[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 201 (Wednesday, December 6, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1181-E1182]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   PERSECUTION OF THE BAHA'I  F IRAN

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 6, 2023

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise to call attention to the 
government of Iran's long, ongoing, and brutal campaign of terror 
against the Baha'i continues unabated.
  Of course, the government of Iran is one of the most brutal, cruel, 
and repressive in the world, truly one of the ``worst of the worst.'' 
The victims of its terrorism abroad include entire countries threatened 
by the wars, proxy wars, and terrorism it directs, including in most 
Middle Eastern countries.
  Within Iran, the regime terrorizes its own citizens--here we will 
remember the savage persecution of Christians, and the women blinded by 
the hanian Revolutionary Guard Corps in the protests that followed the 
death of Mahsa Amini. To some degree everyone living in Iran is a 
victim of this government. Yet we must also specifically remember the 
Baha'i.
  Mr. Speaker, the Baha'i religion initially developed in Persia. Iran 
is home to about 300,000 Baha'i--which makes it the largest

[[Page E1182]]

Baha'i community in any country in the world. The Baha'i International 
Community at the United Nations Office in Geneva published The Baha'i 
of Iran--A Persecuted Community, which revealed that since the current 
regime took power in 1981, over 200 Baha'i's have been executed, and 
more than 10,000 have been dismissed from government and university 
jobs on account of their religion.
  In the last year, the persecution has intensified, resulting in grave 
human right violations. The number of arrests of Baha'i's has only 
increased, and even included that of a 90-year-old man who had 
previously served 10 years in prison. The Baha'i's center of faith is 
in the city of Haifa, Israel, which the Iranian government uses as a 
pretext to classify Baha'i's as Israeli spies and execute them for 
committing the spurious crimes of conspiring with the ``Zionist 
regime''.
  Although the Iranian government persecutes all who are not Shi'a 
Muslims, since Baha'i are accused of heresy and group apostasy, they 
are singled out for particularly savage repression. The Iranian 
government has denied them access to universities and even in some 
cases, prohibited them from graduating high school, while also 
consistently denying Baha'i's the opportunity to open and own 
businesses.
  In 1982, the Iranian government seized the Baha'i's cemeteries and 
holy places--and only over ten years later did it allocate them a 
20,000-square-meter plot of land in which to bury their dead. As time 
has passed, that small parcel of land no longer suffices--and finding a 
place to bury loved ones has become a daunting task. Reportedly, 
government agents are stationed at the entrance of the cemetery to 
prevent visitation, and the government has taken control of the 
buildings used for burial ceremony activities.
  In September 2023, the United States Commission on International 
Religious Freedom (USCIRF) reported that ``Iranian authorities have 
arrested scores of Baha'i's across Iran, taken them to locations that 
were initially undisclosed, and sentenced them to excessive jail terms 
as the government has attempted to restrict internal dissent in 
response to protests.''
  Mr. Speaker, it is sad to say that neither in respect of human rights 
of the Baha'i or in any other respect has the government of Iran 
reformed or even improved its human rights record. But Congress has 
remained firm in their support of the Baha'i. Since 1982 Congress has 
repeatedly passed resolutions expressing support for the religious 
freedom rights of the Baha'i's in Iran.
  The Iranian government must stop the arbitrary arrests of members of 
the Baha'i community. We must continue to speak out and hold the 
government accountable for the destruction of life and property 
belonging to people of Baha'i faith.

                          ____________________