In a wide-ranging debate that took place on the fourth anniversary of the arrest of imprisoned Iranian Baha'i leaders, members of the Canadian Parliament voiced their grave concern about worsening violations of human rights in Iran
Iran's former Baha'i leaders begin their fifth year in prison today amid an intensification of the persecution of their co-religionists. The seven prisoners each face the bleak prospect of 16 more years in jail for crimes they did not commit. Next week also marks the first anniversary of raids on homes of Baha'is associated with an informal initiative offering higher education to community members barred from university. Nine educators later received harsh prison sentences
The Senate of the western Pacific island territory of Guam has called upon the United States of America to keep up its pressure on Iran over human rights abuses. A resolution was unanimously passed this morning by the island's 15-member legislature. Fourteen senators voted in favor of the resolution, with none against. One senator was absent and did not vote. Guam – the largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands – is a U.S. territory with its own elected governor and legislature.
The plight of Iran's seven imprisoned Baha'i leaders has been capturing the public's attention in 12 of the world's major cities, where a day of action marked the combined total of 10,000 days that the seven have so far spent in prison. In an initiative coordinated by human rights organization United4Iran, the image of the seven was widely displayed on Sunday 1 April – on mobile billboards, buses, bicycles, a canal boat, and T-shirts
The United States Senate has passed a resolution condemning the government of Iran for its systematic campaign of persecution of Baha'is and calling for the release of all Iranian prisoners held solely for their religious beliefs. The resolution – approved by unanimous consent on Thursday – also called for sanctions against Iranian officials directly responsible for human rights violations.
Sunday 1 April marks 10,000 days that Iran's seven former Baha'i leaders have spent in prison between them – a period throughout which they have been deprived of the rights accorded to prisoners under Iran's own laws and regulations. Prior to their arrests in 2008, the seven were members of an ad hoc national-level group which attended to the spiritual and social needs of Iran's Baha'i community
The United Nations Human Rights Council has voted by an overwhelming margin for a continuing investigation into human rights violations in Iran. Yesterday's vote of 22 to 5 with 20 abstentions came after two major UN reports sharply criticized Iranian authorities. "This result is a clear indication of the Council's concern over Iran's abysmal record on human rights," said Diane Ala'i, the Baha'i International Community's representative to the United Nations in Geneva
Iran remains one of the worst abusers of the right to religious freedom in the world, according to a new report. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has described how the "government of Iran continues to engage in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, including prolonged detention, torture, and executions based primarily or entirely upon the religion of the accused.
An international body that monitors the human rights of scientists around the world, and assists those in need, is urging the Iranian authorities to free imprisoned Baha'i educators.
The United Nations investigator into human rights in Iran has sharply criticized the country's system of justice and human rights record. UN Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed told a meeting of the Human Rights Council here that he had received testimony from more than 141 witnesses which highlighted "multifarious and systematic deficits in the Government's capacity to ensure respect for human rights." And in his formal written report to the Council, Dr