Dear Editor,
Your caption ‘Iran seeks mutual agenda to strengthen ties with Guyana’ (SN, January 18). I would like the people of the world and Guyana to know that the present regime in Iran is suppressing and brutalizing the Baha’i community even more since 1979.
Baha’i properties and places of worship are presently fire-bombed, and their children are targeted to be deprived of primary, secondary and university education, even though they are citizens of that nation. The revolutionary guards are every day in every district, town and village hunting down, arresting, harassing and imprisoning anyone who is a Baha’i. At present several prominent Baha’i (men and women) administrators are imprisoned in the infamous Evin prison. Some have already been sentenced to several years jail under harsh conditions. Some in past years were even hanged for teaching children.
The UN Secretary General, the EU, most countries’ leaders and international organizations have appealed to the authorities of Iran to hold its hand and not destroy the communities of these peaceful people. The Baha’i faith is an independent peaceful religion and is not a “misguided sect” in the slanderous words of some. It currently has a category one status in many of the non-political arms of the UN.
The Iranian Ambassador is welcome in our beautiful country, but he should please ask his government to stop killing and destroying the Baha’i community.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)
