Blog-Archive
Baha’i family in Iran forced to give up body of a loved one for unlawful burial
The recent experience of a Baha’i family in Sanandaj, a town in the Kurdistan province of Iran, highlights the cruel absurdities practiced by the Iranian authorities towards some of its citizens, members of this faith community—the largest non-Muslim religion in the country.
On 12 July 2015, a Baha’i, Mrs. Baji Muhammadifard passed away and her family sought a burial permit to inter her body in the Baha’i cemetery in Sanandaj. This was refused, with the officials insisting—against the existing laws in Iran—that Mrs. Muhammadifard’s body be laid to rest in the Baha’i cemetery in Ghorveh, a town located approximately an hour and a half’s journey from Sanandaj.
Agreeing to burial in Ghorveh would have forced the family to ignore the Baha’i burial law requiring bodies to be interred within an hour’s journey from the place of death. The road from Sanandaj to Ghorveh is extremely hazardous, passing as it does through mountains. Despite this, in an effort to persuade the family that Baha’i law would not be broken, the authorities told the family that an ambulance—which could exceed the speed limit—would carry the body.
Local authorities sympathetic to the plight of the Baha’is told the family that a memorandum from the Supreme National Security Council has stated that the Baha’is are only to be allocated one cemetery in any province, an inhumane and illegal directive applied to no other group of citizens in the country, which has never been shared previously with the Baha’is.
„The Iranian authorities seem to have brought themselves down to a new level of absurdity and malice; extending their prejudiced attacks on the Baha’i community beyond the grave,“ said Bani Dugal, Principal Representative of the Baha’i International Community Office to the United Nations in New York.
The refusal to allow the burial to take place in the Baha’i cemetery in Sanandaj, an area made beautiful and verdant through decades of effort by the community, meant that the family had to keep the body of their loved one in cool conditions at home. This was done with the help of friends.
The family knew that if the body were in the public morgue, it would be taken by the authorities without their knowledge or permission and buried with no Baha’i rites being observed.
Members of the wider community who came to mourn Mrs. Muhammadifard’s passing were most sympathetic to the family’s situation. There was a swell of public support in the town, with attention being drawn to the unreasonable behavior of the authorities.
The officials responded by summoning the son of the deceased for interrogation. Finally, after four hours of grueling questions and threats, he was forced to give up his mother’s body. Soon after, just as the grief-stricken family had feared, the body was taken by the authorities, placed in an ambulance and sent, unaccompanied by any family member, to Ghorveh cemetery. The mourners were left in tears and distress. After an hour the family could not contain their anxieties any longer and travelled to Ghorveh to see what had happened to the body of their loved one.
Iranian law requires every town to provide, within its boundaries, cemetery plots for the burial of all its citizens and makes it unlawful for a municipality to accept for burial bodies from outside its jurisdiction.
„The Iranian government is now summarily breaking its own laws in its persecution of Bahá’ís. What is the reason for this behavior? The government of Iran should be asked to explain its actions to the international community,“ said Ms. Dugal. „I wonder what the people of Iran and of the world—especially the youth—think of such actions being taken by a government that prides itself in its adherence to the sacred religion of Islam?“
Source: Bahai
Baha’i shopkeepers in Iran pressured against observing their religious holy days
Tens of Baha’is‘ shops in the cities of Rafsanjan, Kerman, Sari and Hamadan have been sealed by government authorities in an effort to pressure Baha’is not to observe their religious holy days.
These shops, mostly small businesses, offering services like household appliance repairs or the sales of automobile parts or clothing, were sealed in April and May when the owners closed their stores in observance of Baha’i holy days during those months.
Further to these closures, Iranian authorities told some of the shopkeepers that if they do not sign a pledge that they will only close their stores on recognized national holidays their business licenses will be revoked and their stores closed permanently.
„This recent attempt by authorities in Iran to prevent Baha’i shop owners from observing Baha’i holy days on a few days of the year is an act against the laws of Iran itself and one which violates international human rights norms,“ said Ms. Diane Ala’i, representative of the Baha’i International Community’s United Nations office in Geneva.
