General background of persecutions of Baha'is

arthra

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There is article that covers the general background of the persecution of Baha'is in Iran since the Islamic revolution around 1979... The persecution of Baha'is in Iran goes back much farther than that but this is a fair summary from 1979 up to the present:

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, Baha'is have been systematically persecuted as a matter of government policy. During the first decade of this persecution, more than 200 Baha'is were killed or executed, hundreds more were tortured or imprisoned, and tens of thousands lost jobs, access to education, and other rights – all solely because of their religious belief.

Government-led attacks on the country’s largest non-Muslim religious minority have re-intensified in the last decade. Since 2005, more than more than 700 Baha'is have been arrested, and the number of Baha'is in prison has risen from fewer than five to more than 100. The list of prisoners includes all seven members of a former leadership group serving the Baha'i community of Iran. In 2010, the seven were wrongly sentenced to 20 years in prison, which is the longest term currently facing any prisoner of conscience in Iran. The constant threat of raids, arrests, and detention or imprisonment is among the main features of Iran’s persecution of Baha’is today.

Other types of persecution include economic and educational discrimination, strict limits on the right to assemble and worship, and the dissemination of anti-Baha’i propaganda in the government-led news media. Attacks on Baha'is or Baha'i-owned properties go unprosecuted and unpunished, creating a sense of impunity for attackers. Since 2005, for example, there have been at least 49 incidents of arson against Baha’i properties, crimes for which no one has been arrested. During the same period, 42 incidents of vandalism at Baha’i cemeteries have been recorded. As noted recently by a top UN human rights official, the government-led persecution spans “all areas of state activity, from family law provisions to schooling, education, and security."(link is external) Put another way: the oppression of Iranian Baha’is extends from cradle to grave.

Read more at

Current situation of Baha'is in Iran | Baha'i International Community - United Nations Office
 
While this thread was posted a few years I wanted to add some updates since then:

https://www.bic.org/focus-areas/situation-iranian-bahais/current-situation

http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2013/11/11/minority-report-why-bahais-face-persecution-in-iran/

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=56810#.WTXP4IWcF9A

http://www.thetower.org/1152-un-report-highlights-ongoing-persecution-of-non-muslims-in-iran/

http://www.worldreligionnews.com/issues/bahais-issue-report-on-systematic-persecution-in-iran

https://www.iranhumanrights.org/2017/05/bahai-persecution-worsens-under-rouhani-government/


Ahmed Shaheed the "Rapporteur Special" for the UN has added more information about the Baha'is in Yemen:

22 May 2017 – In Yemen, Bahá’ís are under pressure to recant their faith, according to a United Nations rights expert, noting that in April, the Public Prosecutor reportedly summoned by phone at least 30 members of the community to appear in court, and de facto authorities in Sana’a ordered the arrest of at least 25 more.

“The recent escalation in the persistent pattern of persecution of the Bahá’í community in Sana’a mirrors the persecution suffered by the Bahá’ís living in Iran,” said the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Ahmed Shaheed. “Many Yemeni Bahá’í families in Sana’a have left their homes and live in constant fear.”

Mr. Shaheed noted that the persistent harassment of Bahá’ís amounted to religious persecution in Yemen, saying “It is unacceptable for anyone, including persons belonging to religious minorities, to be targeted or discriminated based on religion or belief.”

Source:

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=56810#.WTXP4IWcF9A
 
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