President Biden Sends Greeting To Those Celebrating Nowruz

Yesterday the White House issued a statement (full text) from President Biden and the First Lady extending best wishes to everyone celebrating Nowruz across the United States and around the world. Nowruz is the Persian New Year, celebrated in the Middle East, Central and South Asia, the Caucasus and parts of Europe. The Statement says in part:

This year, Nowruz comes at a difficult time for many families, when hope is needed more than ever—including for the women of Iran who are fighting for their human rights and fundamental freedoms. The United States will continue to stand with them, and all the citizens of Iran who are inspiring the world with their conviction and courage. And together with our partners, we will continue to hold Iranian officials accountable for their attacks against their people.

U.N. Appoints Oxford Prof As Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief

At the end of its 50th annual session on July 8, the United Nations Human Rights Council appointed Nazila Ghanea as Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief (press release). Ghanea is Professor of International Human Rights Law and Director of International Human Rights Programs at Britain's Oxford University (biography). Her research has included a focus on religious minorities in the Middle East, including Bahá'is in Iran. The United Nations press release announcing Ghanea's selection lists her nationality as Islamic Republic of Iran. 

Bidens Extend Greetings For Nowruz

Yesterday, President Biden and Jill Biden issued a statement extending New Years greetings for Nowruz. The Statement (full text) reads in part:

Jill and I extend our best wishes to all who are celebrating Nowruz in the United States and around the world today — including in Iran and across the Middle East, in Central and South Asia, in the Caucuses, and in Europe....

That spirit of new beginnings and the joy of Nowruz is reflected in our own Haft-Sin table at the White House, representing our hopes for the new year.

New Pressure On Baha'is In Iran Revealed

In a March 9 press release, the International Federation for Human Rights reported on a recently discovered set of minutes (full text in English translation) of a September 2020 meeting in the city of Sari, Iran of the Commission on Ethnicities, Sects and Religions. The minutes reflect decisions to increase pressure on Baha'is in the city.  A resolution adopted at the meeting provides in part:

To control the misguided movements of the subversive Baha’i sect, it was decided:

A- The intelligence, security and law enforcement community should conduct strict controls at the county level by monitoring their operations, the type of services provided to the networks and websites of enemies, private and public meetings, and their other activities....

B- Departments of Education in Districts 1 and 2 of Sari shall increase the level of alertness and awareness among school principals and educators on their handling of Baha’i students in order to win them to Islam.

British Tribunal Denies Asylum To Disingenuous Iranian Convert To Christianity

Britain's appellate court that reviews decisions on visa and asylum applications and the right to enter or stay in the UK-- the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber-- has recently issued an interesting decision on how to treat a citizen of Iran who disingenuously converts from Islam to Christianity in Britain in order to create a basis for an asylum claim. In PS (Iran) v. Secretary of State for the Home Department, (UKUT IAC, Feb. 20, 2020), the court concluded that such aperson does not run a real risk of persecution upon return to Iran, and therefore is not entitled to asylum in the UK. the court said in part:

PS has been out of Iran since 2013; he has claimed asylum on at least two occasions, variously asserting fear as a result of being caught up in the green movement protests, ‘honour’ based violence and latterly on the basis that he had converted to Christianity; he attended church between May 2015 and sometime in 2016 and was baptised after he had been going to that church for about two weeks; he has no known contact with the authorities prior to leaving Iran; he has no known connection with any persons of interest, nor any adverse social media content to be concerned about. He has no known connection with any organisation which could be connected by the Iranian government to the house church movement.  He may be asked to sign an undertaking promising that he will not undertake any Christian activities. There is no reason why PS would refuse. We find that he is likely to be judged to present a negligible risk to the security of Iran. He will be released fairly quickly and we are not satisfied that there is any risk of ill-treatment. PS may be placed under surveillance. Once the authorities are satisfied that he is not attending house church or attempting to contact known Christians he will be of no further interest to the authorities.  Accordingly, we find that PS does not face a real risk of persecution upon return to Iran and his appeal is dismissed. 

