Iran
(2000)
The Government restricts freedom of religion. The
Constitution declares that the "official religion of Iran is Islam and
the doctrine followed is that of Ja'fari (Twelver) Shi'ism." Members
of Iran's religious minorities--including Baha'is, Jews, Christians, and
Sufi Muslims--reported imprisonment, harassment, and intimidation based on
their religious beliefs. At least 11 Baha'is were among those still
imprisoned for reasons related to their faith, while 10 Jews remained in
prison after being convicted for cooperating with a hostile government,
belonging to an illegal organization, and recruiting members in an illegal
organization.
There was no change in the status of respect for
religious freedom during the period covered by this report.
Society is accustomed to the presence of Iran's
pre-Islamic, non-Muslim communities. However, government actions create a
threatening atmosphere for some religious minorities, especially Baha'is,
Jews, and evangelical Christians. The Revolutionary Court's conduct in the
trial of 13 Jews contributed to worsening societal attitudes toward the
Jewish community.
The U.S. Government makes clear its objections to the
Government's treatment of religious minorities in public statements,
support for relevant U.N. and nongovernmental organization (NGO) efforts,
and in diplomatic contacts with other countries.
In September 1999, the Secretary of State designated
Iran a country of particular concern under the International Religious
Freedom Act for particularly severe violations of religious freedom.
Section I. Government Policies on Freedom of Religion
Legal/Policy Framework
The Government restricts freedom of religion. The
Constitution declares that the "official religion of Iran is Islam and
the doctrine followed is that of Ja'fari (Twelver) Shi'ism." It also
states that "other Islamic denominations are to be accorded full
respect," and designates Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians as the
only "recognized religious minorities," which, "within the
limits of the law," are permitted to perform their religious rites and
ceremonies and "to act according to their own canon in matters of
personal affairs and religious education." Although the Constitution
states that "the investigation of individuals' beliefs is
forbidden" and that "no one may be molested or taken to task
simply for holding a certain belief," the adherents of religions not
specifically protected under the Constitution do not enjoy freedom of
activity. This situation most directly affects members of the Baha'i Faith.
The central feature of the country's Islamic republican
system is rule by a "religious jurisconsult." Its senior
leadership, including the Supreme Leader of the Revolution, the President,
the head of the judiciary, and the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative
Assembly (Parliament), is composed principally of Shi'a clergymen.
Religious activity is monitored closely by the Ministry
of Islamic Culture and Guidance and by the Ministry of Intelligence and
Security (MOIS). Adherents of recognized religious minorities are not
required to register individually with the Government, although their
community, religious, and cultural events and organizations, as well as
schools, are monitored closely. Baha'is are not recognized by the
Government as a legitimate religious group but are considered an outlawed
political organization. Registration of Baha'i adherents is a police
function. Evangelical Christian groups have been pressured by government
authorities to compile and hand over membership lists for their
congregations. Evangelicals have resisted this demand.
Religious Demography
The population is approximately 99 percent Muslim, of
which 89 percent are Shi'a and 10 percent are Sunni (mostly Turkomen,
Arabs, Baluchs, and Kurds living in the southwest, southeast, and
northwest). Sufi Brotherhoods are popular, but there are no reliable
figures available to judge their true size.
Baha'is, Christians, Zoroastrians, and Jews constitute
less than 1 percent of the population. The largest non-Muslim minority is
the Baha'i Faith, estimated at about 300,000 to 350,000 adherents
throughout the country. Estimates on the size of the Jewish community vary
from 25,000 to 30,000. These figures represent a substantial reduction from
the estimated 75,000 to 80,000 Jews who resided in the country prior to the
1979 Revolution. The Christian community is estimated at approximately
117,000 persons, according to government figures. Of these the majority
consists of ethnic Armenians and Assyro-Chaldeans. There are also
Protestant denominations, including evangelical churches.
The Government figures reported by the United Nations in
1996 place the size of the Zoroastrian community at approximately 35,000
adherents. Zoroastrian groups cite a larger figure of approximately 60,000,
according to the same United Nations report. Zoroastrians are mainly ethnic
Persians concentrated in the cities of Tehran, Kerman, and Yazd.
Zoroastrianism was the official religion of the pre-Islamic Sassanid Empire
and thus has played a central role in Iranian history.
