Growing Concerns Over Destruction of Bahai Homes in Roshnkuh Village Under Government Pressure
Following government institutions’ actions to “dispossess” and “demolish” dozens of homes and properties belonging to Bahais in Roshnkuh village, Mazandaran, concerns have intensified about a repeat of events similar to what occurred in Eyvol village.
According to reports received by the Farsi section of Voice of America, following the selection of this Bahai-populated village for the implementation of the Hadi development plan, the Natural Resources Department affiliated with the Organization of Forests and Rangelands demanded the dispossession of landowners from these lands and properties, claiming that these lands and properties were previously part of forest lands.
The court ruled in favor of the Natural Resources Department at this stage and issued a ruling for the dispossession and demolition of residential units and other properties.
This is while previously, the Hrana website, which publishes reports on Iranian human rights, had written in a report that the lands in question have been in the possession of their owners for over 70 years and were not forest lands.
Parallel to the actions of the Natural Resources Department, the Agricultural Jihad Organization has also filed a lawsuit against the owners of 19 residential units in another part of the village, and these cases are also under review in the Kiyasar court.
It is also reported that other cases have been opened by other institutions regarding some property owners in other sections of Roshnkuh.
These incidents, coinciding with other actions by government agencies against Bahais, have intensified concerns about a repeat of events similar to what occurred in 2010 in Eyvol village in Mazandaran Province.
Reports from some news websites indicated that in June of that year, several bulldozers demolished approximately 50 homes belonging to Bahais in Eyvol village. Bahai families had previously been expelled from this village but would return to collect their crops.
In recent months, numerous reports have been published of arrests, educational restrictions, and attacks on Bahai-owned shops in Iran, indicating that pressure on Bahais in Iran continues.
The United States government has strongly condemned the Islamic Republic’s pressures on religious minorities, including Bahais. Mike Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of State, in his speech on July 22, among Iranian Americans, while criticizing threats and pressure against minorities, said that minorities like Bahais and other religions and beliefs are oppressed in Iran and they fear that every prayer of theirs might be their last.
The U.S. Department of State, in its annual International Religious Freedom Report regarding the situation of Bahais in Iran, wrote that Bahais face more severe government persecution than any other religious minority in Iran, the government does not recognize them, and has deprived them of their political, economic, cultural, and religious rights.
Based on this report, over the past ten years, more than a thousand Bahais have been arbitrarily arrested.
Source: Voice of America
