MPs,
Senators call for an end to persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran
Submitted
June 24, 2020
We write as Parliamentarians to
make an urgent demand for the Islamic Republic of Iran to halt the
recent escalation of its persecution of the Bahá’í religious minority.
Under the cover of the coronavirus pandemic, Iranian authorities have
targeted dozens of Bahá’ís for persecution, threatened to “uproot” the
community, initiated new prison sentences, and extended a media
campaign of hatred. This targeted persecution must stop.
Since the inception of the Bahá’í Faith in 1844, its followers have
been persecuted, imprisoned, tortured, and executed. They continue to
face ongoing, state-sponsored persecution. The tactics of the Iranian
government are intended to deprive Bahá’ís of their livelihood, destroy
their cultural heritage, and prevent their young people from obtaining
a higher education. This strategy was outlined in a 1991 memorandum
uncovered by the United Nations, which was signed by the highest
authorities in Iran—including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
This persecution has been ramped up amid growing anti-Bahá’í propaganda
spread in the news, a marked increase in court summons for Bahá’ís
awaiting trial for their beliefs and an official threat to “uproot” the
Bahá’í community in Shiraz.
Bahá’í prisoners of conscience have long faced unsanitary conditions in
overpopulated prison cells, and the risks to their safety are further
exacerbated by the current pandemic. As Canadians and members of a
global community, it pains us to see our brothers and sisters
languishing in prisons, facing falsified charges, with no legal
recourse.
We join the international community in our plea to the Iranian
authorities to order the release of all prisoners of conscience, as
well as the end of the ongoing manoeuvres of intimidation and
repression levelled against the Bahá’í community.
MP
Ziad Aboultaif, MP James Bezan, MP Kelly Block, MP Alexis
Brunelle-Duceppe, MP Kerry Diotte, MP Hedy Fry, MP Garnett Genuis, MP
Matthew Green, MP Anthony Housefather, Senator Mobina S.B. Jaffer, MP
Michael Levitt, MP Elizabeth May, MP Ron McKinnon, Senator Marilou
McPhedran, Senator Kim Pate, MP Scott Reid, MP Judy A. Sgro, MP
Francesco Sorbara, MP David Sweet, MP Cathay Wagantall
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