Baha'i World News Service Headlines

Baha'i holy writings made widely available to Korean public for first time

1 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0300

An ambitious project to translate a collection of Baha'u'llah's writings into Korean reaches fruition this month with the book's publication. The volume, known in English as Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, will be the first Baha'i book in Korean to be widely available from bookshops and online retailers. "The main reason for publishing Baha'i literature in our language...

New crackdown highlights campaign to block progress of Iranian Baha'is

26 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0300

The Iranian government's systematic strategy to drive Baha'is to economic ruin shows no sign of abating. According to reports received by the Baha'i International Community, a renewed campaign is under way in Kerman, the major city in south central Iran. "We have learned that the Public Places Supervision Office is denying the renewal of licenses – and revoking some existing ones – for...

Romanian personalities demand human rights for Iran's Baha'is

25 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0300

Almost 70 prominent Romanians are calling upon the government of Iran to grant Baha'is their fundamental human rights. Sixty-eight celebrated figures – from the worlds of academia, arts, banking, business, media and medicine – have signed a petition, appealing to the Iranian authorities to cease its systematic campaign of persecution of the Baha'is, "who seek only their rights under the...

Slovakian politicians call Iran's persecution of Baha'is "chilling" and "abhorrent"

20 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0300

Treatment of the Baha'is in Iran has "escalated to an institutionalised and blatant policy of persecution," according to a proclamation issued by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Slovakian parliament. The proclamation describes the Iranian government's incitement to hatred based on religion and belief as "abhorrent." It also states that the "regime's endeavors to persecute Baha'is is...

Even in death, Iran's Baha'is face persecution

19 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0300

Eighteen years ago, Baha'is in the Iranian city of Sanandaj were allocated a one-hectare parcel of barren land at the side of a road for use as a cemetery. This rocky mountainside, devoid of vegetation, was hardly prime real estate but – after the first burial there in the autumn of 1993 – local Baha'is got together to landscape the site, dig out the rocks and replace the soil. They planted...

Debate highlights dangerous escalation of religious persecution in Iran

13 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0300

Members of Parliament here have sharply criticized Iran for its human rights violations, focusing especially on the "steep rise" in the persecution of religious minorities. In a debate held at Westminster Hall on Wednesday 11 January, MPs highlighted the fact that virtually every religious minority in Iran is now facing oppression. Some 19 MPs, representing the UK's three major parties,...

UN investigator who revealed Iran's "Baha'i Question" memorandum dies aged 93

10 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0300

Reynaldo Galindo Pohl, a noted legal scholar who uncovered significant evidence of human rights violations in Iran in the late 1980s and early 1990s, passed away here last Thursday. A prominent diplomat and professor of law, Prof. Galindo Pohl was well known internationally even before his 1987 appointment as the United Nations Commission on Human Rights' Special Representative on Iran. He had...

Canadian university presidents speak out for Baha'i educators

9 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0300

Two pre-eminent university presidents are urging all of their fellow Canadians to join them in calling for an end to Iran's persecution of Baha'i educators and students. The appeal comes from Canada's former minister of foreign affairs and president of the University of Winnipeg, Lloyd Axworthy, and Allan Rock – who is president of the University of Ottawa and former Canadian ambassador to...

Baha'i International Community mourns passing of human rights expert

8 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0300

The Baha'i International Community has expressed its condolences over the passing of noted human rights lawyer and Tunisian jurist Abdelfattah Amor. Professor Amor – who has died at the age of 68 after suffering a heart attack – was best known internationally for his 11 years of service as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, from 1993 to 2004. "As the...

UN condemnation of Iran reflects growing intolerance for human rights violations

19 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0300

Reflecting the international community's increasing intolerance for human rights violations, the UN General Assembly today condemned Iran for oppressing its citizens. By a vote of 89 to 30 with 64 abstentions, the Assembly approved a resolution that expressed "deep concern at serious ongoing and recurring human rights violations" in the country. The vote came after Iran attempted a...

Bangladeshi judges and lawyers attend unique conference on Baha'i law

18 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0300

Almost 180 legal professionals from around the country gathered here for a conference on the Baha'i Faith and the personal and family laws that apply to its members. Held in the auditorium of the country's Supreme Court, the unprecedented event aimed to prepare advocates and judges who might be required to assist Baha'is with legal matters, such as marriage and inheritance. In Bangladesh,...

Heads of medical schools urge Iran to release jailed Baha'i educators

8 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0300

Almost 50 leaders of medical education in the United States have joined the worldwide protest against the Iranian government’s persecution of Baha’i students and educators. Forty-eight Deans and Senior Vice-Presidents – who between them head more than a third of American medical schools – have signed an open letter addressed to Iran’s representative to the United Nations. The letter...