Continuous human rights abuses in Iran have urged another series of debates in the Senate of Canada. The latest inquiry was initiated by Senator Frum on 7 February 2012, followed by two sessions on 15 and 16 February 2012. Reference to Baha’i prisoners of conscience was made by Senators Ataullahjan, Finley, Mockler, MacDonald, Dallaire and Chaput.
For complete speeches on the human rights situation in Iran, please click on the following: 7 February 2012, 15 February 2012, and 16 February 2012.
Referring to “unlawfully held” prisoners, Senator Frum in her remarks noted that “currently three Canadians [are] being held in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison, a grotesquely cruel and inhumane chamber of horrors. Like so many other innocent victims of the Iranian regime, these men have been subjected to beatings, physical and psychological torture and the denial of medical treatment in jail. They have been denied the right to a free and fair trial, and their lives are in grave danger.”
She emphasized that the case of Saeed Malekpour – a Canadian-Iranian Baha’i who was sentenced to death in 2010 – must be dealt with “greatest urgency” as “he lives each day with the prospect of imminent execution.”
“The Islamic Republic of Iran,” Senator Frum continued, “has the distinction of holding the world’s highest record for public hangings and executions” that “are typically carried out in an especially cruel and sadistic manner. Systematic arrests, lengthy imprisonments and torture are regular occurrences in Iran. Human rights activists and members of ethnic minority groups are among the regime’s favourite targets.”
Senator Jaffer, who in December 2011 had made a statement about the persecution of Baha’i educators in Iran, joined her colleague to speak about systematic unjust persecution and detention of “prisoners of conscience” in “unspeakable conditions”.
“From arrests without warrant to the courts’ refusal to issue written judgment,” she said, “ the legal process makes a mockery of justice. Prisoners are held in crowded conditions, lacking adequate sanitation, daylight, clean water, exercise and fresh air, and also may be denied access to the necessary level of medical care.”
“Some have no beds and must sleep on concrete floors. Prisoners who complain about the conditions are beaten. Routinely, prisoners are separated from their parents, spouses and/or children by a glass partition during their infrequent and very short family visits.”Recalling her own experience in Uganda when her husband was brutally taken from their home, Senator Jaffer drew a parallel with arrests and the constant fear of being unjustifiably arrested in Iran. She addressed the Senate:
“Honourable senators, I stand before you to state that there is no fear worse in this world than the knock of authorities who come to take your loved ones — loved ones who want to change conditions of their citizens.”
Senator Dallaire extensively spoke about the continuous persecution of the Baha’is of Iran, who “live under the heavy boot of tyranny.”
“We here are not unfamiliar with the oppression of the Baha’is in Iran. We know, thanks in part to the inquiry of Senator Jaffer last year, that its members have historically suffered discrimination, including the denial of employment, the denial of higher education, and a long-standing media campaign of vilification, an item I will expand upon later. The Baha’is have been and continue to be subjected to brutal raids, arbitrary arrests and torture. Most alarming is the exponential level of incarceration rates among this group.”
He stressed that the Iranian regime’s strategy to demonize the Baha’is through media will put 300,000 members of the Baha’i community of Iran “in danger of extermination”.
“This is the same strategy that has been used many times by repressive societies determined to eliminate an enemy population, a population that they consider subversive. History has shown that the incessant and systematic repetition of lies and the creation of myths can instill hatred in the majority and that this hatred can translate into violence against a visible minority. Rwanda is just one example where this concept was put into practice; Darfur is another, where this is still happening.”
In her address to the Senate, Senator Chaput praised the courage of the Baha’i community of Iran to peacefully endure their persecution.
“This peaceful community,” she said, “has been persecuted since its earliest days in Iran; lately, however, the persecution looks more like an official state-orchestrated policy.” She referred to the 1993 memorandum that still serves as the key persecution policy of the Baha’is.
“The memorandum provides explicit instructions designed to impede the progress and development of the Baha’i community. This includes officially prohibiting all members of this community from accessing higher education and certain types of employment. People are therefore being denied admission to university simply because they belong to a specific community. This discriminatory policy is systematically applied by the Iranian authorities.”
In their concluding remarks, the senators called for immediate release of all “unlawfully incarcerated prisoners of conscience” that includes more than 100 Baha’is.