domestic laws to deal with its followers, using a wide range of criminal charges against Baha’i Citizens with the intention to suppress the Baha’is of Iran.
Despite this, international institutions and governments that protect human rights have not yet shown an effective response to these crimes by the Islamic Regime.
“Why have governments, the United Nations, and other state institutions not reacted appropriately to the mass deportation of Baha’is from Iran in recent decades and years? Is it possible to take Iran’s case to international courts for violating the rights of Baha’is? What measures has the Baha’i International Community taken so far in the face of the violation of the rights of the Baha’is of Iran at the international level?”
For answers to these questions “Our Rights” (OR) magazine spoke with Farhad Sabetan (FS), the spokesperson for the Baha’i International Community.
OR: Since the Islamic Republic came to power, thousands of Baha’i citizens have been forced to leave Iran due to security confrontations or socio-economic repression. In your opinion, why have governments, the United Nations, and other international organizations not reacted appropriately to the mass deportation of Baha’is from Iran in recent decades and years?
FS: This issue should be looked at from several angles. In general, part of the problem can be attributed to the limited power or authority of the Islamic Republic government. In other words, the Islamic Republic is resisting international pressure, and economic sanctions, diplomatic criticism, resolutions, and similar activities by the international community have a limited impact on the continuation of the Islamic Republic’s policies.
The heads of the Islamic Republic are partly concerned about their international credibility and future and do not want to be seen as a country that violates human rights. At the same time, they do not respond to international pressures either.
On the other hand, in relation to Iran, international institutions such as the United Nations and its member states have determined their priorities for tactical and strategic reasons in such a way that their own interests are first and foremost served to an adequate extent. Therefore, the pressures exerted on the Islamic Republic in the field of human rights may jeopardize the strategic interests of these countries, and this issue has caused not only the rights of Baha’is but also the rights of other citizens of Iran to be ignored by governments.
Another point is that we have faced many crises in the last several years. The Iran-Iraq War and then the Persian Gulf War, which took place against Iraq under the leadership of the United States. The wars in Syria and Afghanistan have all led to the displacement of millions of people and exacerbated the deep refugee crisis. These crises have also overshadowed the violation of the rights of Baha’is.
As the number of refugees around the world has increased from thousands to millions, the violations of the rights of Baha’is and other citizens in Iran seem less significant than the events in other countries.
Also, the Islamic Republic’s disregard for UN resolutions and the denial of the entry of UN special rapporteurs to Iran, among other such cases, shows that the Islamic Republic does not care about all these issues. In addition, the Islamic Republic does not care about the human rights of all its citizens, including Baha’is, other minorities, or even the majority of the population.
Unfortunately, it must be noted that the Islamic Republic enjoys the support of some of its allied countries, which are also violators of human rights. This creates a sense of immunity and lack of motivation to respect human rights in this regime.
Despite these obstacles, the international community has taken some action regarding human rights violations in Iran. Since 1983, more than thirty resolutions have been passed by the United Nations condemning the Iranian government.
Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have also produced several reports regarding these human rights violations by the Iranian government.
Recently, Human Rights Watch reported on the issue of the Baha’i genocide. Although these reports are informative and increase the level of awareness, sadly, the Islamic Republic has ignored all of them and continues its anti-human rights policies.
OR: What measures has the Baha’i International Community taken at the international level to counter the mass and forced deportation of Baha’i citizens from Iran?
FS: The actions of the Baha’i International Community should be viewed both internally and externally. Since the beginning of the 1979 Revolution, more than two hundred Baha’is have been executed, thousands of Baha’i students have been deprived of their right to education, and tens of thousands of Baha’i properties have been confiscated. The Baha’i community has made efforts to obtain justice through Iran’s constitution and judicial system and has taken evidence of these atrocities to judicial institutions inside the country. The rights violations experienced by Baha’is in Iran are in violation of the Country’s domestic laws. Unfortunately, none of the measures to seek justice have received a response.
As a result, the Baha’i International Community has been forced to turn to international institutions such as the United Nations and even various countries such as the European Parliament, the U.S. Congress, the Parliament of Canada, Australia, and Brazil, in the hope that should these institutions and governments had some influence in Iran, they might be able to remedy the problems of the Baha’is of Iran.
In the beginning, the Baha’i International Community did a great deal of work to demonstrate to the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) the issues experienced by this community, for example, how the Baha’is Community in Iran is at risk, simply because of their Faith.
Baha’i Citizens in Iran are at risk of death, as well as all sorts of other life and property risks. Examples of all these cases were documented to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). At that time, these actions directed attention to the Baha’i refugees and their resettlement in other countries.
As mentioned earlier, despite the global refugee crises, the problems have increased to such an extent that issues related to the Baha’is have become the next priority.
The Baha’i International Community is still trying to bring to light the difficulties of the Baha’is in Iran to the world.
The website of the “House of Anti-Baha’i Documents” contains a large number of documents that document many cases the violation of the rights of Baha’is in Iran have been committed by official courts, for the purpose of forcing them to leave the country.
OR: With all these interpretations, in your opinion, is it possible to take Iran’s case to international courts for violating the rights of Baha’is? How can the Islamic Republic be held accountable in this regard?
FS: It is difficult to answer this important question because accountability comes from the conscience and within an institution, and nothing can be done from outside the country. Unless force is resorted to, which of course the Baha’i International Community does not accept violent treatment in any way.
For example, in the People’s Tribunal the testimony of several Baha’i families was documented. Although these courts did not have international legal standing, by collecting and documenting evidence they did pave the way for the establishment of a court that would be able investigate the crimes of the Islamic Republic’s officials in the future.
Also, the collection of documented violations has the potential to motivate human rights violators in Iran to discontinue their actions for fear that they will be prosecuted on the basis of evidence contained in these documents.
Another activity of the Baha’i International Community in the international arena is the is the informational campaigns that have been held so far. For example, a few years ago, the Bahá’í International Community launched a campaign to combat hate speech. Last year a campaign entitled “Our Story is One” was launched and is ongoing.
These campaigns have received a lot of attention both in Iran and abroad, and the Islamic Republic is now well aware that the majority of the Iranian people are opposed to the regime’s treatment of all citizens, especially Baha’is as Iran’s second-largest religious minority. In general, these awareness campaigns have made Iranian citizens aware of the oppression the Islamic Republic inflicts on its people; hopefully this awareness will help to hold the regime accountable.
OR: Did the Bahá’í International Community cooperate with the United Nations Fact-Finding Committee on Bahá’í Detainees in the nationwide “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising?
FS: In recent years, all the evidence, including instances of violations of the rights of Baha’is in several areas, has been presented to the United Nations, the Special Rapporteurs on Human Rights, the Rapporteurs working on violations of the rights of religious minorities and freedom of religion, UNESCO, and the International Labor Organization.
In other words, the international community and institutions have been made fully aware of the details of the violations of the rights of the Baha’is in Iran. The fact-finding committee is no exception.
All the evidence collected and documented by the Baha’i International Community have been submitted to this Committee and other UN committees. We hope that these documents can pave the way for the Islamic Republic to adhere to its overall duty as a state and government, which is to protect and provide security for its citizens.
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