„Such small enterprises are virtually the only means of economic subsistence left to Baha’is and their families in Iran today“ said Ms. Ala’i. „Baha’is have been banned from all government employment and other private sector businesses are frequently pressured to dismiss them.“
Many or all of these same shops had been shut down by authorities last October when at least 80 shops in those same cities as well as in the city of Jiroft were closed by authorities after the owners temporarily closed their businesses to observe Baha’i holy days. After extensive appeals by the Baha’is, and some international publicity about the closings, the shops were eventually allowed to reopen. These actions have been reported in the 2015 annual report of the European Parliament Intergroup on Freedom of Religion or Belief and Religious Tolerance titled „State of Freedom of Religion or Belief“.
„These recent developments take the persecution against the Baha’is in Iran to a new level entirely, because it is not as if the Baha’is openly advertise that they close their shops because of a Baha’i holy day,“ Ms. Ala’i said. „They merely wish to exercise their right to freedom of worship.“
„It is all clearly part of a continuing effort by the government to make Baha’is invisible by striving to eliminate all aspects of their existence,“ she said.
The news comes just as governments, employers, and workers‘ representatives from around the world gather in Geneva for the 104th International Labour Conference, where the topic of discrimination in the workplace is a major concern.
„The fact that news of these incidents, blatant examples of religious persecution, come as the world is discussing workplace discrimination only serves to highlight once again the degree to which Iran has failed to live up to international human rights norms,“ said Ms. Ala’i.
She noted that in 2014, the International Labour Organization, at the 103rd International Labour Conference, called on Iran to address discrimination against Baha’is, saying it has „deep concern“ regarding „the systematic discrimination against members of religious and ethnic minorities, particularly the Baha’is, and once again urges the Government to take immediate and decisive action to address such discrimination“.
Baha’is are officially restricted from engaging in certain types of businesses. In 2007, the Public Places Supervision Office issued a letter to police throughout the country saying Baha’is should be banned from „high-earning businesses“ and from „sensitive“ categories, such as the press, jewelry, photography, and computer and Internet-related businesses, as well as the food industry.
Moreover, small shops run by Baha’is have not only been the subject of frequent closures by government agents but also arson attacks and other assaults, perpetrated in an atmosphere where hatred against Baha’is has been incited through a national anti-Baha’i media campaign, as has been documented previously.
Source: Bahá’í International Community
Menschenrechtsbeauftragter der Bundesregierung fordert Freilassung von iranischen Baha’i
us Anlass des siebten Jahrestages der Inhaftierung der sieben führenden Baha’i im Iran fordert der Menschenrechtsbeauftragte der Bundesregierung im Auswärtigen Amt, Christoph Strässer, die iranische Justiz auf, die Verurteilung sofort aufzuheben und die sieben Baha’i wie auch alle anderen aufgrund ihrer religiösen Überzeugung Inhaftierten unverzüglich freizulassen.
Die deutsche Baha‘i-Gemeinde beteiligt sich vom 14. bis 20. Mai 2015 an einer globalen Kampagne, mit der sie auf ihrer Facebook-Seite mit „7 Tage. 7 Jahre. 7 Leben.“ ebenfalls die sofortige Freilassung der seit sieben Jahren inhaftierten sieben iranischen Baha‘i- Führungsmitglieder einfordert.
Am Vortag der weltweiten Kampagne erklärte der Menschenrechtsbeauftragte:
“Seit nunmehr sieben Jahren befindet sich das gesamte Führungsgremium der iranischen Bahá’i-Gemeinde im Gefängnis. Die sieben Inhaftierten wurden in einem intransparenten Verfahren unter Missachtung grundlegender rechtsstaatlicher Regeln zu jeweils 20 Jahren Haft verurteilt. Bis heute liegt kein schriftliches Urteil vor.
