Iranian Government Intensifies Bahá'i Persecution
On Tuesday, 2nd August, up to 200 Iranian agents sealed off the village of Roshankouh in Iran's Mazandaran province, destroyed Bahá'i homes and seized 20 hectares of property using heavy earthmoving equipment. Anyone who attempted to challenge the agents was handcuffed and arrested, neighbours were warned to stay inside their homes and forbidden from filming or taking pictures of the scenes. Nevertheless, some images and videos have emerged from the village showing the demolition.
In recent days, Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence has issued an appalling statement of oppressive hate propaganda against the persecuted Bahá’í religious minority yesterday in an attempt to justify the raids on the homes and businesses of 52 Bahá’ís across Iran and the arrest or imprisonment of 13 individuals.
The Ministry claimed the arrests were against members of the “Bahá’í espionage [political] party” and that those arrested were “propagating the teachings of the fabricated Bahá’í colonialism and infiltrating educational environments” including kindergartens. The mention of kindergartens is an apparent pretext for the targeting of a number of Bahá’ís who are preschool teachers.
The Bahá’í International Community (BIC) rejects these absurd and preposterous allegations as outright fabrications. What the Iranian government is doing is simultaneously an act of gross oppression and a brazen example of the worst kind of hate speech. Linked below are updates from the BIC on the unfolding situation.
