Iran Accountability Week

This also marks the sixth anniversary of the imprisonment of Iran's Baha'i leadership, also known as the Yaran; an execution binge that has seen over 600 executions since the "moderate" Hassan Rouhani ascended to the Presidency in August 2013, and over 250 carried out in 2014 alone; and the continuing unjust imprisonment of more than 900 prisoners of conscience and political prisoners, including women, human rights defenders, ethnic and religious leaders, journalists, bloggers, students and trade union leaders — in short, the leaders of Iranian civil society — many under threat of execution.

During his 2013 election campaign, Rouhani explicitly promised to ensure "equality for all citizens without discrimination based on race, gender, or religion." Despite his campaign promises, the Iranian regime's campaign of incitement to hate against the Baha'i has continued unabated, including: the singling out of the Baha'i for special opprobrium and repression; the use of state media to dehumanize and demonize the Baha'i in the eyes of their fellow Iranians; the harassment of Baha'i children; the proliferation of personal and property assaults on members of the community; and the orchestration of militia and hate groups to intimidate and silence them. All of this has been accompanied by an ongoing culture of impunity, wherein no one has ever been arrested or prosecuted for such crimes.

Irwin Cotler: Criminalizing the Baha'i faith