Congress defends Bahai rights in Iran
Resolution 257 passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on September
19, 2000, "concerning the emancipation of the Iranian Baha'i community".
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Whereas in 1982, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, and 1996, Congress, by
concurrent resolution, declared that it holds the Government of Iran responsible
for upholding the rights of all its nationals, including members of the
Baha'i Faith, Iran's largest religious minority;
Whereas Congress has deplored the Government of Iran's religious persecution
of the Baha'i community in such resolutions and in numerous other appeals,
and has condemned Iran's execution of more than 200 Baha'is and the imprisonment
of thousands of others solely on account of their religious beliefs;
Whereas in July 1998 a Baha'i , Mr. Ruhollah Rowhani, was executed by
hanging in Mashhad after being held in solitary confinement for 9 months
on the charge of converting a Muslim woman to the Baha'i Faith, a charge
the woman herself refuted;
Whereas 2 Baha'is remain on death row in Iran, 2 on charges on apostasy,
and 10 others are serving prison terms on charges arising solely from their
religious beliefs or activities;
Whereas the Government of Iran continues to deny individual Baha'is
access to higher education and government employment and denies recognition
and religious rights to the Baha'i community, according to the policy set
forth in a confidential Iranian Government document which was revealed
by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in 1993;
Whereas Baha'is have been banned from teaching and studying at Iranian
universities since the Islamic Revolution and therefore created the Baha'i
Institute of Higher Education, or Baha'i Open University, to provide educational
opportunities to Baha'i youth using volunteer faculty and a network of
classrooms, libraries, and laboratories in private homes and buildings
throughout Iran;
Whereas in September and October 1998, Iranian authorities arrested
36 faculty members of the Open University, 4 of whom have been given prison
sentences ranging between 3 to 10 years, even though the law makes no mention
of religious instruction within one's own religious community as being
an illegal activity;
Whereas Iranian intelligence officers looted classroom equipment, textbooks,
computers, and other personal property from 532 Baha'i homes in an attempt
to close down the Open University;
Whereas all Baha'i community properties in Iran have been confiscated
by the government, and Iranian Baha'is are not permitted to elect their
leaders, organize as a community, operate religious schools, or conduct
other religious community activities guaranteed by the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights;
Whereas on February 22, 1993, the United Nations Commission on Human
Rights published a formerly confidential Iranian government document that
constitutes a blueprint for the destruction of the Baha'i community and
reveals that these repressive actions are the result of a deliberate policy
designed and approved by the highest officials of the Government of Iran;
and
Whereas in 1998 the United Nations Special Representative for Human
Rights, Maurice Copithorne, was denied entry into Iran: Now, therefore,
be it Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That Congress --
(1) continues to hold the Government of Iran responsible for upholding
the rights of all its nationals, including members of the Baha'i community,
in a manner consistent with Iran's obligations under the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights and other international agreements guaranteeing the civil
and political rights of its citizens;
(2) condemns the repressive anti-Baha'i policies and actions of the
Government of Iran, including the denial of legal recognition to the Baha'i
community and the basic rights to organize, elect its leaders, educate
its youth, and conduct the normal activities of a law-abiding religious
community;
(3) expresses concern that individual Baha'is continue to suffer from
severely repressive and discriminatory government actions, including executions
and death sentences, solely on account of their religion;
(4) urges the Government of Iran to permit Baha'i students to attend
Iranian universities and Baha'i faculty to teach
at Iranian universities, to return the property confiscated from the
Baha'i Open University, to free the imprisoned faculty members of the Open
University, and to permit the Open University to continue to function;
(5) urges the Government of Iran to implement fully the conclusions
and recommendations on the emancipation of the Iranian Baha'i community
made by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance,
Professor Abdelfattah Amor, in his report of March 1996 to the United Nations
Commission of Human Rights;
(6) urges the Government of Iran to extend to the Baha'i community
the rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and
the international covenants of human rights, including the freedom of thought,
conscience, and religion, and equal protection of the law; and
(7) calls upon the President to continue--
(A) to assert the United States Government's concern regarding Iran's
violations of the rights of its citizens, including members of the Baha'i
community, along with expressions of its concern regarding the Iranian
Government's support for international terrorism and its efforts to acquire
weapons of mass destruction;
(B) to emphasize that the United States regards the human rights practices
of the Government of Iran, particularly its treatment of the Baha'i community
and other religious minorities, as a significant factor in the development
of the United States Government's relations with the Government of Iran;
(C) to emphasize the need for the United Nations Special Representative
for Human Rights to be granted permission to enter Iran;
(D) to urge the Government of Iran to emancipate the Baha'i community
by granting those rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights and the international covenants on human rights; and
(E) to encourage other governments to continue to appeal to the Government
of Iran, and to cooperate with other governments and international organizations,
including the United Nations and its agencies, in efforts to protect the
religious rights of the Baha'is and other minorities through joint appeals
to the Government of Iran and through other appropriate actions.
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