Those few official documents that have surfaced in Semnan – such as the court decisions against those Baha’is who have been arrested – plainly show that the only “crime” Baha’is stand accused of is their belief in and practice of their religion.
Sahba Rezvani was arrested after a raid on her house and 19 other Baha’i-owned homes on 15 December 2008, and then convicted and sentenced to three years in prison.
According to court documents, Ms. Rezvani was convicted of two “crimes”: making “propaganda against the holy regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran” and the “formation of an illegal group.”
The first charge, according to court documents, accused her of “teaching against the Islamic Republic by establishing courses and classes, distributing educational CDs, and being involved in individual teaching [propaganda] in favor of the perverse sect of Baha’ism.”
This second charge refers to her membership in an ad hoc group designed to serve the minimum administrative needs of the Baha’i community of Semnan. Such groups were formed at the local level after all Baha’i elected assemblies were disbanded in response to a government decree in 1983. These ad hoc committees existed for years with the full knowledge of the government, but were disbanded in 2010 as a concession to the government in relation to the imprisonment of seven national Baha’i leaders.
Without doubt, the government’s charges are illegal and false.
Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, an international treaty which Iran has signed, clearly upholds the right to freedom of religion or belief:
“Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.” It continues:
“No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice.” To allege that Baha'is have committed a crime by “teaching” their religion is clearly contrary to this covenant.
This allegation is stretched to the point of incredulity when Baha’is are convicted and suffer long, harsh imprisonment for “indirect teaching” – that is, simply for being of service to their fellow citizens.
The right to freedom of religion or belief, likewise, is upheld by numerous international treaties and documents, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 1981 Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief.
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