Article 18 of both charters asserts that individuals have the right to freely exercise their religion and beliefs without fear of persecution. However, in Iran, Baha’i citizens are not recognized as a religion under the clerical regime’s Constitution and are thus denied their basic human rights.
The case of Nahaleh Shahidi Yazdi is a prime example of the persecution faced by Baha’i citizens in Iran. A children’s rights activist, she was recently arrested at a train station in Kerman and taken to an undisclosed location.
There is no information on the charges against her or where she is being held. This is not the first time that Shahidi Yazdi has faced persecution; she was previously arrested in 2020 for teaching earthquake-stricken children in Bam, Kerman, and was sentenced to two years in prison.
Similarly, Parva Behdad, another Baha’i citizen living in Isfahan was arrested in November 2022 and spent 21 days in solitary confinement before being transferred to Dowlatabad Prison. In March 2023, the Revolutionary Court of Isfahan sentenced her to three years in prison, two years of a ban on leaving the country, a cash fine, and participation in ideological classes.
In 2019, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution expressing concern about the ongoing violations of human rights in Iran, particularly the persecution of religious minorities, including Baha’i citizens. The resolution urged the Iranian government to address these issues and to release all individuals who have been arbitrarily detained.
Furthermore, in a joint statement issued in 2020, nine UN human rights experts called on Iran to end the systemic discrimination and persecution of Baha’i citizens. The experts expressed concern about the arrest, detention, and imprisonment of Baha’i individuals solely because of their religious beliefs and practices. They also highlighted the lack of access to education, employment, and other basic services faced by Baha’i citizens in Iran.
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