Governmental Restrictions on Religious Freedom
The U.N. Special Representative for Human Rights in Iran
noted in his September 1998 report frequent assertions that religious
minorities are, by law and practice, barred from being elected to a
representative body (except to the seats in the Majles reserved for
minorities, as provided for in the Constitution) and from holding senior
government or military positions. Members of religious minorities are
allowed to vote, but they may not run for president. All religious
minorities suffer varying degrees of officially sanctioned discrimination,
particularly in the areas of employment, education, and housing.
Members of religious minorities generally are barred
from becoming school principals. Applicants for public-sector employment
are screened for their adherence to Islam. The law stipulates penalties for
government workers who do not observe "Islam's principles and
rules." Religious minorities may not serve in the army, the judiciary,
or the security services. The Constitution states that "the Army of
the Islamic Republic of Iran must be an Islamic army, i.e., committed to an
Islamic ideology and the people, and must recruit into its service
individuals who have faith in the objectives of the Islamic Revolution and
are devoted to the cause of achieving its goals." Baha'is are
prohibited from government employment.
University applicants are required to pass an
examination in Islamic theology, which limits the access of most religious
minorities to higher education (despite the fact that public-school
students receive instruction in Islam).
The Government allows recognized religious minorities to
conduct the religious education of their adherents. This includes separate
and privately funded Zoroastrian, Jewish, and Christian schools, but not
Baha'i schools. The Ministry of Education, which imposes certain curriculum
requirements, supervises these schools. With few exceptions, the directors
of these private schools must be Muslim. Attendance at these schools is not
mandatory for recognized religious minorities. All textbooks used in course
work must be approved for use by the Ministry of Education, including
religious texts. Religious texts in non-Persian languages require approval
by the authorities for use. This requirement imposes sometimes significant
translation expenses on minority communities.
Recognized religious minorities may provide religious
instruction in non-Persian languages but often come under pressure from the
authorities when conducting such instruction in Persian. In particular,
evangelical Christian and Jewish communities suffer harassment and arrest
by authorities for the printing of materials or delivery of sermons in
Persian.
Recognized religious minorities are allowed by the
Government to establish community centers and certain cultural, social,
sports, or charitable associations that they finance themselves. This does
not apply to the Baha'i community, which since 1983 has been denied the
right to assemble officially or to maintain administrative institutions.
Because the Baha'i Faith has no clergy, the denial of the right to form
such institutions and elect officers has threatened its existence.
Religious minorities suffer discrimination in the legal
system, receiving lower awards in injury and death lawsuits, and incurring
heavier punishments, than Muslims. Muslim men are free to marry non-Muslim
women but marriages between Muslim women and non-Muslim men are not
recognized.
The Government is highly suspicious of any proselytizing
of Muslims by non-Muslims and can be harsh in its response, in particular
against Baha'is and evangelical Christians. The Government regards the
Baha'i community, whose faith originally derives from a strand of Islam, as
a "misguided" or "wayward" sect. The Government fuels
anti-Baha'i and anti-Jewish sentiment in the country for political
purposes.
The Government does not ensure the right of citizens to
change or renounce their religious faith. Apostasy, specifically conversion
from Islam, can be punishable by death.
The Baha'i Faith originated in Iran during the 1840's as
a reformist movement within Shi'a Islam. Initially it attracted a wide
following among Shi'a clergy. The political and religious authorities of
that time joined to suppress the movement, and since then the hostility of
the Shi'a clergy to the Baha'i Faith has remained intense. Baha'is are
considered apostates because of their claim to a valid religious revelation
subsequent to that of Muhammad. The Baha'i Faith is defined by the
Government as a political "sect" historically linked to the
Shah's regime and, hence, as counterrevolutionary and characterized by its
espionage activities for the benefit of foreign entities, particularly
Israel. Historically at risk in the country, Baha'is often have suffered
increased levels of harassment and abuse during times of political unrest.
Baha'is may not teach or practice their faith or
maintain links with coreligionists abroad. The fact that the Baha'i world
headquarters (established by the founder of the Baha'i Faith in the 19th
century in what was then Ottoman-controlled Palestine) is situated in what
is now the state of Israel, exposes Baha'is to government charges of
"espionage on behalf of Zionism," in particular when caught
communicating with or sending monetary contributions to the Baha'i Faith
headquarters.
Broad restrictions on Baha'is appear to be geared to
destroying them as a community. Baha'is repeatedly have been offered relief
from oppression if they were prepared to recant their faith.
