The Bahá’í International Community says that the Islamic Republic, alongside its suppression of recent protests, has intensified pressure and persecution against Bahá’ís, Iran’s largest non-Muslim religious minority, and is using state media to portray this community as responsible for the country’s current crisis.
In a statement, the community said that while people’s demands for justice and improved conditions in Iran have been met with violence, repression, and mass killings, the Iranian government is seeking—through heightened harassment and the use of state television and radio (IRIB)—to blame Bahá’ís for the situation. The statement describes this as a continuation of a long-standing pattern since the 1979 revolution, in which Bahá’ís are scapegoated during times of national crisis.
According to the statement, in addition to an increase in arrests of Bahá’í citizens across various parts of Iran, IRIB has recently aired programs containing “baseless accusations” against the Bahá’í community, as well as “forced confessions” from some detainees—confessions that, the organization says, were clearly extracted under pressure and coercion.
The statement, published on Tuesday, February 3, also refers to the broadcast on February 1 of forced confessions by two Bahá’í citizens on state television.
The Bahá’í International Community, which represents Bahá’ís at the United Nations, expressed concern over the Iranian government’s “growing efforts to scapegoat Bahá’ís amid a national crisis,” describing the situation as a “significant escalation” of the campaign of repression against the community.
Simín Fahandej, Representative of the Bahá’í International Community to the United Nations in Geneva, described the trend as an attempt to “distort the truth” and construct “false narratives,” stating that the Iranian government “consistently and systematically” scapegoats Bahá’ís during periods of national crisis.
While expressing sympathy with those killed in the recent nationwide uprising, the organization called on the international community to unequivocally condemn the persecution of Bahá’ís and their scapegoating, and to take a clear stance in support of justice for all the people of Iran.
