In August 1980, all nine members of the First National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Iran and two of their colleagues were arrested and taken to a secret location by undercover agents where they were executed. There was no news published or broadcast about the arrests, harassment or subsequent execution of the Baha’i community manager. Credible and verified news was leaked and the details of the events remained veiled and hidden in the security layers of the Islamic Republic of Iran. My father, Dr. Kambiz Sadeghzadeh Millani, then 42 years old, was a member of that assembly, and I was 13 years old. More than 200 other Baha’i citizens were also executed in Iran in the first decade after the revolution.
The main point is that, in addition to the execution of Baha’is in the country (solely because of their religious beliefs), their human rights were frequently violated. This included being fired from all government positions and other public offices, and from jobs such as professors or school teachers. Many were denied their pensions and given long prison terms. Baha’i students were forced out of school.
None of these events were reflected in local media or publications abroad, and many human rights activists and media personalities, generally, were not allowed to bring up the problems and difficulties of the Baha’is in the perspective of human rights. The truth was that the blackmark against reporting or commenting about human rights violations against the Baha’i people prevented the media from bringing up these cases.
Human Rights Activists was the first human rights organization that published news about the violations of human rights of the Baha’i people in Iran. The history of these activists is known and hasbeen disclosed to all readers; a group of student activists were in prison because of civic efforts and activities and suffered heavy costs unjustly because of them. They decided to start a specialized human rights activity in Iran. Of course, informing the public is the key to success in this regard. The executive decision to report on the human rights violations against the Baha’is and Kurdish citizens was important because they have been so destructive. Reporting in an obviously correct way and without prejudices about the human rights of Baha’is, violations of civil rights and citizenship issues was unprecedented. This type of activism required the mindset of a new generation of Iranians who embrace human rights news regardless of former concerns and the poisonous atmosphere against the Baha’is.
Human Rights Activists, due to the repressive conditions in the country, incurred heavy costs and were victims of false accusations and media propaganda. This group of free-spirited youth, due to their commitment to addressing the civil rights of Baha’is, sparked anger and hatred from the security forces. HRA carried out research and analyses about religions to reflect the human rights violations of the Baha’i community in Iran. Such research is not suitable for publication currently because of the security environment in Iran; what deserves attention is that this type of activism required the rise of a new generation of Iranians. A generation that had driven prejudice against another and rejection of the dissident out of their minds.
Correct analysis regarding the rights of the Baha’is requires mentioning the important efforts of those who have been deprived of education. This important activity of sects at this critical moment in the Committee to Defend the Right of Education had several dimensions to it, and this article could not introduce all of them. But the sessions about the right to education were established in various cities by the presence of a range of education-deprived and civil society activists expressing the depth of human rights violations. The significant activity of sects that decided and acted without regard for their religious beliefs expressed the growth of the culture of Human Rights Activists towards a healthy way to bring up the violations of citizens’ rights and solidarity in a group work.
Human Rights Activists continues its positive and important activity with all the hardships, difficulties and tight security crackdowns against its members, and it deserves the attention and appreciation of all Iranians. Now different human rights groups on various levels publish human rights news, and all these organizations deserve the attention and appreciation of civil society and all Iranians. However, the initial core members of this important movement in Iran and outside of the country incurred serious penalties for themselves and their families because of their actions. Some have been displaced from their homes, some sentenced to long prison terms even though its members were completely innocent, and many others have died. All of them will have a place in history for their immense contribution to the enlightenment of the Iranian people, and the establishment of a culture of human rights in Iran.
