Steve Bosserman

In a segment broadcast by @cnnportugal, Rafael Matos, a representative of the External Affairs Department of the Bahá’í Community of Portugal, addressed the religious persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran. The interview offered an opportunity to draw public attention to the challenges faced by the Bahá’í community in Iran, including longstanding religious discrimination and the serious allegations surrounding the treatment of Bahá’í detainees. By featuring a representative of Portugal's Bahá’í community, the broadcast also demonstrated how concerns over religious freedom in Iran resonate internationally. #Bahai #Iran #ReligiousFreedom #HumanRights

The United Nations Secretary-General, @antonioguterres, highlighted concerns raised by the Bahá’í International Community regarding religious persecution and discrimination affecting Bahá’ís in Egypt, Iran, Qatar, and Yemen. The report documents restrictions on civil and burial rights in Egypt, intensified repression in Iran, discrimination in Qatar, and judicial persecution and incitement to hatred in Yemen. We thank António Guterres for bringing attention to the persecution and discrimination faced by Bahá’í communities and for highlighting the importance of protecting religious freedom and minority rights worldwide. Source: Effective promotion of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities - Report of the Secretary-General (A/81/281) ohchr.org/en/documents/thema… #Bahai #UnitedNations #ReligiousFreedom #HumanRights #BahaiRights

The @BahaiBIC Addis Ababa and Geneva offices, joined by a representative from the Bahá'í Office of External Affairs in South Africa, recently attended the 48th Ordinary Session of the @acerwc in Maseru. For over six decades, Bahá'ís in #Egypt have faced a persistent, systematic policy of state-sponsored discrimination. A major part of this persecution is the state's refusal to register Bahá’í marriages. This creates severe intergenerational obstacles—most notably, preventing the official birth registration of Bahá’í children. During the session, our delegation was privileged to hold bilateral meetings with several Committee members regarding the ongoing persecution of the Bahá'ís in Egypt. Notably, these concerns were also raised during Egypt’s official country review—its first before the Committee since 2009. We are deeply grateful to the Committee members for their support. In addition to these engagements, the BIC co-hosted a side event alongside the @cfjusticeorg, titled “Strengthening Access to Justice and Accountability for Children in Africa.” BIC Representative @ShaddadHaddad emphasized that no child should face discrimination because of their religion or their parents’ religion—stressing that every child, irrespective of background, must have the opportunity to learn, develop, and contribute to society, as affirmed in the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. Hon. Joseph N. Sinnah, ACERWC Member, reinforced that "access to justice is critical to upholding the rights of all children.” The @BahaiBIC continues to remain hopeful that Egyptian Bahá'ís will one day be able to raise their children in peace, live with full dignity, and contribute freely to their country’s collective well-being. Read the full news story here: bic.org/news/bic-raises-disc… Photo credit: ACERWC #acerwc #humanrights #RightsOfTheChild #freedomofreligionorbelief

On February 25, 2026, Brazil's Federal Senate Human Rights and Participatory Legislation Committee addressed a complaint concerning the religious persecution of the Bahá’í community in Iran, including reports of arbitrary arrests, detention, and forced confessions. During the committee proceedings, Senator Damares Alves, President of the Committee, expressed solidarity with the Bahá’í community and acknowledged the longstanding pattern of human rights violations it has faced. The committee confirmed that Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty) had been formally notified of the complaint for review and appropriate action. We thank Senator Damares Alves for her attention to the situation of Iran's Bahá’ís and for helping bring their experiences before Brazil's national institutions. #Bahai #Iran #Brazil #ReligiousFreedom #HumanRights

In March 2026, Australia’s @abcnews reported on serious concerns surrounding the detention and alleged mistreatment of Peyvand Naimi, a young Bahá’í arrested in Kerman, Iran, during nationwide protests in January. Reporting by journalist Nassim Khadem highlighted allegations that Naimi had endured two mock hangings, prolonged torture, and repeated interrogations while in custody. According to the report, Naimi’s family said he had been arrested at his workplace by plain-clothes security forces and pressured into confessing to crimes he had not committed. At the time of publication, he had reportedly not been brought to trial and was being held in solitary confinement at Kerman Prison, where his relatives said he was being denied medical care. The Bahá’í International Community also raised concerns about his treatment, while his relatives warned of the deterioration of his physical and psychological health. Revisiting this March 2026 coverage highlights the serious concerns raised at the time about the treatment of Bahá’í detainees in Iran, including allegations of arbitrary detention, coercive interrogation, and religious persecution. Read the original ABC News coverage: abc.net.au/news/2026-03-25/i… #Bahai #Iran #BahaiRights #ABCNews #HumanRights

On March 25, 2026, Daniel Attard MEP, Vice-Chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Iran, raised the urgent case of Peyvand Naimi, a young Bahá’í detained in Iran, during a European Parliament plenary debate concerning the threat of executions in the country. During his remarks, Attard drew attention to reports of Naimi’s alleged torture, mock executions, and forced confessions, highlighting serious concerns about his safety and the broader persecution of Iran’s Bahá’í community. We thank Daniel Attard for bringing attention to Peyvand Naimi’s case at the European Parliament and for highlighting the importance of protecting human rights and religious freedom in Iran. #PeyvandNaimi #Bahai #Iran #HumanRights #ReligiousFreedom

Iran | News Bulletin #38-26 (19 October - 23 October 2026) PART 2 iranbahaipersecution.bic.org… #BahaiRights #IranWar‌