Professional Documents
Culture Documents
“Working Together for Peace, Freedom and Justice” Volume XXXII, No. 6 June 2008
NEW YORK (24 May 06) –Iranian officials have arrested 54 Baha’is in the city of
Shiraz, the Baha’i International Community has learned. They are mostly youth and
were all engaged in humanitarian service when they were arrested. It is one of the
largest number of Baha’is taken at once since the 1980s. The specific charges are
not clear, though in the past, Baha’is have been arrested summarily on false
charges. The arrests occurred on Friday, 19 May, while the Baha’is, along with
UNA-USA
several other volunteers who were not Baha’is, were teaching classes to
Council of
underprivileged children in a school as part of a community service activity
conducted by a local non-governmental organization. At the time of the arrests, Chapters
they had in their possession a letter of permission from the Islamic Council of Shíráz.
They also carried the letter of permission in each of their classes. and Divisions
The nature of the charges against the Baha’is is unknown at this time. The day
following the arrests, a judge told family members that the detainees would be (CCD)
Annual
freed soon. As of today, it appears that all of the non-Baha’is and one Baha’i junior
youth have been released without having to post bail. “These new arrests in Shiraz,
coming after more than a year of ‘revolving door’ detentions, bring to a total of
Meeting
more than 125 Baha’is who have been arrested without cause since the beginning
of 2005,” said Bani Dugal, principal representative of the Baha’i International 2008
Community to the United Nations.
In the 1980s, some 200 Baha’is were killed or executed. Thousands were arrested Washington,
and hundreds were imprisoned, many for long periods. In recent years, in the face
of international monitoring, the executions and long-term imprisonments have
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stopped. Since 1948, the Baha’i International Community has been accredited as
June 8-10
an international nongovernmental organization of the United Nations. It was
granted special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council in For
1970.
registration &
The Baha’i U.S./U.N. Office represents the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is
of the United States at the UN Headquarters in New York. more info.
go to:
The Office collaborates with a variety of U.N offices and specialized agencies. It
also engages the U.S. Baha’i community in UN.-related advocacy campaigns and
works with nongovernmental organizations on issues related to human rights, social www.unausa.org
justice, sustainable development, the advancement of women and U.N. reform.
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