Baha'i cemeteries, holy places, historical sites,
administrative centers and other assets were seized shortly after the 1979
revolution. None of the properties have been returned, and many have been
destroyed. Baha'is are not allowed to bury and honor their dead in keeping
with their religious tradition. They are permitted access only to areas of
wasteland, designated by the Government for their use, and are not allowed
to mark the graves. Many historic Baha'i gravesites have been desecrated or
destroyed. In October 1998, three Bahai's were arrested in Damavand, a city
north of Tehran, on the grounds that they had buried their dead without
government authorization.
Baha'i group meetings and religious education, which
often take place in private homes and offices, are curtailed severely.
Public and private universities continue to deny admittance to Baha'i
students, a particularly demoralizing blow to a community that
traditionally has placed a high value on education. Denial of access to
higher education appears aimed at the eventual impoverishment of the Baha'i
community.
Baha'is regularly are denied compensation for injury or
criminal victimization. Government authorities claim that only Muslim
plaintiffs are eligible for compensation in these circumstances.
A 1993 law prohibits government workers from membership
in groups that deny the "divine religions," terminology that the
Government uses to label members of the Baha'i Faith. The law also
stipulates penalties for government workers who do not observe
"Islamic principles and rules."
In 1993 the U.N. Special Representative reported the
existence of a government policy directive on the Baha'is. According to the
directive, the Supreme Revolutionary Council instructed government agencies
to block the progress and development of the Baha'i community, expel Baha'i
students from universities, cut the Baha'is' links with groups outside the
country, restrict the employment of Baha'is, and deny Baha'is
"positions of influence," including those in education. The
Government claims that the directive is a forgery. However, it appears to
be an accurate reflection of current government practice.
While the Government eased some restrictions thereby
enabling Baha'is to obtain food-ration booklets and send their children to
public schools, the prohibition against the admission of Baha'is to
universities remains. Thousands of Baha'is dismissed from government jobs
in the early 1980's receive no unemployment benefits and have been required
to repay the Government for salaries or pensions received from the first
day of employment. Those unable to do so face prison sentences.
In his 1996 report to the U.N. Commission on Human
Rights, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Question of Religious
Intolerance recommended "that the ban on the Baha'i organization
should be lifted to enable it to organize itself freely through its
administrative institutions, which are vital in the absence of a clergy, so
that it can engage fully in its religious activities." In response to
the Special Rapporteur's concerns with regard to the lack of official
recognition of the Baha'i Faith, government officials stated that the
Baha'is "are not a religious minority, but a political organization
which was associated with the Shah's regime, is against the Iranian
Revolution and engages in espionage activities." According to the
Special Rapporteur, government officials stated nonetheless that, as
individuals, all Baha'is were entitled to their beliefs and were protected
under other articles of the Constitution as citizens.
During the period covered by this report, the Government
of Iran took some positive steps in recognizing the rights of Baha'is, as
well as other religious minorities.
In November 1999, President Khatami publicly stated that
no one in Iran should be persecuted because of his or her religious
beliefs. He added that he would defend the civil rights of all citizens,
regardless of their beliefs or religion. Subsequently, the Expediency
Council approved the "Right of Citizenship" bill, affirming the
social and political rights of all citizens and their equality before the
law. In February 2000, following approval of the bill, the head of the
judiciary issued a circular letter to all registry offices throughout the
country, which permits any couple to be registered as husband and wife
without being required to state their religious affiliation. This measure
effectively permits the registration of Baha'i marriages in Iran.
Previously, Baha'i marriages were not recognized by the Government, leaving
Baha'i women open to charges of prostitution. Consequently, children of
Baha'i marriages were not recognized as legitimate and, therefore, were
denied inheritance rights. The impact of the new registration policy on the
status of Baha'i families remains unclear.
Although Sunni Muslims are accorded full respect under
the terms of the Constitution, some groups claim discrimination on the part
of the Government. In particular, Sunnis cite the lack of a Sunni mosque in
Tehran and claim that authorities refuse to authorize construction of a
Sunni place of worship in the capital.
Governmental Abuses of Religious Freedom
The property rights of Baha'is generally are
disregarded. Since 1979, large numbers of private and business properties
belonging to Baha'is have been confiscated. During the period covered by
this report, three Baha'i homes in Yazd and one in Arbakan were confiscated
because their owners were members of the Baha'i community. In September and
October 1998, government officers plundered more than 500 Baha'i homes
throughout the country and seized personal household effects, such as
furniture and appliances. Seizure of personal property, in addition to the
denial of access to education and employment, is eroding the economic base
of the Baha'i community.
