Growing concern over the demolition of Baha'i homes in Roshankouh village due to government pressure
Following the actions of government institutions to "evict" and "erase" dozens of houses and properties belonging to Baha'is in the village of Roshankouh, Mazandaran, concerns have risen about the recurrence of incidents like what happened in the village of Ayol.
According to reports received by the Persian service of the Voice of America, following the selection of this Baha'i village for the implementation of the Hadi project, the Natural Resources Department affiliated with the Rangelands and Forests Organization demanded the owners to expropriate these lands and properties, claiming that these lands and properties were previously part of forest lands.
The court ruled in favor of the Department of Natural Resources at this stage and issued an order to expropriate and demolish residential homes and other properties.
This is while the HRANA website, which publishes Iranian human rights news, had previously written in a report that the lands in question were natural resources and had been in the possession of their owners for more than 70 years and were not forest lands.
In parallel with the actions of the Natural Resources Department, the Agricultural Jihad Department also filed a lawsuit against the owners of 19 residential houses in another part of the village, and these cases are also under review in the Kiasar court.
It is also said that other cases have been opened by other institutions against some owners in other parts of Roshankouh.
These events, along with other actions by government agencies against Baha'is, have increased concerns about a repeat of incidents like the one that occurred in the village of Ayol in Mazandaran Province in 2010.
Some news websites reported that in July of that year, several loaders demolished about 50 Baha'i homes in the village of Ayul. Baha'i families had previously been expelled from the village but were returning to the village to gather crops.
In recent months, there have been numerous reports of arrests, deprivation of education, and attacks on Baha'i shops in Iran, indicating that pressure on Baha'is in Iran continues.
The United States government has strongly condemned the Islamic Republic's pressure on religious minorities, including the Baha'is. In his July 21 speech to Iranians living in the United States, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized the threats and pressure against minorities, saying that minorities, such as the Baha'is and other religions and beliefs, are being suppressed in Iran and fear that their every prayer will be their last.
The US State Department, in its annual International Religious Freedom Report on the Status of Baha'is in Iran, wrote that Baha'is are the most severely persecuted religious minorities in Iran. The government does not recognize them and has deprived them of their political, economic, cultural, and religious rights.
According to the same report, over a thousand Baha'is have been arbitrarily arrested over the past ten years.
Source: Voice of America
