Speaking Out for Justice

Below are some remarks by U.S. Representative Tom Lantos, given on the floor of the House of Representatives on September 19, in support of a Congressional resolution condemning the persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran and calling for the emancipation of the Iranian Bahá’í community:

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution. First, I would like to congratulate my good friend and colleague, Congressman Mark Kirk, for his leadership and strong voice in the defense of Baha’i communities all over the world. I am proud to be the original Democratic cosponsor of this important resolution.

The Baha’is are Iran’s largest religious minority, but because the Baha’i faith is not one of the four religions recognized by the Iran Constitution, Baha’i do not have rights under Iranian law. Iranian courts have ruled that people who injure or kill Baha’is are not liable for damages because the Baha’is are ‘‘unprotected infidels.’’ The absurdity of the statement that they are ‘‘unprotected infidels’’ says a great deal about this regime.

Congress has long recognized the plight of this suffering community. Since 1982, we have passed eight resolutions condemning the treatment of the Baha’i in Iran. On March 28 of this year, the White House expressed concern for a worsening situation of the Baha’i in Iran and called on the Government of Iran to respect the religious freedom of its minorities.

Madam Speaker, the situation of the Baha’i in Iran has deteriorated dramatically over the past year with an increase in arbitrary arrests, raids on private homes and imprisonments, a defamation campaign in the government-sponsored press and the continued denial of access to higher education to young men and women of the Baha’i faith.

Iran must grant the Baha’i their full human rights, as this resolution makes crystal clear. Our resolution calls on the Government of Iran simply to grant Baha’i the rights guaranteed by international law. Iran, Madam Speaker, is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and several other human rights treaties, but it is obvious that Tehran has no more intention of observing the requirements of these agreements than it does the nuclear agreements it has signed.

The international community must not be mocked. It must hold Iran to those standards to which it has voluntarily committed itself. In fact, Iran’s contempt for basic human rights standards knows no bounds. Earlier this year, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei ordered the Ministry of Information, the Revolutionary Guard and the police force to identify Baha’is and collect information on their activities. This is particularly worrisome in light of the Iranian Government’s view of the Baha’is as non-persons.

The Anti-Defamation League has called this order ‘‘reminiscent of the laws imposed on European Jews in the 1930s by Nazi Germany.’’ Our resolution rightly highlights this order, which was revealed by the U.N. Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Religion or Belief.

Madam Speaker, the U.S. Congress needs to speak out strongly against these policies. We cannot stand by quietly as another pogrom against the Baha’is is quietly being prepared by the bigoted regime of Iran. We and the international community must put Iran on notice that such action is utterly intolerable.

Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this important resolution.

The resolution passed by a vote of 393-2; you can read its full text here.