Friday 11 July 2008

Amassing of information on the Bahá’ís... the persecutions continue

  • Following the death of an eighty-eight-year-old believer in Boroujerd in October 2007, the Baha’is notified the Intelligence Ministry, governorship, municipal office, and the office that oversees affairs related to cemeteries that they would be preparing his grave for the interment. From the moment they began digging the grave, video cameras were set up in the Baha’i cemetery and in front of the home of the deceased, by order of the Intelligence Ministry. During the interment, which took place on 20 October 2007, Intelligence Ministry officials filmed every person who attended the funeral, as well as the license plates of all the vehicles parked where the funeral was held. Some officials objected to the presence of Muslim friends of the deceased and asked why they were attending the funeral.

  • Sometime between September to October 2007 in the city of Rafsanjan, Bahá’is were told by their Muslim friends who work in trade unions, that in a confidential letter, the Public Intelligence and National Security Force for public places had asked the trade unions to identify all Bahá’is who are employed in every trade. The director of the union had also been asked why all the reputable agencies in the country are managed by Bahá’is.

  • Late July 2007 brought reports that in the city of Karaj Bahá’is who apply for passports are given a special form to complete that requests detailed information on the applicant and all family members. This form is not issued by the passport office; it is issued by the Ministry of Intelligence.

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