Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes the widespread and systematic campaign of persecution of Baha'is in Iran, with more than 110 Baha'is currently imprisoned due to their religious beliefs;

(2) condemns the treatment of Baha'is in Iran, which includes economic and educational discrimination, strict limits on the right to assemble and worship, as well as the threat of raids, arrests and detention or imprisonment;

(3) commends the recent resolution by the United Nations General Assembly in which it expressed its 'deep concern at serious ongoing and recurring human rights violations' in Iran; and

(4) calls for an end to the persecution of the Baha'is in Iran.

I rise today to move this motion concerning the widespread and systematic campaign of persecution of Baha'is in Iran, and I thank the member for Parkes for seconding it. This is of significant concern to the Baha'i community in my electorate of Canberra, and I am very pleased that so many of them could join us here today for this discussion on this motion.

The Baha'i faith is a peaceful faith that was founded over 150 years ago and has been present in Australia since 1920. According to the Australian Baha'i community, the faith's central theme is that humanity is one family and that the time has come for its unification into a peaceful global society. It advocates equality and it advocates education. There are more than five million followers around the world, and they come from all backgrounds and can be found in virtually every country on earth. Many can be found in my electorate of Canberra, as the ACT Baha'i centre is located in Weston.

The community here in Canberra began in 1951, and on 21 April 1957 the community became firmly established with the election of its first local spiritual assembly, a local governing council elected by Baha'is in every locality where there are nine or more members. The community here in Canberra has continued to grow steadily and contributes in many ways to the city. From the mid-1980s, the diversity of the community was enhanced by the arrival of Baha'i refugees from Iran, who settled in Canberra. Today the community is made up of individuals with a wide variety of cultural backgrounds, reflecting Canberra's multicultural diversity.

Since becoming the member for Canberra, I have been involved in a number of events organised by the Canberra Baha'i community. Just last month I attended a film screening of To Light a Candle, which looks at the situation in which the Baha'is in Iran find themselves. It was this event and also my ongoing history on this issue from my time in DFAT and the many conversations I have had that have prompted me to move this motion.

Iran has been actively persecuting Baha'is for the last 30 years, and in 2008 it imprisoned the entire governing body of Baha'is. Since the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, Baha'is have been systematically persecuted as a matter of government policy. During the first decade of this persecution, more than 200 Baha'is were killed or executed, hundreds more were tortured or imprisoned, and tens of thousands lost jobs, access to education and other rights—all solely because of their religious belief. Since 2005 more than 700 Baha'is have been arrested, and there are currently more than 100 imprisoned, including all seven members of a former leadership group serving the Baha'i community of Iran, as I mentioned earlier.

But the human rights violations do not stop there. Baha'is in Iran are also subjected to other types of persecution, including economic discrimination, strict limits on the right to assemble and worship, and the broadcasting of anti-Baha'i propaganda in the government-led media. Since 2005, more than 49 Baha'i-owned properties have been the target of arsonists, with not one person arrested, and then there was the terrible desecration of the cemetery in Shiraz last year.

One aspect of their persecution which speaks particularly strongly to me is the way they are denied access to higher education. Baha'is in Iran are prohibited from going to university and are blocked from entering many professions. This is a human rights violation of the worst kind, as Baha'is are relegated to a life of poverty, underdevelopment and oppression.

I join those around the world calling on Iran to abide by its international human rights obligations. I condemn the ongoing human rights violations in Iran and call upon the Islamic Republic of Iran to ensure that the rights of all individuals are fully protected without discrimination, and that it fulfils its obligations to its own citizens as set out in the Iranian Constitution. I also commend the UN General Assembly for recently approving a resolution expressing deep concern about serious, ongoing and recurring human rights violations in Iran.

It is encouraging to see Iran engaging more actively with the West and normalising its relationship with the West. It is encouraging too to see President Rouhani's push for reform and call to end international isolation. As part of its reform and as part of its engagement with the West, I call on Iran to put an end to the widespread and systematic persecution of Baha'is. I am pleased to see that so many of my colleagues have joined me in this motion calling for an end to the persecution of the Baha'is in Iran.

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