The business of a Baha’i citizen identified as Payam Wali was closed down more than 10 years ago by government institutions. Mr. Wali’s attempts at opening his business again by taking his case to the appeals court, the Supreme Court, and other government agencies over the past 10 years has been futile and the business of this citizens who lives in Nazar Abadi is still shut down.
During the last few days, his request according to article 79 of the Administrative Justice Court to investigate the ten-year closure was dismissed by the head of the court.
The Baha’i religious community as a whole is effectively an illegal group, albeit in an unofficial fashion. Unlike Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism, the Baha’i faith is not recognized in the Iranian Constitution, but Iranian officials regularly deny a policy of persecution. Nevertheless, the existence of such a policy is well established and can be corroborated with reference to repeated calls by the Supreme Leader and other authorities to combat ‘false beliefs’ in 2011 which have led to an increase in religious persecution.
According to Asma Jahangir, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, discrimination against Baha’is is legally sanctioned by a lack of constitutional recognition. “Baha’is continue to be systematically discriminated, targeted, and deprived of the right to a livelihood,” Jahangiri said in her March 6 report.