Ich fordere die iranische Justiz auf, die Verurteilung sofort aufzuheben und die sieben Bahá’i wie auch alle anderen aufgrund ihrer religiösen Überzeugung Inhaftierten unverzüglich freizulassen.
Mit der andauernden Verfolgung der Bahá’i und anderer religiöser Minderheiten verstößt Iran gegen das grundlegende Recht auf Religionsfreiheit. Ich fordere Iran auf, entsprechend seiner völkerrechtlichen Verpflichtungen die Menschenrechte all seiner Bürgerinnen und Bürger ungeachtet ihrer Religionszugehörigkeit zu achten!”
Hintergrund
Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaie, Mahvash Sabet, Behrouz Tavakkoli und Vahid Tizfahm waren Mitglieder einer informellen Koordinierungsgruppe, die unter dem Namen „Yárán“ (dt. Freunde) bekannt wurde und die sich um die notwendigsten Belange der iranischen Baha’i-Gemeinde kümmerte. Den Baha‘i ist es seit 1983 verboten, sich in demokratisch gewählten Gremien zu organisieren. Seitdem hatte ein informelles Gremium, dessen Mitglieder die Verurteilten waren, einen Teil der Aufgaben übernommen, ehe auch dieses im Zuge der Verhaftungen aufgelöst werden musste. Frau Sabet wurde am 5. März 2008 verhaftet, die anderen sechs am 14. Mai 2008.
Momentan befinden sich über 100 weitere Mitglieder der Religionsgemeinschaft lediglich aufgrund ihrer Religionszugehörigkeit in Haft. Trotz Irans Versprechungen, die Menschenrechtslage in Iran zu verbessern, darunter die Zusicherung, religiöse Diskriminierung zu beenden, nahm das Ausmaß der systematischen Anstrengungen der iranischen Regierung, ihre größte nicht-muslimische religiöse Minderheit unsichtbar zu machen, stark zu, wie der Bericht (pdf) zur Lage der Baha’i im Iran der deutschen Baha’i-Gemeinde zeigt.
Quelle: Bahai Deutschland
Iran’s UPR response offers bleak outlook for Baha’is and human rights
GENEVA — Iran’s limited and conditional acceptance of just two out of ten recommendations made by other governments about its ongoing persecution of Baha’is today suggests there will be no significant change in government policy in the near future – and a bleak outlook for human rights generally in Iran.
„The sad reality is that Iran has largely refused to accept recommendations made by the international community that it end discrimination against Baha’is, offering instead to the Human Rights Council only token concessions on the issue,“ said Diane Ala’i, the representative of the Baha’i International Community in Geneva.
She noted that Iran gave only partial acceptance to two recommendations that specifically mentioned Baha’is in its response to October’s Universal Periodic Review at the Council, rejecting completely the other eight.
„Other governments in October offered some very strong and significant recommendations about how Iran could end its systematic persecution of Baha’is, but Iran has walked away from them almost entirely, accepting only two in a limited and conditional manner,“ said Ms. Ala’i.
„Based on this – and their past record of failure to live up to recommendations made at the 2010 UPR – we doubt there will be any improvement in the near future for Baha’is, who are persecuted in Iran solely for their religious beliefs,“ said Ms. Ala’i.
In a statement read today to the Council, Ms. Ala’i observed that during the October UPR, „Mr. Javad Larijani, the head of the delegation, claimed that Baha’is ‚are dealt [with] under the so called citizenship contract‘ and ‚enjoy all the privileges of any citizen in Iran,‘ and that ‚they have professors at the university‘ and ’students at the university.‘
„But recently Ayatollah Bojnourdi, who was one of the drafters of the Charter for Citizenship Rights, publicly said: ‚We never say that Baha’is have the right to education; Baha’is don’t even have citizenship rights!‘
„This is the sad truth of the reality in Iran,“ Ms. Ala’i told the Council.
Ms. Ala’i expressed the hope that, in its desire to prove to the world its oft-stated respect for the Universal Periodic Review, Iran will begin with the easy step of allowing Baha’is unrestrained access to higher education, a development that would be in line with the two recommendations it has partially accepted.
