[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13429]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         NEW CHARGES BROUGHT UP AGAINST BAHA'I LEADERS IN IRAN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 21, 2009

  Mr. WOLF. Madam Speaker, May 14 marked the one-year anniversary of 
the imprisonment of the seven member national committee of the Iranian 
Baha'is. According to CNN reports, the seven Baha'i leaders may now 
face charges of ``spreading of corruption on Earth'' which carries the 
threat of the death penalty under Iran's penal code. The United States 
Commission on International Religious Freedom recently released their 
2009 report which recommends that the State Department designate Iran a 
country of particular concern due to its gross violations of religious 
freedom. Such violations include the execution of over 200 Baha'i 
leaders since 1979, the desecration of Baha'i cemeteries and places of 
worship, and the violent arrest and harassment of members of the Baha'i 
faith. As the Administration seeks diplomatic engagement with Iran, I 
urge them to make human rights and religious freedom an integral part 
of the dialogue. Human dignity and freedom must not be made a sidebar 
as the Administration seeks to engage the Iranians.

                          ____________________