CIAO DATE: 09/2008
June 2008
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
On May 14, the Iranian government arrested six prominent Bahai leaders and accused them of "endangering national security." The timing of the arrests has led some to speculate that the Iranian government is trying to link these leaders to the April explosion at a religious center in Shiraz that killed fourteen people. Considering Iran's clerical establishment believes the existence of religious minorities undermines official Shiite orthodoxy, these latest arrests are just another black mark on Iran's long and dismal record of protecting individual human rights and religious freedom.
Resource link: PolicyWatch #1377: Treatment of Bahais: A Test of Human Rights in Iran [PDF] - 12K