government memorandum24 obtained in 1993 by the UN Special Representative on the Human Rights Situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran. 25 Produced in 1991 by Iran’s Supreme Revolutionary Cultural Council and approved by the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, this document, entitled ‘The Bahá’í Question’, sets forth specific guidelines for dealing with the Bahá’ís. It states that “[t]he government’s dealings with [Bahá’ís] must be in such a way that their progress and development are blocked”. The document outlines a series of measures to restrict the educational, economic, and cultural life of Iranian Bahá’ís. This memorandum remains in effect as of today. 26 On 29 August 1983, the Iranian Attorney General announced a legal ban on all Bahá’í administrative and community activities in Iran, making membership of Bahá’í administrative institutions a criminal offence, 27 this ban remains in effect today. This ban was announced in a statement by the Attorney General, published in the newspaper Kayhan on 29 August 1983; translated excerpt from statement reads as follows: “Now, if a Bahá’í himself performs his religious acts in accordance with his own beliefs, such a man will not be bothered by us, provided he does not invite others to Bahaism, does not teach, does not form assemblies, does not give news to others, and has nothing to do with the administration. Not only do we not execute such people, we do not even imprison them, and they can work within society. If, however, they decide to work within their administration, this is a criminal act and is forbidden, the reason being that such administration is considered to be hostile and conspiratorial and such people are conspirators.”28 Although the Government affirmed that the Bahá’ís had not been singled out for discrimination,29 the memorandum and the ban remain 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.” 30 The hostile behaviour of the state towards members of the Bahá’í faith may well amount to intimidation and coercion to renounce or convert from the Bahá’í faith and therefore impairs their freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief. While Iranian law theoretically forbids the investigation of individual beliefs, discrimination in access to employment is institutionalized through the practice of gozinesh, a mandatory screening process that anyone seeking employment in the public sector must 24 HRANA: <https://www.en-hrana.org/category/religious-minorities > HRANA: <https://www.en-hrana.org/category/religious-minorities > 26 Bahá’í International Community: <https://www.bic.org/sites/default/files/pdf/iran/the_bahais_of_iran__a_persecuted_community.pdf > 27 Bahá’í International Community: <https://www.bic.org/sites/default/files/pdf/iran/the_bahais_of_iran__a_persecuted_community.pdf > 28 Bahá’í 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, https://www.bic.org/sites/default/files/pdf/iran/the_bahais_of_iran__a_persecuted_community.pdf 25 4