What Iran accepted and rejected today
At Iran’s formal UPR session in October, other governments made 291 recommendations about how Iran might improve its human rights record. At its outcome session today, Iran accepted 130 of those. It gave partial acceptance to 59 of them, and it rejected completely 102 of them. Of those that mention Baha’is, two fell into the partial acceptance category, one from Chile and one from the Czech Republic. They were:
138.111. Adopt provisions to prevent all forms of discrimination against women and girls and, in particular, promote access to higher education for members of the Baha’i community and other religious minorities (Chile);
138.131. Review its legislation and policy so as to ensure freedom of religion of persons belonging to religious minorities, including Baha’i, as well as protection of their other human rights without any discrimination (Czech Republic);
Their partial acceptance, however, was conditioned by Iran’s statement „that full implementation of some of these recommendations is contrary to our constitution, basic laws and Islamic values“ and „the course of action required to amend current laws need time and lengthy deliberations among different constituent parts in the legislative process.“
The eight recommendations regarding Baha’is which were rejected are as follows:
138.125. Put an end to acts of repression against ethnic and religious minorities, in particular Baha’is, and take effective measures to put an end to discriminatory policies against them (Luxembourg);
138.126. Eliminate reported discrimination against religious minorities such as the Baha’is and offer better legal protection to such communities (Sierra Leone);
138.128. Take measures to ensure non-discrimination in law and in practice against ethnic and religious minorities, including arbitrary detention and exclusion from higher education and government employment, as well as governmental interference in private employment, against persons belonging to the Baha’i community (Sweden);
138.129. Cease all discrimination against members of religious and ethnic minorities, including Baha’is, Dervishes, Christians, Ahwazi Arabs, Balochs and Kurds, and ensure respect for freedom of religion (Australia);
138.130. End discrimination in law and practice against all religious and ethnic minorities such as Baha’is, Sufis, Kurds and Sunni Arabs, and ensure full protection of their rights (Austria);
138.132. Put an end to discrimination and repression against people because of their ethnic and religious affiliation, including Baha’is, Kurds, Ahwazis and Christians (France);
138.133. End discrimination in law and practice against religious and ethnic minorities, including the Baha’i community (Lithuania);
138.134. Take steps to prevent discrimination and incitement to hatred against the Baha’i or any other ethnic or religious minority, regardless of whether it is officially recognized (Mexico).
Source: BAHAI World News
Zwei Monate im Leichenschauhaus – Wie die Baha’i im Iran unsichtbar gemacht werden sollen
Shamal Bina verstarb am 28. Oktober 2014 in der südiranischen Stadt Ahvaz. Seitdem liegt sein Leichnam im Leichenschauhaus aufgebahrt, weil die örtlichen Beamten die Durchführung seiner Beerdigung unterbinden. Binas Familie und andere haben mehrfach an zahlreiche Beamte, vom Generalgouverneur bis hin zum Leiter des Freitagsgebets, appelliert, ohne jeglichen Erfolg.
Das Leid der Familie wird durch die Tatsache verstärkt, dass Anfang 2014 der Baha’i-Friedhof in Ahvaz von den Behörden auf grausame Art und Weise geschlossen wurde: die Eingangstür zum Friedhof wurde zunächst zugeschweißt und anschließend zugemauert.
Diese Episode ist bislang die letzte in einer Reihe von Vorkommnissen, bei denen iranische Beamte in den vergangenen Monaten die Beisetzung von Baha‘i aufgehalten oder verhindert oder die Zerstörung ihrer Friedhöfe genehmigt haben. Allem Anschein nach ist dies Teil einer Kampagne, in der die Baha’i dazu gezwungen werden sollen, ihre eigene religiöse Identität zu verleugnen.
