UN Experts Condemn Rising Persecution of Baha’i Women in Iran

Source: iranwire.com

United Nations human rights experts have expressed concern over the increasing systematic persecution of women from Iran’s Baha’i religious minority.

The experts report that Baha’i women, who make up two-thirds of all Baha’i prisoners in Iran, are subjected to a range of systematic targeting measures, including arbitrary arrests, interrogations, home raids, and enforced disappearances.

Many are being held without due process and at undisclosed locations.

“In the larger context of the targeting of women in Iran and the challenges with gender equality, this dramatic rise in persecution against Baha’i women is an alarming escalation,” the UN experts said in a statement.

The persecution extends beyond imprisonment, with widespread restrictions on daily life.

Baha’i women are systematically denied access to higher education and face economic and cultural limitations, including bans from university attendance and public employment solely due to their faith.

The experts expressed concern over the use of vague charges such as “threat to national security” or “propaganda against the Islamic Republic” to restrict religious freedoms. 

“The experts have raised their concerns with the Iranian government. In its response, the government asserted the full citizenship rights of Baha’is and claimed they face no restrictions,” the statement reads.

“In the same week as the receipt of the government’s response, 10 Baha’i women in Isfahan were reportedly sentenced to a total of 90 years in prison, fined, banned from travel, had personal and family assets permanently confiscated, subsequent to their alleged arbitrary arrest and torture in Dolat Abad prison.”

For decades, Baha’is have faced systematic discrimination in Iran, as the Islamic Republic does not recognize their faith.

The government often accuses Baha’is of being spies or opposing the regime, but the Baha’i International Community asserts that no evidence has been provided to support these claims.

In the past two years, the Iranian government has intensified its crackdown on members of the Baha’i faith, imprisoning dozens on spurious charges, denying them access to higher education and livelihoods, and confiscating or destroying their properties.