News

Editor’s Note: Ayatollah Siyyid Husayn Kazemeyni Boroujerdi is an Iranian cleric who advocates separation of religion and government. He first expressed his opposition to the Islamic government of Iran in 1994, and opposed the theocratic concept of rule or “guardianship” by Islamic clerics/jurists. Boroujerdi and many of his followers were arrested in Tehran in October 2006 following a clash between police and hundreds of his followers. On Monday, May 25, 2009, supporters of the imprisoned Ayatollah Boroujerdi condemned the ongoing suppression and violation of the rights of the Baha’i community in Iran. The following is a translation of a statement posted on their website: With escalation in detentions, arrests, and threats of execution towards our Iranian Baha’i countrymen in recent times, supporters of Mr. Boroujerdi demand an investigation and greater attention by the international community to the ongoing violation of the basic rights of the Baha’is in Iran. However, supporters of Mr. Boroujerdi believe that unfortunately, in dealings and the behind-the-scenes relations between nations, the issue of human rights is often sacrificed for temporary interests and political pragmatism. As such, raising awareness of this important issue falls on the shoulders of opposition groups, who, faced with great tyranny, have reechoed the suffocated cries of the shattered Iranian community