In Semnan wurde den dort ansässigen Baha’i mitgeteilt, dass man ihnen nur dann die Genehmigung erteilt, ihre verstorbenen Verwandten zu beerdigen, wenn sie eine Verpflichtungserklärung unterschreiben. Außer ihrem Namen, dem Geburts-und Sterbedatum werden laut diesem Dokument keine weiteren Inschriften auf dem Grabstein gestattet. Auch darf um die jeweilige Grabstätte herum nichts gepflanzt werden, da dies alles als Verbreitung ihres Glaubens angesehen wird. Ähnliche Anordnungen wurden Anfang 2014 für den Baha‘i-Friedhof in Sangsar in der Provinz Semnan ausgestellt.
Diane Ala’i, Sprecherin der Internationalen Baha’i-Gemeinde bei den Vereinten Nationen in Genf sagte, dass „in den vergangenen Jahren mehr als 40 Baha‘i-Friedhöfe angegriffen, durch Vandalismus verunstaltet oder geschlossen wurden. In zahlreichen Fällen wurde die Beisetzung von Baha’i von den Behörden entweder gestoppt oder behindert. Das Gesamtmuster, das entsteht, ist eine von der Regierung koordinierte Anstrengung, Baha’i im Iran unsichtbar zu machen, indem eine der wenigen verbliebenen öffentlichen Zeichen ihrer Existenz – ihre eigenen, unverwechselbaren Friedhöfe – vernichtet und sie gezwungen werden, sich an muslimische Riten zu halten. Dies stellt ein weiteres Mittel dar, um die Baha’i zu zwingen, ihren Glauben zu leugnen”, so Ala’i.
Der bekannteste dieser Vorfälle ist die Zerstörung des historischen Baha‘i-Friedhofes in Schiras. Auf dem Friedhof sind rund 950 Baha’i begraben. Vergangenen September forderten drei UN-Menschenrechtsexperten, die Abrissarbeiten des historischen Friedhofs zu beenden und sprachen von einer „inakzeptablen Verletzung der Religionsfreiheit“. Laut aktuellen Berichten wurden die Bauarbeiten jedoch fortgesetzt und inzwischen 5.000 – 6.000 Quadratmeter Land ausgehoben oder bebaut. An Stelle des Friedhofs soll ein Kultur-und Sportkomplex entstehen.
„Die Baha’i im Iran sind ihr ganzen Leben lang nicht nur breitgefächerter Diskriminierung ausgesetzt – Bildung, Arbeit und die freie Religionsausübung werden ihnen vorenthalten. Ihnen wird auch die Würde einen anständigen Begräbnisses verweigert“, sagte Ala’i.
Weitere Vorfälle dieser Kampagne:
● Ziba Rohani verstarb im Oktober 2014 in Tabriz. Mindestens acht Tage lang würde ihr Begräbnis von den örtlichen Behörden untersagt werden, es sei denn, man würde sie ohne Sarg beisetzen. Dieses hätte jedoch gegen die Vorschriften der Baha‘i-Bestattung verstoßen.
● Die 11-jährige Mahna Samandari war ein talentiertes junges Mädchen, das invalid wurde und vor kurzem in Tabriz verstarb. Laut Berichten vom vergangenen November wurde ihren Angehörigen die Bestattung auf dem Friedhof von Tabriz verweigert.
● Im November 2014 schlossen Regierungsbehörden den Baha‘i-Friedhof in Mahmoudiyeh in der Provinz Isfahan. Den Baha‘i würde nicht mehr erlaubt, dort begraben zu werden, so die Mitteilung der Behörden.
● Im Juni 2014 wurde aus Tabriz berichtet, dass Beamte das Begräbnis von Tuba Yeganehpour und zwei anderen Baha’i auf dem öffentlichen Friedhof verhinderten.
● Im April 2014 wurde das Grabmal eines bekannten Baha‘i auf dem Baha’i-Friedhof in Sabzevar von einem Unbekannten mit einem Bulldozer zerstört. Wie auch bei anderer solcher Ereignisse in den letzten Jahren ist klar, dass diese Art von schweren Geräten ohne Genehmigung der Behörden nicht hätte eingesetzt werden können.
