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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 »

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 »

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 »

Philosophers and theologians worldwide condemn Iran’s attack on Bahá’í educators

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More than 40 distinguished philosophers and theologians from 16 countries have joined the condemnation of Iran’s policy to bar young Baha’is and others from higher education. In an unprecedented global initiative, the 43 prominent academics – of Christian, Hindu, Jewish, and Muslim backgrounds – have signed an open letter, published today in The Daily Telegraph. The letter condemns in particular recent attacks by the Iranian authorities on an informal educational initiative of the Baha’i community – known as the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education (BIHE) – in which Baha’i professors, debarred by the Iranian government from [...] Read more »

Bahá’í International Community calls for release of Christian pastor facing death sentence

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The Bahá’í International Community has joined the call for the release of Youcef Nadarkhani, a Christian pastor from Rasht, Iran. Pastor Nadarkhani, who is the father of two young children, leads a network of house churches. He was found guilty of apostasy – “turning his back on Islam” – and “converting Muslims to Christianity,” and sentenced to death in September 2010. Iran’s Supreme Court recently asked for a re-examination of the case to establish whether or not he had been a practising Muslim adult before he converted to Christianity. The court ruled he was not [...] Read more »

The Times – Bahá’ís lament 30 years of persecution in their homeland

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A feature article appearing in the Saturday 29 July 2011 edition of The Times explores the persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran. The article also looks at the long history of the Bahá’í community in the United Kingdom and touches on some of the service work carried out by its members. The piece appears in full below.   Bahá’ís lament 30 years of persecution in their homeland The Times | Michael Binyon | Saturday 29 July 2011 More than 100 followers of the global faith are languishing in prison in Iran Few religions have known such [...] Read more »

Bahá’ís to host parliamentary seminar on human rights in Iran

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On 15 June, the UK Bahá’í community, in partnership with Christian Solidarity Worldwide and United for Iran, will host a seminar at the House of Commons on human rights in Iran. (Please see the seminar flyer for more information.) The panel will focus on the freedom of religious belief and the rights of women, and will be chaired by Louise Ellman MP. Omid Djalili and Dr Nazila Ghanea will speak for the Bahá’í community. They will be joined by Mike Gapes MP, the Iranian journalist Shadi Sadr, and Dr Khataza Gondwe from Christian Solidarity Worldwide. Read more »