The Situation of Bahá’ís in Iran
Media and Civil Society Reports
Media coverage and public statements by Canadians and civil society organizations have contributed to documenting the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran and raising public consciousness about the implications of these ongoing abuses.
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2023
- Jeff Mahoney, “‘A bird not of this world’: heroic Baha’i woman remembered,” The Hamilton Spectator, 29 December 2023
- Negar Mojtahedi, Article describes Iran’s changing tactics in persecuting the Baha’i community, 21 December 2023
- "Statement Condemning the Latest Wave of Persecution of the Baháʼí in Iran," Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, 31 August 2023
- Brenda Jefferies, “Kilbride woman remembers the 'Angels of Shiraz', 40 years later,” Burlington Today, 14 July 2023
- “Winnipeg Baha'i community marks 40th anniversary of execution of 10 Iranian women,” CBC News, 24 June 2023
- Sandra Lynn Hutchison, “Forty years later, I take strength from the courage of 10 women executed at Iran's Adelabad prison,” Vancouver Sun, 22 June 2023
- John Longhurst, "Marking anniversary of Baha’i executions," Winnipeg Free Press, 20 June 2023
- Kraig Krause, "'They chose death and not to give in to cruelty': Vancouver Baha'i community marks grim anniversary," CTV News Vancouver, 18 June 2023
- Negar Mojtahedi, "Anniversary of hangings of 10 Bahá'í Women, launch of #OurstoryIsOne campaign," Global News, 18 June 2023
- Statement by PEN International on the Persecution of Mahvash Sabet, May 2023
- Negar Mojtahedi, "B.C. man worries for cousin, a Bahá’í woman jailed in Iran’s Evin prison," Global News, 24 April 2023
- Irwin Cotler, "Statement on the Sentencing of Mahvash Sabet and Fariba Kamalabadi," Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, 17 January 2023
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2022
- Dakshana Bascaramurty, "Canada’s Baha’i community see Iran protests as hope for political and social change," Globe and Mail, 2 December 2022
- John Longhurst, "Baha’is are asking us to speak up for their co-religionists in Iran," Winnipeg Free Press, 20 August 2022
- Sandra Lynn Hutchison, “‘Where is Hannan Hashemi?’ Disappearance of student part of the ongoing persecution of Baha’i in Iran,” Toronto Star, 5 August 2022
- Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights Statement on Wave of Arrests Targeting Bahá’ís in Iran, 2 August 2022
- Josiah Sinanan, “Iranian calligrapher uses ancient art to tell story of persecuted Bahá’í at new Windsor show,” CBC, 20 February 2022
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2021
- Statement by International Institute for Religious Freedom, 20 July 2021
- Joint Statement of Concern on the Rise in Anti- Bahá’í Propaganda by the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights and Parliamentarians for Global Action, 20 July 2021
- Statement by Akaash Maharaj, Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption, 15 July 2021
- Statement by Kyle Matthews, Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies, 15 July 2021
- Statement by Kaveh Shahrooz, Macdonald-Laurier Institute, 15 July 2021
- “‘This must stop’: Anti-Bahá’í propaganda intensifies in Iran, evokes global outcry”, Bahá’í World News Service, 13 July 2021
- Statement by Dr. Mark Freiman, 13 July 2021
- “A machinery of hate: increasing propaganda raises concern for Bahá’ís,” Bahá’í International Community, 8 July 2021
- Kyle Matthews, “Why the West must challenge Iran on human rights”, The Conversation, 16 May 2021
- “Unprecedented reaction makes voice of persecuted Bahá’ís in an Iranian village global: ‘ItsTheirLand’,” Bahá’í International Community, 5 March 2021
- “Wide-reaching solidarity expressed with Bahá’ís facing persecution in Iran”, Canadian Bahá’í news Service, 2 March 2021
- An Open Letter to Iranian Authorities on Recent Farm Seizures, 25 February 2021