● In einem Zeitraum von acht Monaten wurde die Beisetzung von mindestens 15 verstorbenen Baha’i auf dem öffentlichen Friedhof von Tabriz verweigert. Die Familien wurden damit gezwungen, ihre verstorbenen Verwandten in eine andere Stadt überstellen zu lassen.
Quelle: Bahai Deutschland
BAHAI| Hateful propaganda sparks concern for Baha’is of Rafsanjan
Hateful propaganda sparks concern for Baha’is of Rafsanjan
16 December 2014
NEW YORK — Against the backdrop of increasingeconomic pressures, a recent anti-Baha’i demonstration and a hateful speech delivered by a cleric have raised concerns for the safety of the Baha’is of Rafsanjan, a city in Iran.
Hojatoleslam Abbas Ramezani-Pour, the Friday prayer Imam of Rafsanjan, declared in a speech at the end of November that, according to religious fatwas, Baha’is are „unclean“ and that it is „forbidden“ to conduct business and trade with them.
„The rightful wishes of the people, which are that they [the Baha’is] should not be in this city, must be realized,“ Mr. Ramezani-Pour stated.
„This Imam has, in fact, called for the Baha’is to be expelled from Rafsanjan,“ said Ms. Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations. „Such negative remarks by a known cleric in the city are extremely worrisome and show a deep level of discrimination.“
„The closure of businesses in that city and the economic harassment of Baha’is are already causing immense hardship for Baha’is there,“ said Ms. Dugal
Several days before the speech of Mr. Ramezani-Pour, an anti-Baha’i demonstration was held in front of the governor’s office in Rafsanjan.
Reports from pro-Iranian government media allege that these demonstrations were spontaneous and initiated by the local population. However, photos show instead a clearly planned event, using pre-printed placards obviously prepared in advance. Some placards read „The Baha’is are inherently unclean“, and others „no room for faithless sneaks in Muslim bazaars“.
„Hateful remarks and the dissemination of falsehoods against the Baha’is in Iran are not new“, said Ms. Dugal. „But these incidents are ominous because of past occasions where statements by religious leaders and efforts to incite hatred against a certain group led to serious consequences.“
For example, on 24 August 2013, Mr. Ataollah Rezvani, a well-known Baha’i in the city of Bandar Abbas was shot and killed in his car. It is of note that a few years before his murder, the Friday prayer Imam had incited the local population against the Baha’is, referring to them as „un-Islamic.“ He further called on the people of the city to „rise up“ against the Baha’i community.
Of course, Baha’is are not the only group to be identified from the pulpit. More recently, the Friday prayer Imam of Isfahan gave a provocative speech in which he stated that warnings were no longer enough in the fight to ensure the proper use of the Hijab – or the head scarf – by all women; force and violence were now necessary. Shortly after his address, several women had acid thrown at their faces for not wearing what the authorities regard as appropriate attire whilst out in public in the city.
„The statements of clerics in Iran have an influence on the thoughts of those who follow them“, said Ms. Dugal. „Where is the government? Can the complicity of the government be seriously denied?“
In October of this year, 50 Baha’i shops were closed in the city of Kerman, 23 in Rafsanjan and six in Jiroft – all in the same province. In recent months, an increase in the number of closures of Baha’i businesses and shops shows a coordinated plan for inflicting further pressures on the Baha’is of Iran.
● A business closure in July resulted in 20 locals in Ghaemshahr being left jobless.
● In September 2014, a Baha’i in Yazd whose business license had been refused despite her repeated representations to the Public Places Supervision Office (PPSO), was told by a director of the PPSO in Yazd Province that he had received a circular from the higher authorities instructing his office not to issue a business permit to any Baha’i applicant and that this would be undertaken gradually, presumably in an effort to prevent adverse publicity in the international media. It should further be noted that, at one point in her efforts to retain the business, she was advised by the local trade union to have it registered under the name of a Muslim. When she did so, the individual concerned was threatened by PPSO officials, who pressured him, albeit unsuccessfully, to sign an undertaking pledging that neither the Baha’i nor any of her Baha’i colleagues would ever show their faces inside the store.
