WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3371/98 by James NICHOLSON to the Council. Persecution of Baha'is in Iran
29. 4. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 118/143 (1999/C 118/177) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2792/98 by Viviane Reding (PPE) to the Council (18 September 1998) Subject: Persecution of the Bahaíi community in Iran On 21 July 1998 Mr Ruhollah Rawhani, an Iranian Bahaíi convicted of having converted a young woman from Islam to the Bahaíi faith, was executed in Mashhad, Iran. The young woman in question, raised as a Bahaíi since childhood, denies having been converted. No contact was permitted with the convicted man, who was denied the right to choose a lawyer. Mr Rawhani is the first Bahaíi to have been executed since 1992. One cannot but fear the worst for another four Bahaíis arrested and convicted alongside Mr Rawhani. What is the position of the Council vis-à-vis the persecution with complete impunity of Iranian nationals in Iran solely on the grounds of creed? What measures does the Council intend to take to avert the imminent execution of the four convicted Bahaíis, alert the international community and put pressure on the Iranian authorities to respect one of the most basic human rights? (1999/C 118/178) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3371/98 by James Nicholson (I-EDN) to the Council (16 November 1998) Subject: Persecution of Bahaíis in Iran Representatives of the Bahaíi faith in Europe claim that there has been continual persecution of Bahaíis in Iran over many decades and that upwards of 20 000 people may have died as a result. They claim that Bahaíis in Iran enjoy no civil, religious or human rights and are currently raising concerns over the death of Mr Ruhollah Rowhani, who they say was executed on 21 July 1998 without being accorded any legal process. They have also raised concerns over the alleged sentencing to death of two other Bahaíis and the sentencing to ten years imprisonment of another. What is the Councilís position in regard to the alleged continuing persecution of Bahaíis in Iran? Joint answer to Written Questions E-2792/98 and E-3371/98 (30 November 1998) The Council, which has on several occasions raised the issue of the situation of the Bahaíis in Iran with the Iranian authorities, expressed its concern to these following the execution of Ruhuíllah Rawhani on 21 July 1998 and the death sentence against three other Bahaíis in Mashad. Having subsequently received reports that the death sentences against Sirus Dhabihi-Muqaddam and Hidayat-Kashifi Najafabadi had been confirmed, the Council, through EU Heads of Mission in Teheran, called upon Iran to take immediate action to ensure that they will not be executed. It also reiterated its concern over four other members of the Bahaíi community who are also under sentence of death, Messrs. Bihnam Mithaqi, Kayvan Khalajabadi, Musa Talibi and Dhabihuíllah Mahrami. On these occasions the Council reiterated the EUís position on death sentences in general and appealed to the Iranian Government side to protect the life of the Bahaíis community and to respect the rights of religious minorities. It recalled UN-Human Rights Commission resolution 1998/80, which expressed concern at the continuing grave violations of the human rights of the Bahaíis and called upon Iran to refrain from pronouncing death sentences on the grounds of religious beliefs or apostasy. The Council furthermore underlined the importance of the Iranian Government allowing the special UN rapporteur on Human Rights, Mr Maurice Copithorne, to visit Iran for a constructive cooperation in human rights