community reported the denial of public sector jobs through the application of gozinesh
requirements. 23 24
Reports have shown that religious minorities in the Islamic Republic of Iran face human rights
violations such as arbitrary deprivation of life and extrajudicial executions, a disproportionate
number of executions on national security-related charges; arbitrary arrests and detention in
connection with range of peaceful activities, incitement to hatred, forced closure of businesses
and discriminatory practices and denial of employment and restrictions on access to education
and other basic services.25 A new rule proclaimed in January 2020, will only allow citizens to
register as one of the country’s recognized religions to the state-issued National Identity Card—
which is required for almost all government and other transactions. 26
The state’s discriminatory practices have been targeting members of the Baha’i faith. In 1991,
the Government institutionalized a policy against Baha’í citizens in a memorandum entitled ‘The
Baha’í Question’, produced by Iran’s Supreme Revolutionary Cultural Council and approved by
the Supreme Leader. The document outlines a series of measures aiming at restricting Iranian
Baha’ís access to education, economic and cultural life. Although the Government affirmed that
the Baha’is had not been singled out for discrimination,27 the document remains in force today.
On 26 March 2018, the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei issued, via his website, a new religious
decree (fatwa) concerning “association and dealing with Baha’ís”. He stated that, “[y]ou should
avoid any association and dealings with this perverse and misguided sect.”28 Baha’is face
systematic discriminations in all aspects of their lives in the Islamic Republic of Iran. 29 30 31
With regard to apostasy, in a previous draft of the Islamic Penal Code (2013), Article 225 was
aiming at making death penalty mandatory for convicted male apostates, or the crime of ertedad
(apostasy). The draft article was withdrawn before the adoption of the revised Islamic Penal
Code in 2013 and Iranian law does not expressly criminalize conversion from Islam to another
religion32. However, under Article 220 of the Islamic Penal Code and Article 167 of the Iranian
23
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 18 July 2019,
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N19/222/62/PDF/N1922262.pdf?OpenElement
24
Center for Human Rights in Iran, www.iranhumanrights.org/2017/05/most-yarsani-religious-minority-candidates-disqualifiedfrom-irans-2017-councils-elections/
25
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 18 July 2019,
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N19/222/62/PDF/N1922262.pdf?OpenElement
26
Center for Human Rights in Iran, https://www.iranhumanrights.org/2020/01/bahais-unrecognized-minorities-in-iran-must-nowhide-religion-to-obtain-government-id/
27
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 18 July 2019,
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N19/222/62/PDF/N1922262.pdf?OpenElement
28
Baha’i International Community, https://www.bic.org/sites/default/files/pdf/iran/the_bahais_of_iran__a_persecuted_community.pdf
29
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 18 July 2019,
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N19/222/62/PDF/N1922262.pdf?OpenElement
30
Baha’i International Community www.bic.org/sites/default/files/pdf/iran/overview_of_persecution-0119_2.pdf
31
Baha’i International Community, https://www.bic.org/focus-areas/situation-iranian-bahais/current-situation
32
Joint submission to the Human Rights Committee from All Human Rights for All in Iran, Association for Human Rights in
Kurdistan – Geneva, Association for the Human Rights of the Azerbaijani People in Iran, Iran Human Rights Documentation
Center, OutRight International, Siamak Pourzand Foundation, Small Media, Impact Iran, 2020,
<https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CCPR/Shared%20Documents/IRN/INT_CCPR_NGO_IRN_42317_E.pdf>
4