On March 16, Dr. Sina Hakiman was sentenced to ten years in prison, Messrs. Farzad Khajeh Sharifabadi and Habibullah Ferdosian Najafabadi to seven years, and Mr. Ziaullah Mirzapanah to three years. They had been arrested in September and October 1998 as part of the Iranian Government's crackdown on the Baha'i Institute of Higher Education. Last fall, Iranian government officals raided more than 530 Baha'i homes, confiscated computers and classroom equipment, and arrested at least 36 teachers and administrators of the Institute. All of them had been released, with the exception of the four who have now been sentenced. The four Baha'is were convicted for teaching religious classes to other Baha'is in another organization called the Institute for Higher Baha'i Studies. The court cited Chapter One, Article 498 of the Islamic Penal Code which provides for prison terms for anyone organizing an association or group with the aim of disturbing the internal or external security of the country. However, the law makes no mention of religious instruction within one's own religious community as an illegal activity. The Iranian Baha'i community had established the Baha'i Institute of Higher Education in 1987 to provide university-level instruction to Baha'i youth barred from universities by the Government because of their religious beliefs. In late 1998, the Institute resumed its activites, although its functioning is still hampered by the loss of equipment, especially computers, which it suffered during the raids. Since the Islamic regime took power, more than 200 Baha'is have been executed because of their religion. With 300,000 adherents, Baha'is are Iran's largest religious minority. The Baha'i Faith is not recognized as a legitimate religion in Iran and Baha'is have no constitutional rights.
This is not an isolated event but another instance in the apparent ongoing campaign to suppress the Baha'i Faith in Iran. For a complete outline, please follow this link: http://www.us.bahai.org/openuniv/ouright...
Not only does this site contain an outline of the events, but it has links to various U. S. Government statements and news articles.
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