BRASÍLIA, Brazil — The National Congress in Brasília, Brazil, held a public hearing on Friday to address human rights violations against the Bahá’ís of Iran.

In a powerful gesture, those present observed a moment of silence to remember the 10 Bahá’í women who were hanged in Shiraz, Iran, 40 years ago by the Islamic Republic of Iran while holding images of the women. The president of the session, Federal Deputy Erika Kokay of the lower house of Congress, stated: “I invite everyone to observe a minute of silence, remembering [how] ... their example of faith and courage... can guide our lives.”

Slideshow
7 images

The hearing was attended by over 100 people, including representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Human Rights, and parliamentarians, as well as civil society organizations and academics.

This session was the second in a series of public hearings exploring the issue of social justice and transformation of culture with a cross-section of Brazilian society, organized by Brazil’s Bahá’í Office of External Affairs and government officials. The previous session in this series held at the National Congress was on the role of religion in promoting a shared identity among the diverse populations of the country through recognition of humanity’s spiritual nature.

This evening the Bahá’í International Community is launching a two-hour social media event starting at 5:30 p.m. GMT to honor the sacrifice of the 10 Bahá’í women. The event is part of the broader #OurStoryIsOne campaign (see video), which sheds light on the continuing sacrifices made by Iranian women of every background in their pursuit of justice and gender equality.