- Evan Dyer, “Canadian legal luminaries sign letter accusing Iranian courts of persecuting Bahá’í faith,” CBC, 24 February 2021
- James Samimi Farr, “Canada can’t ignore Iran’s persecution of the Bahá’í community,” The Bell, 22 February 2021
- “‘An extraordinary wave of support’: Muslim leaders and government officials denounce Iran’s persecution of Bahá’ís”, Bahá’í International Community, 18 February 2021
- Stefan Labbé, Coquitlam sister ‘hoping and praying’ Iranian agents don’t rearrest brother”, Tricity News, 17 February 2021
- Kian Sabeti, “Muslim Leaders and Former Canadian PM Denounce Confiscation of Bahá’í Homes”, Iranwire, 16 February 2021
- “‘We stand with the Bahá’ís of Iran’: Former Canadian Prime Minister and judges condemn persecution of Bahá’ís,” Bahá’í World News Service, 13 February 2021
- John Longhurst, “‘World is watching’ Iran’s treatment of Bahá’ís,” The Winnipeg Free Press, 12 February 2021
- “Former Canadian Prime Minister and high-ranking legal professionals call on Iranian Chief Justice, Ebrahim Raisi, to stop persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran,” Bahá’í International Community, 10 February 2021
- “Brian Mulroney joins prominent lawyers to condemn confiscation of Bahá’í property in Iran”, Canadian Bahá’í News Service, 9 February 2021
- Lynn Desjardins, “Canadians object to Iran’s seizures of Bahá’í lands”, Radio-Canada International, 8 February 2021
- Steven Chase, “Former Canadian judges, justice ministers and scholars decry Iran’s abuse of Bahá’ís,” The Globe and Mail, 8 February 2021
- Open Letter to the Chief Justice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 5 February 2021
- Statement by the Canadian Council of Imams, 21 January 2021
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2020
- Geoffrey Cameron, “Multilateralism holds Iran to account for human-rights abuses,” Policy Options, 7 December 2020
- Stefan Labbé, “Coquitlam sister calls on Canada for help after Iranian intelligence agents imprison family”, Tricity News, 1 October 2020
- Sarah MacDonald, "Coquitlam woman's relatives detained in Iran without charges," Global News, 29 September 2020
- Terry Glavin, “Iran, where national security means confiscating a girl’s piano”, Maclean’s, 23 September 2020
- Ahmed Al-Haj, “Lawyer: Yemeni rebels free 6 Bahá’í prisoners held for years,” Toronto Star, 30 July 2020
- “Yemen's Houthis release six Bahá’í prisoners,” The National Post, 30 July 2020,
- “MPs, Senators call for an end to persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran,” The Hill Times, 24 June 2020 2020
- “UN urges for immediate release of Bahá’í prisoners in Yemen,” Toronto Star, 23 April 2020
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2019
- “Bahá’í community concerned over fate of its members in Yemen,” Toronto Star, 26 April 2019
- “Persecuted for their religious beliefs”, RCI-CBC Winnipeg (Radio), 27 March 2019 (FR)
- Interview with Maziar Bahari, CTV News, 27 March 2019
- “Afsoon Houshidari speaks about religious persecution in Iran,” Ici- Radio Canada (Winnipeg), 26 March 2019 (FR)
- John Longhurst, “Fighting oppression with education: Museum explores plight of Bahá’í believers studying underground in Iran,” The Winnipeg Free Press, 22 March 2019
- Terry Glavin, “Why Canada should crack down on corrupt Iranian officials and their dirty money,” Maclean’s, 19 February 2019
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2018
- Sarvenaz Amanat, “Education Is Not A Crime comes to Vancouver,” The Georgia Straight, 11 October 2018
- Kyle Matthews, “A call to protect the Bahá’í minority in Yemen,” Open Canada, 27 September 2018
- “‘Struggling for justice’: How Payam Akhavan lost his home in Iran and found human rights,” CBC Massey Lectures, 1 August 2018
- Kyle Matthews, “Iran's allies are preparing a genocide in Yemen. But there's still time to stop it,” The National Post, 5 June 2018
- “Yemen: Rebel-run court sentences Bahá’í man to death,” National Post, 4 January 2018