● In August 2014 it was reported that three veterans, who had been prisoners of war and who were receiving the pension to which they were entitled had been summoned to the Veterans‘ Affairs Foundation and told that if they did not write their religion as Muslim, their pensions would be stopped. They refused to recant their faith and are now receiving no pension.
● In October 2014, it was reported that business licenses of four Baha’is in the city of Yazd were not renewed.
● In November 2014, in Isfahan, the residences of a number of Baha’is who were working from home were entered by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence and the work areas ’sealed‘ to indicate no further work could be done.
Bahai| UN-Resolution sendet deutliches Zeichen für Menschenrechte an den Iran
Ein deutliches Signal für die Menschenrechte setzte heute der Dritte Ausschuss der UN-Generalversammlung mit seiner Mahnung an die iranische Regierung, ihren Menschenrechtsverletzungen nachzukommen.
Vereinte Nationen, New York – Mit 78 zu 35 Stimmen und 69 Enthaltungen nahm der Dritte Ausschuss der UN-Generalversammlung eine Resolution an, in der die „tiefe Sorge über schwerwiegende fortdauernde und sich wiederholende Menschenrechtsverletzungen“ im Iran zum Ausdruck kommt.
Die sechsseitige Resolution zählt die hohe Zahl an Hinrichtungen, Einschränkungen von Versammlungs- und Meinungsfreiheit, das Ins-Visier-Nehmen von Journalisten, die alles durchdringende Ungleichbehandlung der Geschlechter und religiöse Diskriminierung, darunter auch der iranischen Bahá’í, zu den Sorgen der Generalversammlung.
“Abschnitte dieser Resolution senden dem Iran das deutliche Signal, dass die internationale Gemeinschaft die Menschenrechtsverletzungen in diesem Land nicht ignorieren wird – ungeachtet der weltweiten Hoffnungen auf eine Verbesserung der Beziehungen,”, sagte Bani Dugal, Sprecherin der Internationalen Bahá’í-Gemeinde bei den Vereinten Nationen.
„Sie zeigt auch, dass die Internationale Gemeinde die wiederholten Behauptungen des Iran, er würde seine Menschenrechtssituation verbessern, nicht akzeptiert.“
“Für die iranischen Bahá’í gibt es jedenfalls keinerlei Verbesserung und die Atmosphäre religiöser Diskriminierung hat sich im ganzen Land nur verschlimmert“, sagte Dugal.
Die Annahme der Resolution im Dritten Ausschuss erfolgte nach deutlich formulierten Berichten des UN-Generalsekretärs Ban Ki-Moon und dem Sonderberichterstatter für Menschenrechte im Iran, Ahmed Shaheed über ihre tiefe Beunruhigung angesichts weit verbreiteter und fortwährender Menschenrechtsverletzungen in dem Land.
In dem Bericht von Herrn Ban heißt es beispielsweise, dass sich die Menschenrechtssituation für religiöse und ethnische Minderheiten nicht verbessert habe. „Religiöse Minderheiten wie die Bahá’í oder Christen erleben Verletzungen in Gesetz und Praxis“, schrieb er.
Dr. Shaheed nannte ebenfalls eine große Bandbreite an Verletzungen – von dem Mangel an Rechtsstaatlichkeit, insbesondere bei Hinrichtungen bis hin zu “nicht aufhörenden willkürlichen Verhaftungen, Inhaftierungen und Verurteilungen von Menschen , die ihre Grundrechte ausüben.”
Zehn Abschnitte seines Berichts widmete Dr. Shaheed der fortwährenden Verfolgung der iranischen Bahá’í. Er stellte fest, dass sie eine breit gefächerte Diskriminierung bei Bildung und Arbeit erleiden und sich mehr als 100 Bahá’í sind in Haft befinden.
