Baha’is Under Attack: Rouhani’s Broken Promise

During his bid for presidency, Hassan Rouhani championed the notion of equality for all Iranian citizens. But under his administration, the situation for Bahai’s has deteriorated.

Iran Wire – Despite renewed calls from the international community for the Iranian government to protect the rights of all of its citizens, Iranian Baha’i communities continue to face systematic abuse and violations.

The Iranian government’s long-running campaign to repress and isolate the Baha’is includes arbitrary arrests, long prison sentences, expulsion from higher education, bans on government employment and the destruction of Baha’i homes and cemeteries. Those responsible for the murder of and violence against Baha’is are not punished.  

In March, as Iranians celebrated the arrival of the new year, dozens of Baha’is remained behind bars. Many Bahai’s currently serving prison sentences simply because of their faith.

During his bid for presidency, Hassan Rouhani championed the notion of equality for all Iranian citizens. But under his administration, the situation for Bahai’s has deteriorated. Hopes for Rouhani’s promises to become reality have met with disappointment from Baha’is, Sufi and Sunni Muslims, Christians, minority ethnic groups, women and human rights activists. 

But Iranian authorities continue to deny the violations, including those documented in a recent report  by Ahmed Shaheed, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran. Mohammad Javad Larijani, head of the Iranian judiciary’s Human Rights Council, dismissed the report, saying it contained “lies” and insisting the Islamic Republic protects and “generously defends” its Baha’i citizens. Accusations of human rights violations, he says, are unfounded and Baha’is enjoy the same freedoms as other citizens in Iran. “We have no one in prison for being a Baha’i,” he said.