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2017
- Geoffrey Cameron and Kaveh Shahrooz, “Canada should keep pressing Iran the UN over human rights abuses,” Ottawa Citizen, 16 November 2017
- Anisa Rawhani, “Iran Tried to Deny Their Education, So These Baha’is Went Underground”, Buzzfeed News, 25 July 2017
- Michael Petrou, “What does Canada get out of restoring diplomatic ties with Iran?” CBC, 15 May 2017
- Terry Glavin, “These seven people are victims of Iran because of their faith. Remember their names, always,” The National Post, 26 April 2017
- Douglas Todd, “Iranian-Canadians still fear theocratic regime,” Vancouver Sun, 27 January 2017
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2016
- Michael Petrou, “The Tehran Test,” Open Canada, 16 September 2016
- Terry Glavin, “Iran is tormenting the Bahá’í people – is Canada going to do anything about it?”, The National Post, 20 April 2016
- Geoffrey Cameron, “Iran’s economy cannot be separated from human rights,” The Globe and Mail, 22 January 2016
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2015
- Siavosh Khanjani, “In Iran, Bahá’ís are deemed unfit to attend university, hold public sector jobs, or teach,” The National Post, 16 July 2015
- Maziar Bahari, “Education is Not a Crime,” Open Canada, 26 February 2015,
- Maziar Bahari, “From Iran to Canada, education is not a crime”, The Globe and Mail, 25 February 2015
- “Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei built vast US $95B business empire through systematic seizure of properties,” The National Post, 25 January 2015
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2014
- Sasha Eskandarian, “Iran’s persecution of the Bahá’í goes beyond the grave,” The National Post, 19 August 2014
- Kyle Matthews, “More than Nuclear: The Plight of Bahá’ís in Iran,” Open Canada, 23 May 2014,
- Irwin Cotler, “Criminalizing the Bahá’í Faith,” The National Post, 16 May 2014,
- Payam Akhavan, “Iranian regime still fears girl hanged 30 years ago,” Toronto Star, 12 May 2014
- Geoffrey Cameron and Robert Joustra, “A Light in Iran,” Open Canada, 29 April 2014,
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2013
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2012
- Roger Blockley, “Time for Canadian universities to speak up,” The Hill Times, 16 September 2012
- “On anniversary of arrests, Canadian MPs highlight Iran’s human rights violations,” Bahá’í World News Service, 16 May 2012
- Allan Rock and Lloyd Axworthy, “Canadians Can Help Stop the Persecution of Iran’s Bahá’í”, Huffington Post, 6 March 2012
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2011
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2010
- “Fate of Bahá’ís in Iran is badly neglected,” The National Post, 22 December 2010
- “Iran’s human rights record condemned by United Nations,” Bahá’í World News Service, 21 December 2010
- Michael Petrou, “Refugees from the land of the Mullahs”, Maclean’s, 2 November 2010
- Martin Regg Cohn, “Persecution of Bahá’ís exposes Iranian cruelty,” Toronto Star, 26 October 2010
- “Ongoing trial of Iran’s Bahá’í leaders highlighted on global day of action,” Bahá’í World News Service, 13 June 2010
- Brian Stewart, “The scapegoating of Iran’s Bahá’ís,” CBC, 13 January 2010
- Howard Adelman, “The canaries in Iran’s cages,” The Globe and Mail, 11 January 2010
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2009
- Shar Mitchell, “Raising voice to help Bahá’ís can make difference,” The Winnipeg Free Press, 7 June 2009
- “Australia, Canada call for immediate release of imprisoned Bahá’ís, Bahá’í World News Service, 27 May 2009
- “Canada’s Parliament condemns persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran,” Bahá’í World News Service, 2 April 2009
- Michael Petrou, “Iran cracks down harder on the Bahá’í,” Maclean’s, 2 March 2009
- Michael Petrou, “Bahá’ís in Iran suffer new wave of persecution,” Maclean’s, 3 February 2009
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2006