Die heutige Resolution stellt “mit Sorge” fest, dass der Iran die Versprechungen, die er im Jahr 2010 bei seiner ersten Universellen Periodischen Überprüfung (“Universal Periodic Review”, UPR) gegenüber dem Menschenrechtsrats in Genf machte, „nur mangelhaft“ umsetzte.
Die “fortwährenden Diskriminierungen, Verfolgungen und Menschenrechtsverletzungen” gegenüber den Bahá’í, die Forderung nach Freilassung der sieben inhaftierten Bahá’í-Führungsmitglieder, das Beenden der „Kriminalisierung von Bemühungen für Bahá’í-Jugendliche eine Hochschulbildung zu ermöglichen“ und die allgemeine „Emanzipierung“ der iranischen Bahá’í-Gemeinde werden in der Resolution besonders betont.
Wie auch in früheren Resolutionen wurde der Iran aufgefordert, internationalen Menschenrechtsbeobachtern zu erlauben, in den Iran einzureisen. Obwohl der Iran seit 1968 zu den Unterzeichnern des Internationalen Paktes über wirtschaftliche, soziale und kulturelle Rechte zählt, wurde diese Forderung seitens der Islamischen Republik abgelehnt.
Die Resolution wurde von Kanada eingebracht und hatte 45 weitere Co-Sponsoren, zu denen auch Deutschland zählt. Es war die 27. Resolution der Generalversammlung über Menschenrechte im Iran seit 1985.
Source.- Bahai World News Service: http://news.bahai.org/story/1030
WELT| „Möchte die Stimme derer sein, die sprachlos sind“
Die iranischstämmige Schriftstellerin Bahiyyih Nakhjavani lebt im Exil. Ihre Gedanken aber sind bei ihren verfolgten Glaubensbrüdern von den Bahai im Iran – um die macht sie sich derzeit große Sorgen.
Bahai| Widespread attack launched in Iran against Baha’i businesses
Just as the United Nations‘ Universal Periodic Review of Iran’s human rights record is taking place in Geneva and representatives of that country protest that they safeguard and uphold the human rights of all their citizens, the authorities in one region of Iran have launched a widespread, pre-planned, systematic attack against Baha’i business owners. This has brought further pain and hardship to countless families who are already suffering from the consequences of government policies aimed at nothing less than the economic strangulation of the Baha’i community in Iran.
A banner placed on the front of one of some 79 Baha’i-owned businesses which were closed on the morning of 25 October in a systematic state-sponsored attack on the Baha’i community in one of the regions of Iran. It reads: „This commercial unit has been sealed owing to violation of trading laws/rules. The owner of this commercial unit should report to the police.“
On the morning of Saturday 25 October, the authorities descended on no fewer than 79 Baha’i-owned shops in Kerman, Rafsanjan, and Jiroft, summarily sealing the premises which were closed to allow the proprietors to observe a Baha’i Holy Day.
In a blatant attempt to besmirch the good reputation of the Baha’i owners, the authorities displayed banners at the shops asserting that the owners had violated the rules governing business and trade practices.
The Baha’is have justly earned high repute among their fellow citizens for honesty and trustworthiness in all their dealings – including among their Muslim employees and colleagues, as well as their customers and clients. Members of the Baha’i community are bending every effort to pursue justice through the legal avenues available to them, even though it is clear that the action against them is state-sponsored. They are also calling upon the authorities to provide evidence for the unfounded accusations leveled against so many Baha’i shop-owners, including specific laws and standards that have purportedly been breached.
„Representatives of a state that claims its Constitution and laws are based upon Islamic teachings and principles would do well to consider the impact of their duplicities on the younger generation and the future of their country,“ said Ms. Bani Dugal, Representative of the Baha’i International Community. „We call upon all governments to exert pressure upon the government of Iran to stop this and all other forms of discrimination against the Baha’is of Iran, who remain innocent of the accusations levelled against them and seek only to contribute to the advancement of their nation as loyal, law-abiding citizens.“