Ruhollah Rowhani, a Baha'i, was executed in July 1998
after having served 9 months in solitary confinement on a charge of
apostasy stemming from allegedly having converted a Muslim woman to the
Baha'i Faith. The woman concerned asserted that her mother was a Baha'i and
that she herself had been raised a Baha'i. Rowhani was not accorded a
public trial or sentencing for his alleged crime, and no sentence was
announced prior to his execution.
The Government of Iran continued to imprison and detain
persons based on their religious beliefs. Manuchehr Khulusi was arrested in
June 1999 while visiting fellow Baha'is in the town of Birjand, and was
imprisoned until his release in May 2000. During his imprisonment, Khulusi
was interrogated, beaten, held in solitary confinement, and denied access
to his lawyer. The charges brought against him are still unknown, but they
were believed to be related to his faith. The Islamic Revolutionary Court
in Mashhad held a 2-day trial in September 1999 and then sentenced him to
death in February 2000. Despite Khulusi's release, it is unclear if the
conviction and death sentence against him still stand.
Two Baha'is, Sirus Zabihi-Moghaddam and Hadayat
Kashefi-Najafabadi, are currently in prison for apostasy. Their death
sentences were reaffirmed in February 2000. They were tried for apostasy
alongside Rowhani. Four Baha'is are currently on death row--two for
"Zionist Baha'i activities" and two for apostasy.
During the period covered by this report, authorities in
Khurasan intensified their efforts to intimidate and undermine Baha'i
education. Two teachers in Mashhad were arrested and sentenced to 3 years'
imprisonment. Their students were given suspended sentences, to be carried
out if the young persons again participated in religious education classes.
Three more Baha'is were arrested in Bujnurd in northern Khurasan for
participating in religious education gatherings. After 6 days in prison,
they were released with suspended sentences of 5 years. The use of
suspended sentences appears to be a new tactic for the Government to
discourage Baha'is from taking part in monthly religious gatherings.
In September 1998, authorities launched a nationwide
operation to disrupt the activities of the Baha'i Institute of Higher
Learning, also known as the "Open University," which was
established by the Baha'i community shortly after the revolution to offer
higher educational opportunities to Baha'i students who had been denied
access to the country's high schools and universities. The Institute
employed Baha'i faculty and professors, many of whom had been dismissed
from teaching positions by the Government as a result of their faith, and
conducted classes in homes or offices owned or rented by Baha'is. During
the operation, which took place in at least 14 different cities, 36 faculty
members were arrested and a variety of personal property, including books,
papers, and furniture, either were destroyed or confiscated. Government
interrogators sought to force the detained faculty members to sign
statements acknowledging that the Open University was now defunct and
pledging not to associate with it in the future. Baha'is outside the
country report that none of the 36 detainees would sign the document. All
but 4 of the 36 persons detained during the September 1998 raid on the
Baha'i Institute were released by November 1998.
In March 1999, Dr. Sina Hakiman, Farzad Khajeh
Sharifabadi, Habibullah Ferdosian Najafabadi, and Ziaullah Mirzapanah, the
four remaining detainees from the September 1998 raid, were convicted under
Article 498 of the Penal Code and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 3
to 10 years. In the court verdict, the four were accused of having
established a "secret organization" engaged in "attracting
youth, teaching against Islam, and teaching against the regime of the
Islamic Republic." According to Baha'i groups outside Iran, the four
taught general science and Persian literature courses. In July 1999,
Mirzapanah, who had been sentenced to 3 years in prison, became ill and was
hospitalized. Prison authorities allowed him to return home upon his
recovery on the understanding that they could find him whenever necessary.
The other three were released in December 1999.
The Government appears to adhere to a practice of
keeping a small number of Baha'is in arbitrary detention, some at risk of
execution, at any given time. There were 11 Baha'is reported to be under
arrest for the practice of their faith as of June 1999, 4 under sentence of
death.
The authorities have become particularly vigilant in
recent years in curbing what is perceived as increasing proselytizing
activities by evangelical Christians whose services are conducted in
Persian. Government officials have reacted to this perceived activity by
closing evangelical churches and arresting converts. Members of evangelical
congregations have been required to carry membership cards, photocopies of
which must be provided to the authorities. Worshipers are subject to
identity checks by authorities posted outside congregation centers.
