The Egyptian paper Youm 7 reported yesterday that two homes of Baha’is were set on fire in Shuraniya village, in the Sohag governorate. The group of people responsible for the arson also stole property of the Baha’is. The arson did not result in human casualties because the owners of the homes had fled Shuraniya and [...]

In the last two months there have been nine reported cases of arson targeting Baha’i businesses in Rafsanjan, Iran. Reports coming from human rights activists in Iran indicate that during November and December 2010 nine arson attacks were carried out targeting Baha’i-owned business. One of the victims was a Muslim owner of a coffee shop [...]

We’re proud to present to you a new Baha’i rights illustration that aims to highlight some of the human rights abuses Baha’is are subjected to in the Middle East: arson, unjustified incarceration and limitations on freedom of speech. We’ve been hard at work on this illustration for quite some time and hope you like it!

The following roundup, based on translations from Iran Press Watch and reports from the Committee of Human Rights Reporter, the Human Rights Activists News Agency, Human Rights Activists in Iran, the Baha’i World News Service and Iran Human Rights Voice show the extent of ongoing persecution in Iran. It includes harassment, death threats and arsons [...]

The Egyptian paper Al Youm conducted an interview with A’adel Ramadan, a lawyer at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, who represents the Baha’i families whose houses were burned down this March in the southern village of Shuraniya. The rioters, incited by anti-Baha’i calls on Egyptian TV, surrounded the area where the Baha’is lived in [...]

The Bahá’í World News Service reports that at least 33 Baha’is are imprisoned in jails all across Iran and more than 200 cases of Baha’is are still active. The persecution of Baha’is in Iran continues unabated. Human Right Activists in Iran (HRAI) have recently reported about the arrest and disappearance of Sohrab Leghaii, a Baha’i [...]

Egyptian authorities have arrested 70 people in connection with protests in the village of Ezba in the Sohag governorate. The protests followed rumors that the Baha’is whose houses were burned down by mobs in the village of Sharoniyah three months ago, would be resettled in the village. The protesters gathered around the Ezba municipal offices, [...]

We have been receiving some questions requesting information on how bad the situation is in Iran and why are we bothering to fight for Baha’i rights. We think there are no words that can state the grave dangers of the Baha’i persecution in Iran and therefore are resorting to images to show the world what [...]

Six weeks after they were forced to flee in the aftermath of an attack that left their homes completely burnt down, the Baha’is of Shoraniya remain incapable of returning to their village. Attorney Adel Ramadan from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights requested security officials to ensure the safe return of the displaced Baha’is to [...]

In a joint statement, 6 rights groups in Egypt issued a statement calling Egypt’s Attorney-General to prosecute those responsible for the attacks in Egypt, as well as those who incited the attacks. The rights groups are: Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights Arab Network for Human Rights Information Hisham Mubarak Law Center El Nadim Center for [...]