Our organizations are deeply alarmed at the substantial increase in the number of Bahá’ís arbitrarily detained in the Islamic Republic of Iran during this past year.
Over 120 Bahá’ís have been arrested without charge, interrogated, detained for periods ranging from a few days to several months, and only released after having paid bail. The bail demands have been very high, requiring these people to hand over large sums of money, deeds to property or business licences, even though they have not been charged with any crime. No trial dates have been set - keeping them in a state of insecurity, as they can be imprisoned again at any time.
In March this year, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief stated that she was highly concerned about a governmental initiative to identify and to monitor the activities of Bahá’ís throughout the country. And there has also been a significant increase, during this year, in many other forms of persecution that specifically target them.
You already expressed concern about the situation of the Bahá’ís after your visit to Iran in 2003. In light of these serious new developments, what kind of follow-up do you envisage?