Meetings for evangelical services have been restricted by the authorities
to Sundays, and church officials have been ordered to inform the Ministry
of Information and Islamic Guidance before admitting new members to their
congregations.
As conversion of a Muslim to a non-Muslim religion may
be considered apostasy under traditional Shari'a practices enforced in the
country, non-Muslims may not proselytize Muslims without putting their own
lives at risk. Evangelical church leaders are subject to pressure from
authorities to sign pledges that they would not evangelize Muslims or allow
Muslims to attend church services.
One U.S.-based organization reported 8 deaths of
evangelical Christians at the hands of authorities in the past 11 years and
between 15 and 23 disappearances in the year between November 1997 and
November 1998.
Oppression of evangelical Christians continued during
the period covered by this report. Christian groups recently reported
instances of government harassment of churchgoers in Tehran, in particular
against worshipers at the Assembly of God congregation in the capital.
Instances of harassment cited included conspicuous monitoring outside
Christian premises by Revolutionary Guards to discourage Muslims or
converts from entering church premises and demands for presentation of
identity papers of worshipers inside. Iranian Christians International (ICI)
detailed the cases of Alireza and Mahboobeh Mahmoudian, converts to
Christianity and lay leaders of the Saint Simon the Zealot Osgofi Church in
Shiraz, who were forced to leave the country permanently in June 1998 after
continued harassment by authorities. ICI reported that Alireza Mahmoudian
had lost his job because of his conversion and had been beaten repeatedly
by Basijis (paramilitary forces) and Ansar-e Hizbollah (gangs of thugs
often aligned with specific members of the leadership) on orders of
government officials from the Ministry of Islamic Guidance. His wife,
Mahboobeh, also had been the subject of intimidation, principally through
frequent and aggressive interrogation by government officials.
While Jews are a recognized religious minority,
allegations of official discrimination are frequent. The Government's
anti-Israel policies, coupled with a perception among radicalized Muslim
elements that Jewish citizens support Zionism and the State of Israel,
create a threatening atmosphere for the small Jewish community. Jewish
leaders reportedly are reluctant to draw attention to official mistreatment
of their community due to fear of government reprisal.
Some Jewish groups outside Iran cite an increase in
anti-Semitic propaganda in the official and semiofficial media as adding to
the pressure felt by the Jewish community. One example cited is the
periodic publication of the anti-Semitic and fictitious Protocols of the
Elders of Zion, both by the Government and by periodicals associated with
hardline elements of the regime. In 1986 the Iranian Embassy in London was
reported to have published and distributed the Protocols in English. The
Protocols also were published in serial form in the country in 1994 and
again in January 1999. On the latter occasion they were published in Sobh,
a conservative monthly publication reportedly aligned with the security
services.
There appears to be little restriction or interference
with their religious practice or education; however, Jews were eased out of
the Government after 1979. Jews are permitted to obtain passports and to
travel outside the country but, with the exception of certain business
travelers, are required by the authorities to obtain clearance (and pay
additional fees) before each trip abroad. The Government appears concerned
about the emigration of Jews and permission generally is not granted for
all members of a Jewish family to travel outside the country at the same
time.
In March 1999, 13 Jews were arrested in the cities of
Shiraz and Isfahan and purportedly accused of espionage. Neither the
defendants nor their legal counsel were informed of the formal charges
facing the group until the trial began in April 2000. Among the group were
several prominent rabbis, teachers of Hebrew, and their students, including
a 16-year-old boy. Governments and human rights groups around the world
criticized the arrests and the lack of due process accorded to the
defendants. They also called for the safe treatment of the detainees, who
were allowed only limited contact with defense counsel, sporadic family
visits, and deliveries of kosher food. On July 1, 2000, the Revolutionary
Court in Shiraz convicted 10 of the accused on charges of cooperating with
a hostile government, membership in an illegal organization, and recruiting
members in an illegal organization, and sentenced them to between 4 and 13
years in prison. Three of the original 13 were acquitted.
Jewish groups outside Iran noted that the March 1999
arrest of the 13 Jewish individuals coincided with an increase in
anti-Semitic propaganda in newspapers and journals associated with hardline
elements of the Government. Since the trial began in April 2000, Jewish
businesses in Tehran and Shiraz have been targets of vandalism and
boycotts, and Jews reportedly suffered personal harassment and
intimidation.
