Iran: Human Rights Watch (HRW), a New York-based NGO, has alleged that Iran’s persecution of its Baha’i minority is labelled as a ‘crime against humanity.’ The NGO noted in a statement that Iran’s biggest non-Muslim minority encountered a ‘spectrum of abuses’ since the Islamic rebellion of 1979.
HRW suggested that the claim fits within the purview of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The organisation cited that persecution of Baha’is included arbitrary arrests, confiscation of property, and restrictions on schooling and employment possibilities.
“The cumulative impact of authorities’ decades-long systematic repression is an intentional and severe deprivation of Baha’is’ fundamental rights and amounts to the crime against humanity of persecution,” the report stated.
Human Rights Watch claims this comes under the jurisdiction of the ICC, which defines persecution as the purposeful and severe deprivation of fundamental rights on federal, spiritual or ethnic backgrounds in transgression of international law.
The report’s findings were based on multiple sources, including government policies, court documents, and interviews with Baha’is both inside and outside Iran. Based on HRW’s statements, the severity of violations against Baha’is varied over time and the persecution of the community remained constant, affecting all aspects of the private and public life of Bahá’ís.
The report also mentioned that, “In recent years, as Iranian authorities have brutally repressed widespread protests demanding fundamental political, economic, and social change in the country, the authorities have also targeted Baha’is. Authorities have raided Baha’i homes, arrested dozens of Baha’i citizens and community leaders, and confiscated property owned by Baha’is.”
Michael Page, deputy Middle East director at HRW, commented that, “Iranian authorities deprive Baha’is of their fundamental rights in every aspect of their lives, not due to their actions, but simply for belonging to a faith group. It is critically important to increase international pressure on Iran to end this crime against humanity.”
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