Baha’is in Iran - letter in The Independent

The following letter, signed by a number of eminent professors in human rights and international law, appeared yesterday in The Independent, one of the UK’s major broadsheet newspapers. The letter draws attention to the concerns raised by Asma Jahangir, the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief about the intensification of the persecution of the Bah?’?s in Iran.

This is an excellent letter and serves to raise the profile of this very worrying situation.

Letters: Baha’i persecution in Iran
Published: 14 April 2006
Ominous secret plan for a new wave of Baha’i persecution in Iran

Sir: Concern with Iran’s nuclear status is overshadowing its human rights situation (”Iran announces it has joined world’s nuclear nations”, 12 April). As persons committed to the dignity of all human beings and the protection and guaranteeing of human rights, we are greatly concerned at the news announced on 20 March by the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Ms Asma Jahangir.

The Special Rapporteur made public a confidential and official letter sent on 29 October 2005 by the chairman of the command headquarters of Iran’s armed forces to several Iranian government agencies stating that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, has instructed the command headquarters to identify and monitor, in a highly confidential manner, members of the Baha’i faith in Iran.

We share the deep concern of the Special Rapporteur about this development which represents an ominous new stage in the ongoing persecution of members of the Baha’i faith in Iran.

The UN has issued more than 56 pronouncements condemning Iran’s execution and imprisonment of Baha’is, solely because of their membership of the Baha’i community, and criticising the overtly discriminatory treatment by Iran’s government of this religious community since 1980.

Such comments have never before included a warning to the international community that the government of Iran is now seeking to identify and monitor every single member of the Baha’i faith. History tells us that this type of measure is often the precursor to increasing persecution of such a group.

Given the existing level of discrimination and persecution experienced by the Baha’is in Iran, we can only have considerable fear about what the new measure will mean in practice.

PROFESSOR KEVIN BOYLE PROFESSOR OF LAW, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX

PROFESSOR GUY S GOODWIN-GILL, SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW, ALL SOULS COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD

PROFESSOR FRANCOISE HAMPSON OBE, PROFESSOR OF LAW, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX

PROFESSOR MATTHEW KRAMER PROFESSOR OF LEGAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY, UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

PROFESSOR JAVAID REHMAN, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL LAW BRUNEL UNIVERSITY

PROFESSOR MALCOLM SHAW QC, SIR ROBERT JENNINGS PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL LAW, UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER

PROFESSOR PATRICK THORNBERRY CMG, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL LAW, KEELE UNIVERSITY.

Technorati Tags: Baha’i, Bahai, human rights, Iran, religion, UN

Technorati Tags: international law, Asma Jahangir