Sophie Scamps (Mackellar, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

The world has looked on in horror at the situation in Iran over recent months. Once again, the people of Iran have risen up to protest the brutal oppression and corruption of Iran's leader, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, only to be massacred in the streets by their own army. Tens of thousands of Iranian citizens have been murdered. Today I want to highlight the specific targeting and oppression of Baha'is in Iran. Mackellar has a vibrant Baha'i community, and we are proud to be home to a magnificent Baha'i temple—one of only eight in the world. However, in Iran, there has been relentless state sponsored persecution of Baha'is since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Baha'is have been denied recognition under the Iranian constitution and stripped of fundamental rights. Tragically, right now, Iranian authorities have once again undertaken a deliberate strategy of persecution against their Baha'i community, in order to divert attention from internal issues and to justify further coercive measures against the community. Accusations that Baha'is have orchestrated or participated in violence are not only false but fundamentally incompatible with Baha'i teachings. I stand with Australia's Baha'i community to demand that this cease and that the escalation of persecution of Baha'is stops immediately.

See this speech in context