BIC GENEVA — A new report by United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has placed the persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran among the world’s gravest human rights concerns. Issued as part of his latest global report on intolerance and violence based on religion or belief, the document was prepared at the request of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights with input from 15 civil society organizations and 10 UN human rights bodies.
The Secretary-General's recognition of the gravity of the situation underscores that the persecution of Bahá’ís is a longstanding and systematic policy of religious repression that demands urgent international attention. “Bahá’ís in the Islamic Republic of Iran continue to face arbitrary arrests, imprisonment, and restrictions on access to education and livelihoods, targeted solely for their religious beliefs,” the report states. “Authorities routinely invoke vague charges such as ‘spreading propaganda against the regime’ to criminalize peaceful community activities. The rights of Bahá’ís, including to manifest their religion or belief, remain severely curtailed.”
The Secretary-General’s report carries special weight as it is issued on behalf of the entire UN system and reflects a consensus view at the highest level of the international community. The report places Iran’s persecution of the Bahá’ís firmly on the global agenda—undercutting the Iranian government’s repeated denials of human rights violations at its United Nations appearances. The report also noted positive actions in some countries, such as Azerbaijan, regarding registration of religious minorities including the Bahá’í community.
“This is yet another powerful recognition, from the highest levels of the UN, that Iran’s persecution of the Bahá’ís is not only continuing but intensifying,” said Simin Fahandej, Representative of the Bahá’í International Community to the UN in Geneva. “The Secretary-General’s report now joins that of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, successive Special Rapporteurs, Human Rights Watch, the Human Rights Council and many governments and organizations around the world, all of which have condemned this state-driven campaign to eliminate the Bahá’í community as a viable entity within Iranian society.”
The Secretary-General’s report adds to a growing international outcry against the persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran. The UN Fact-Finding Mission reported about the disproportionate targeting of Bahá’í women since the 2022 arrests that took place in Iran, for instance, while a former Iran Special Rapporteur concluded that the persecution of Bahá’ís has been carried out with “genocidal intent.” Eighteen UN experts also issued a joint statement condemning attacks on Bahá’í women and the Human Rights Watch determined the persecution amounts to the “crime against humanity of persecution.” The Boroumand Foundation, in their report “Outsiders,” documented “multifaceted violence” against Bahá’ís in Iran, ranging from imprisonment and dispossession to social exclusion.
“The evidence is overwhelming and the worldwide community is speaking with one voice to call for an end to the persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran,” Ms. Fahandej said. “The Bahá’ís of Iran are being targeted through state-sponsored harassment, dispossession of their belongings, hate speech, arbitrary detentions, and unjust imprisonment with long jail sentences. Iran must heed the calls of the international community immediately and bring to an end the grave violations of fundamental human rights against the Bahá’ís in the country.”
