NEW DELHI: At a time when the calls of the Iranian people for justice and for the betterment of their country have been met with violence, repression and widespread loss of life, the Baháʼí International Community (BIC) is alarmed by an increasing effort by the Iranian Government to use Baha’is as a scapegoat in a moment of national crisis, consistent with its long-standing pattern, in state media and through increasing persecution.
During every previous period of national crisis since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, whether social, economic, or political, the Iranian authorities have consistently and stematically scapegoated the Baháʼís through false allegations and coordinated disinformation and hate campaigns. This time has been no different.
Over the past week, programmes have been broadcast on Channel 2 state television spreading false accusations against the Baha’i community, including clearly forced confessions by Baháʼís taken under coercion. This has been accompanied by reports of an increase in the arrest and detention of Baháʼís across the country.
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On February 1, the so-called “confessions” of two Baháʼís, relating to the protests—confessions that are manifestly obtained under pressure and coercion—were broadcast by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the regime’s principal state media outlet.
Human rights organisations have for many years documented the practice of forced confessions in Iranian prisons, where detainees are pressured, threatened and even tortured into giving false confessions against themselves, and broadcasting such forced confessions on state television is a major escalation in the Iranian government’s campaign against the Baháʼí community.
For decades, the Iranian authorities have sought to justify the persecution of the Baháʼís through hate speech and scapegoating. Yet, Iranians and the international community increasingly recognize the baseless nature of these accusations, as the authorities have never produced even a shred of evidence to substantiate their claims.
“This is another attempt by the Iranian government to falsify the truth and present falsehoods to its own public. But this attempt is a new threadbare and its baselessness is proven. During every period of national crisis, whether social, economic, or political, the Iranian authorities consistently and systematically scapegoated the Baháʼís,” said Fahandej, BIC Representative to the United Nations in Geneva.
“The Baha’i community is often among the first to be accused of false allegations, scapegoated, and targeted through coordinated disinformation and hate campaigns. This is a repeated pattern and we are seeing it again,” she said.
“The Baháʼís in Iran, despite the false accusations and cruel persecutions they have faced, have only acted with resilience and service to their country and have never responded with violence,” Fahandej added.
“Based on the principles of their Faith, the Baháʼís in Iran have utterly rejected violence throughout the decades of intolerable persecution. They have declined to resort to the hateful and unjust tactics of their persecutors. Their record of refusing to deny their beliefs in return for every worldly benefit shows their commitment to their principles and above all to the principle of truthfulness. Their desire for their rights is so that they can contribute to the welfare of their country in a land they hold sacred.”
During the recent UN Special Session on Iran at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, the BIC noted that, alongside the Baháʼí community’s decades-long experience of persecution, many more people in Iran are now facing injustices. The BIC expressed its sympathy in response to reports of loss of life across the country.
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“All Iranians across the country, from every religion, ethnicity and background, deserve to play a decisive role in the shaping of their country. This is an inherent human right that cannot be taken away by any government,” Fahandej said.
“The Baháʼís in Iran have endured injustice and persecution for four decades and have been committed to their nation out of their love for their country and their desire to work for its progress and well-being.
“The BIC calls on the international community to unequivocally condemn the scapegoating and persecution of the Baháʼís and to raise the call for justice for all the people of Iran,” she added.