{"id":1349,"date":"2016-12-07T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-12-07T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/news\/prominent-australian-journalist-launches-human-rights-publication\/"},"modified":"2017-10-14T04:52:07","modified_gmt":"2017-10-14T04:52:07","slug":"prominent-australian-journalist-launches-human-rights-publication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/prominent-australian-journalist-launches-human-rights-publication\/","title":{"rendered":"Prominent Australian journalist launches human rights publication"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Prominent
Panel members (left to right): Kambiz Ahadizadeh, Nika Fahandezhsaadi, John Cleary, Fariborz Moshirian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Discussion about Iran is vitally important for those concerned about human rights, freedom of religion and a just world, journalist John Cleary said at a reception after a Human Rights Day service at the Baha\u2019i Temple in Sydney on 4 December 2016.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The prominent ABC radio presenter made his comment while chairing a panel discussion at the Australian launch of a publication, \u201cThe Baha\u2019i Question: Persecution and Resilience in Iran\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mr Cleary said the launch of the Baha\u2019i International Community\u2019s publication was \u201cvery important\u201d and that it was also relevant to the wider world society where there is a retreat from human rights.<\/p>\n

One of the panelists, Nika Fahandezhsaadi, a Baha\u2019i graduate student recently arrived in Australia from Iran, described how her sister had been arrested three times in the past five years because she was a member of the Baha\u2019i Faith and now faced a five-year prison sentence, which is currently in the process of appeal.<\/p>\n

Her brother-in-law had his business closed by the authorities, her father had been sacked from his job and had his house deliberately torched, and she herself had been persecuted at school, all because they are Baha\u2019is.<\/p>\n

Another panelist, lawyer Kambiz Ahadizadeh, said the evidence was clear of an official widespread, systematic persecution of the Baha\u2019is of Iran.<\/p>\n

\u201c As the [Baha\u2019i Question] report indicates, since the start of Mr Rohani\u2019s term of presidency, there have been some 20,000 items of religious incitement and hatred in Iranian media, which by the way are mostly controlled by the Government,\u201d Mr Ahadizadeh said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere have been a number of cemeteries desecrated, there are a number of murders that have gone on without any kind of legal redress, there have been people beaten, intimidated, there have been businesses closed down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also on the panel was Professor Fariborz Moshirian, a global finance specialist at the University of New South Wales, who said human rights law requires people to have access to education, and to business opportunity.<\/p>\n

Professor Moshirian cited as abuses of that law the ban on Baha\u2019is in Iran attending university and a systematic policy of eroding the capacity of Baha\u2019is to run businesses.<\/p>\n

Those persecuting the Baha\u2019is claim any religion that came after Islam is not a religion and so its members are not part of Iran\u2019s society, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the strategy is to go beyond persecution of people who are Baha\u2019i leaders, of Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00eds who are active.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are trying to target the education system, and they are targeting now the economic and business side.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the purpose of all of that is, they argue that we create an environment where Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00eds have no choice but to leave this country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Members of the Baha\u2019i Faith, an independent world religion recognised worldwide and at the United Nations, are known for their adherence to the Faith\u2019s principles of obedience to the law of their respective countries and non-involvement in partisan politics.<\/p>\n

Successive Australian foreign ministers have condemned the persecution of Baha\u2019is in Iran, as has the United Nations General Assembly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Discussion about Iran is vitally important for those concerned about human rights, freedom of religion and a just world, journalist John Cleary said at a reception after a Human Rights Day service at the Baha\u2019i Temple in Sydney on 4 December 2016.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-media-releases","category-uncategorised"],"yoast_head":"\nProminent Australian journalist launches human rights publication - Australian Baha'i Community<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/prominent-australian-journalist-launches-human-rights-publication\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Prominent Australian journalist launches human rights publication - 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