Faezeh Hashemi meets with Baha’i leader Fariba Kamalabadi last month
May 14, 2016 marked the eight-year anniversary of
the imprisonment of seven Baha’i leaders in Iran. Their names are
Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaie,
Mahvash Sabet, Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Vahid Tizfahm. After a year in
prison, these Iranian citizens were accused of and tried for
committing several crimes, including “propaganda against the regime.”
Initially, they were all sentenced to twenty years in prison, which was
later reduced to ten. The most recent United Nations report on
their case states that, “the seven Baha’i community leaders, known as
the Yaran, remained in prison solely for their religious beliefs.”
The Baha’i International Community has recently launched a new campaign calling
for the immediate release of the “Baha’i Seven”. The campaign
emphasizes the fact that Baha’is are eligible for conditional release
under Iran’s penal code.
In what follows, Ahmed Shaheed (the UN Special Rapporteur on the
Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran) and I discuss
the situation of Baha’is and human rights in Iran, especially since the
election of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in 2013.
Shortly after Shaheed and I discussed Baha’i rights, the issue became a hotly debated topicin Iran, sparked by a meeting between Faezeh Hashemi and
one of the imprisoned Baha’i leaders, Fariba Kamalabadi, who was on
furlough from prison. Faezeh Hashemi is a former member of Iran’s
parliament, founder of a banned women’s magazine, and daughter of former
Iranian president Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Kamalabadi
and Hashemi were former cellmates in Evin prison.
Many high-ranking Iranian religious and political officials, including Faezeh Hashemi’s father, have condemned the visit.
Other officials, including Iran’s Prosecutor General, the head of the
Iranian Judiciary, and Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, have indicated
that Hashemi’s visit with a Baha’i might be considered a criminal act.
According to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran,
prisoners at Evin’s women’s ward may be being collectively punished for
the meeting, as it is being reported that all female prisoners may no
longer receive furloughs or be granted the right to mail letters to
relatives.
Zackery M. Heern (ZH): Since the election of President
Rouhani, the nuclear deal, and recent Iranian elections that have
indicated gains for Iran’s more moderate politicians, has the human
rights situation in Iran improved or gotten worse?
Ahmed Shaheed (AS): Overall I would not say there has been a
considerable improvement in the human rights situation in Iran under
President Rouhani. In some aspects, like the rate of the executions
(including those of juvenile offenders), the human rights situation in
the country has gotten worse. In some other aspects, however, like the
country’s engagement and cooperation with UN human rights bodies and
mechanisms, we see some improvement. It is important to note, however,
that the most egregious rights violations in Iran today are being
perpetrated by elements in the security and intelligence forces and the
Judiciary – all sectors of government that are largely outside the
control of President Rouhani and his administration.
Of course, this does not mean that President Rouhani and his
administration are off the hook. In fact, the President, as the second
highest official (after the Supreme Leader), has some control over
security and intelligence functions, and heads important governmental
organizations like the National Security High Council (which plays an
important role in influencing state policy making). Additionally, the
president and his administration are both the representatives of the
Iranian people and the Islamic Republic of Iran on the international
stage. President Rouhani is, therefore, responsible for formulating the
policies necessary to implement both the country’s constitution and the
civil rights it affords Iranian citizens, and Iran’s international human
rights obligations.
ZH: Why do you think there is not more media coverage on the plight of Baha’is in Iran?
AS: I think the situation of the Baha’is in Iran is extremely
worrying and I have done my utmost to draw attention to their plight
since my mandate began in 2011. In my latest report, for example, I have
dedicated a section to the government’s ongoing targeting campaign
against Baha’i citizens, and have expressed my alarm at the
discriminatory and hateful language government officials continue to use
against community members. In some ways, I think human rights
organizations (and the Baha’i community itself) have done an excellent
job drawing attention to the persistent and systematic nature of the
targeting campaign against this vulnerable community by the Iranian
government. In other ways, you are right to acknowledge that their
situation deserves perhaps even more attention in light of the severity
of the repression that takes place against this vulnerable community.
ZH: How serious is the human rights situation for Baha’is in
Iran? Do you think it has gotten worse in the past five or ten years?
AS: As I mentioned above the situation regarding the Baha’is is
extremely worrying and dire. In some ways you can argue that the root of
the problem lies in legal discrimination against this community because
the Baha’i faith is not recognized as a religion under Iran’s
Constitution. But, in fact, there is a long history of anti-Baha’i
sentiment that goes back to the period before the Islamic Revolution in
1979. These sentiments have often been stoked by some members of the
clerical establishment, who have received explicit or tacit support by
various government organizations or officials throughout the years. Of
course, the situation for Baha’is became much worse after the 1979
Revolution. Today, Baha’i businesses are constantly under attack, their
right to higher education is systematically violated, and their freedom
to practice and manifest their beliefs is severely restricted and
grounds for harassment, arrest, prosecution and long prison terms.
Unfortunately, the situation has not gotten any better for this
community in recent years and after the election of President Rouhani.
ZH: Do you think that the situation for Baha’is and human rights more generally will improve in Iran any time soon?
AS: This is a difficult question to answer because neither I nor
anyone else knows what the future will hold for human rights in Iran. At
this point, I do not see enough evidence suggesting that the situation
will improve in the short-term. Yet, I remain hopeful. What is critical
is that the international community continues to shine a spotlight on
the human rights situation in Iran while simultaneously increasing its
engagement with the government in the political, economic and social
spheres.
Source: muftah.org
Zackery M. Heern, Ahmed Shaheed
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