On the escalating repression of the Baha'i in Iran

B100509/2025

European Parliament resolution on the escalating repression of the Baha'i in Iran

(2025/2987(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Rule 150 of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to its previous human rights resolutions on Iran,

whereas the Bahá’í Faith is the largest non-Muslim religious minority in Iran, with an estimated 300,000 followers, and has been systematically persecuted by Iranian authorities for decades, including through arrests, harassment, property confiscation, and exclusion from public life;

whereas throughout 2025, the Iranian authorities have intensified their crackdown on Bahá’ís, including the destruction of cemeteries, denial of burial permits, unjust court proceedings, and increased surveillance and harassment of community members;

whereas the United Nations Secretary-General and the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran have both expressed alarm at the worsening treatment of Bahá’ís and other religious minorities in Iran;

whereas these developments take place in a broader context of increased repression in Iran in 2025, marked by restrictions on civil society, mass arrests, limited access to fair trials, and a record-high number of executions;

whereas the persecution of the Bahá’í community in Iran stems from the Islamic Republic’s official interpretation of Sharia law, which does not acknowledge the Bahá’í Faith as a recognised religion and hence denies it the status of a protected religious minority;

whereas Iran is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees freedom of religion, belief, expression and association;

Strongly condemns the ongoing state-led persecution of the Bahá’í community in Iran and calls on the Iranian authorities to cease all forms of discrimination based on religion or belief;

Calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all Bahá’ís detained or imprisoned solely for practicing their faith or defending the rights of their community;

Expresses deep concern about the denial of education, employment and access to basic services to members of the Bahá’í Faith and urges the authorities to guarantee equal rights for all citizens regardless of religion;

Denounces that the Iranian judiciary is using Sharia law to apply broad and vaguely defined charges such as “acting against national security” or “spreading corruption on Earth” to criminalise peaceful Bahá’í religious practice;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission, the United Nations Secretary-General, the UN Human Rights Council, and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.