Human Rights Watch reported the death in May 1998 of
Jewish businessman Ruhollah Kakhodah-Zadeh, who was hanged in prison
without a public charge or legal proceeding. Reports indicate that
Kakhodah-Zadeh may have been killed for assisting Jews to emigrate. As an
accountant, Kakhoda-Zadeh provided power-of-attorney services for Jews
departing the country.
The Government restricts the movement of several senior
religious leaders, some of whom have been under house arrest for years, and
often charges members of religious minorities with crimes such as drug
offenses, "confronting the regime," and apostasy.
Human Rights Watch reported in 1998 the killing of Sunni
prayer leader Molavi Imam Bakhsh Narouie in the province of Sistan
va-Baluchistan in the southeast. This led to protests from the local
community, which believed that government authorities were involved in the
murder.
Majdhub Alishahi, an adherent of the Sufi tradition,
reportedly was executed on charges of adultery and homosexuality after a
coerced confession in 1996. Sufi organizations outside the country remain
concerned about repression by the authorities of Sufi religious practices.
There were no reports of government harassment of the
Zoroastrian community during the period covered by this report.
There was no change in the status of respect for
religious freedom during the period covered by this report.
Forced Religious Conversion of Minor U.S. Citizens
There were no reports of the forced religious conversion
of minor U.S. citizens who had been abducted or illegally removed from the
United States, or of the Government's refusal to allow such citizens to be
returned to the United States. However, according to the tenets of Islam, a
child born to a Muslim father is automatically considered a Muslim.
Section II. Societal Attitudes
The continuous activity of Iran's pre-Islamic,
non-Muslim communities, such as Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians, has
accustomed the population to the presence of non-Muslims in society.
However, government actions create a threatening atmosphere for some
religious minorities.
The Jewish community has been reduced to more than
one-half its prerevolutionary size. Some of this emigration is connected
with the larger, general waves of departures following the establishment of
the Islamic Republic, but some also stems from perceived anti-Semitism on
the part of the Government and within society.
The Government's anti-Israel policies and the trial of
the 13 Jews, coupled with the perception among some of the country's
radicalized elements that Iranian Jews support Zionism and the State of
Israel, create a threatening atmosphere for the Jewish community (see
Section I). Many Jews have sought to limit their contact with or support
for the State of Israel out of fear of reprisal.
Sunni Muslims encounter religious discrimination at the
local level, and reports of discrimination against practitioners of the
Sufi tradition surfaced during the period covered by this report.
Section III. U.S. Government Policy
The United States has no diplomatic relations with Iran
and thus cannot raise directly with the Government the restrictions the
Government places on religious freedom and other abuses that it commits
against adherents of minority religions. The U.S. Government makes its
position clear in public statements, support for relevant United Nations
and NGO efforts, and in diplomatic contacts with other countries.
The President has made a number of statements regarding
the treatment of religious minorities in Iran, including a June 1998
statement criticizing the execution of Ruhollah Rowhani, a member of the
Baha'i Faith, and statements in June 1999 and July 2000 calling on the
Government to exonerate the imprisoned members of Iran's Jewish community.
The Secretary of State also called on Iran to release and drop charges
against the 13 Jews, 10 of whom were convicted and remained in prison at
the end of the period covered by this report.
The U.S. Government has cosponsored each year since 1982
a resolution regarding the human rights situation in Iran offered by the
European Union at the annual meeting of the U.N. Commission on Human
Rights. The United States has supported a similar resolution offered each
year during the United Nations General Assembly. The U.S. Government has
supported strongly the work of the U.N. Special Representative on Human
Rights for Iran and called on the Iranian Government to grant him admission
and allow him to conduct his research (he has been denied entry visas since
1996).
The U.S. State Department spokesman on numerous
occasions has addressed the situation of the Baha'i and Jewish communities,
notably following the Secretary's March 17, 2000 speech on Iran, the
execution of Ruhollah Rowhani in June 1998, the Government's actions
against the Baha'i Institute of Higher Education in September 1998, and
repeatedly after the arrest of 13 members of the Iranian Jewish community
in March 1999. The U.S. Government has encouraged other governments to make
similar statements and has pressed those governments to raise the issue of
religious freedom in discussions with the Iranian Government.
In September 1999 the Secretary of State designated Iran
a country of particular concern under the International Religious Freedom
Act for particularly severe violations of religious freedom.
Sources: U.S. State Department - Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor |