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Faith leaders urge William Hague to call for release of imprisoned Bahá’ís in Iran

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HG Bishop Angaelos of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the UK presents the letter to Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt MP at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 14 May

LONDON, 14 May — Fifty leaders of faith communities in the United Kingdom have signed an open letter, addressed to the Rt Hon William Hague MP, the Foreign Secretary, calling on him to renew the UK Government’s support for the seven imprisoned leaders of the long-suffering Bahá’í community in Iran, the country’s largest religious minority. May 14th marks the day that these seven innocent Bahá’í leaders have been behind bars for five years, imprisoned solely because of their religious beliefs. The letter was received on the Foreign Secretary’s behalf, at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, [...] Read more »

In London, seminar discusses access to justice in Iran

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(From left) Mahnaz Parakand, Kirsty Brimelow QC, Dr Ahmed Shaheed, Dr Nazila Ghanea, discuss access to justice violations in Iran

LONDON, 9 May 2013 – Issues of due legal process and access to justice in Iran came under scrutiny at a high-level seminar, organised to mark the fifth anniversary of the arrest of Iran’s seven former Baha’i leaders. Held at the Law Society of England and Wales – and co-hosted by the Bar Human Rights Committee – the seminar on Thursday 9 May attracted more than 50 practising barristers, solicitors and human rights lawyers. The seminar heard how the trial and sentencing of the seven Baha’is to 20 years in prison each, was conducted under [...] Read more »

UN Iran expert concerned over access to education at Parliamentary seminar

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LONDON – At a seminar in Parliament on December 18, Dr Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, expressed concern over an Iranian state policy of excluding from higher education those it deems “ideologically unsound,” such as minorities, political activists, and women. Dr Shaheed described the discriminatory policies of the Iranian government as, “eroding progress made in female enrolment in post-secondary institutions, creating significant obstacles for minority access, punishing political, cultural, and human rights activists for exercising their civil and political rights, and undermining academic freedom.” In his recent report to the UN General [...] Read more »

Parliament debates “appalling” treatment of Iranian Baha’is

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NaomilongAlistairBurt

LONDON – Members of Parliament debate the “shocking” treatment of the Baha’i community in Iran. Naomi Long MP, the Member of Parliament for Belfast East, spoke of a recent intensification of the persecution of the Baha’is in Iran, with a strong emphasis on the Baha’is in Semnan at the debate. In Semnan, a town to the east of Tehran, Baha’is have been subjected to arson attacks on homes and businesses, Baha’i students are expelled from secondary schools, Baha’i owned businesses are closed down resulting in the losses of jobs for both Baha’i and non-Baha’i employees, [...] Read more »

Bahá’ís of Semnan: A community under fire

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Map of Iran

A dramatic intensification of persecution of Bahá’ís in the Iranian city of Semnan has been described as “distinctive and alarming” by the Bahá’í International Community. Dozens of attacks since 2009 against a large number of Semnan’s Bahá’ís have been carried out by officials, semi-official groups, and plainclothes agents.  At least 30 Bahá’ís have been arrested, with several now serving long prison sentences; homes and shops have been targeted by arsonists; and numerous Bahá’í-owned businesses have been shut down by authorities. Bahá’ís in the city are also facing ongoing harassment, marked by the close and constant [...] Read more »

Queen’s University Belfast Students’ Union pass motion condemning denial of access to higher education for Bahá’ís and others in Iran

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Campus of Queen's University, Belfast

The Students’ Union Council at Queen’s University, Belfast, passed a robustly-worded motion on 26 April expressing outrage at the Iranian government’s practice of denying access to higher education on the basis of ethnicity or belief. The full text of the motion is written below. “This is a tremendously positive intervention”, said Soha Graham, a student at Queen’s.  “Access to higher education is an issue that’s naturally close to all our hearts, and it is important to shine a spotlight on those who would deny this right to others.” In violation of article 26 of the UN [...] Read more »

Bahá’í Riḍván Reception 2012 hosted in the House of Commons

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Baha'is, parliamentarians and guests gathered on the terrace of the House of Commons

Parliamentarians from both Houses, foreign diplomats, media professionals, and representatives from various faith communities and civil society organisations joined members of the Bahá’í community on the Terrace of the House of Commons on 23 April to celebrate the Festival of Riḍván. Riḍván, which means ‘Paradise’, is the most significant festival for Bahá’ís.  It commemorates the occasion when, in 1863, Bahá’u’lláh, entered into a beautiful garden outside of Baghdad, named the Riḍván Garden, and announced His station as a Manifestation of God. The reception was hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Friends of the Bahá’ís Group (APPG), which [...] Read more »

World calls for unconditional release of Bahá’í leaders and other Iranian prisoners of conscience

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Iran Baha'i prisoners billboard at Westminster

  Bahá’í leaders in Iran imprisoned for 10,000 days The plight of Iran’s seven imprisoned Bahá’í leaders has been capturing the public’s attention in London and 11 other major cities across the world, where a day of action marked the combined total of 10,000 days that the seven have so far spent in prison. In an initiative coordinated by human rights organization United4Iran, the image of the seven was widely displayed on Sunday 1 April – on mobile billboards, buses, bicycles, a canal boat, and T-shirts. The billboard image of the Bahá’í leaders was made [...] Read more »

UK Bahá’í Review available for download

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UK Bahai Review Winter 2012

Read about the activities of the UK Bahá’í community in the latest edition of UK Bahá’í Review, which you can download here. This edition has stories about the community’s celebrations for the centenary of the first of two visits paid by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá , eldest Son of Bahá’u'lláh and Head of the Bahá’í community to Britain. There are also thoughts from a Bahá’í perspective on last summer’s riots as well as features about the situation of the Bahá’ís in Iran and Egypt. Read more »

Debate highlights dangerous escalation of religious persecution in Iran

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Members of Parliament in the UK have sharply criticized Iran for its human rights violations, focusing especially on the “steep rise” in the persecution of religious minorities. In a debate held at Westminster Hall on Wednesday 11 January, MPs highlighted the fact that virtually every religious minority in Iran is now facing oppression. Some 19 MPs, representing the UK’s three major parties, participated in the debate. Watch video coverage of the debate, here. Read a transcript of the debate, here. In the opening speech, Louise Ellman, MP for Liverpool Riverside, described the persecution of Baha’is [...] Read more »