The Tribunal also issued a new Country Guidance based on this case. Law & Religion UK reports on the case at greater length.

A Few Iranian Christian Refugees Admitted To U.S.; Many Others Await Visas

NBC News reports that U.S. authorities have recently allowed about a dozen Armenian Christian refugees from Iran admission under the Lautenberg-Specter law that provides for visas for persecuted religious minorities from the former Soviet Union and Iran.  The refugees were admitted after a federal judge last July ordered the Department of Homeland Security to provide the reasons for denial of applications from 87 Iranian refugees waiting in Vienna for their visas to be processed. (See prior posting.) NBC reports in part:

Under Trump, the Lautenberg-Specter program has virtually ground to a halt for Iranians. The program includes what used to be a short processing stay in Vienna, but more than 70 Iranian applicants, mostly Christians, have been stuck in Austria for more than two years, their lawyers said. In the past, applicants would be granted U.S. visas after a period of few months in Austria, according to the lawyers and former U.S. officials.

Applicants in Ukraine and other former Soviet states have been admitted without major delays, humanitarian groups said....

 "The increased denial rate was not due to the president’s executive orders but to changes in vetting implemented in 2016," the [State Department] spokesperson said in an email, adding that new applications were still being accepted....

The number of Christian refugees admitted to the United States declined by about 36 percent in fiscal year 2018 compared to the previous year.... The drop is part of a broader decline in overall refugee admissions.

Dramatic Slowdown In Approval of Refugee Status For Iranian Christians

Yesterday's Los Angeles Times reports on the massive slowdown in U.S. approvals of refugee status for Iranian Christians and other Iranian religious minorities (such as Mandaeans) who are applying under the Lautenberg-Specter program. The slowdown began in late 2016. In the first quarter of fiscal 2018, only 29 Iranians were admitted under the program, compared to 1,061 in the first quarter of 2017.  Under the program, refugees with a U.S. sponsor travel to Vienna where they typically have encountered only a 3 to 6 month wait. the State Department says the slowdown stems from enhanced security check procedures apparently instituted under the Obama administration.  In July in Doe v. Nielsen, (ND CA, July 10, 2018), a California federal district court ordered the Department of Homeland Security to provide the reasons for denial of their applications to 87 Iranian refugees in Austria.

Scottish Appeals Court Says Government Did Not Adequately Consider Refugees' Claim of Conversion To Christianity

In TF and MA v. Secretary of State for the Home Department, (Scot. Ct. Sess., Aug. 30, 2018), Scotland's Inner House, Court of Session, held that the Secretary of State and appellate tribunals had failed to adequately consider certain evidence that Iranian asylum seekers had genuinely converted to Christianity after leaving Iran. All the parties agreed that individuals who converted from Islam to Christianity face a risk of persecution of forced to return to Iran. At issue however was:

the status of evidence from church leaders (or others holding positions of responsibility within a church) about the conduct of a person who has begun the process of admission into the church and as to the sincerity of his conversion to Christianity; as to the weight to be given to such evidence; and whether the usefulness of such evidence as a guide to the genuineness of the sur place conversion is undermined by findings that, in relation to other matters, the appellant, the applicant for asylum, has given evidence which is untrue or unreliable and/or may be said to undermine his basic credibility.

Law & Religion UK has more on the decision.

USCIRF Criticizes Treatment of Iranian Christians Seeking US Asylum

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued a press release last week calling attention to some 100 Iranian Christians who have been waiting in Vienna for over a year seeking  asylum in the United States under the special provisions of the Lautenberg Amendment.  That law gives higher priority for refugee status to Iranian religious minorities, including Christians, Zoroastrians and Baha’is. USCIRF says that recent reports indicate these individuals have been denied asylum and could be returned to Iran where they may face discrimination or persecution.

Senate Condemns Iran's Persecution of Baha'is

Last week (Dec. 21), the United States Senate passed by unanimous consent Senate Resolution 139 condemning Iran's state-sponsored persecution of it Baha'i minority and, more broadly, Iran's continuing violation of international human rights covenants.  The U.S. Baha'i Office of Public Affairs issued a press release announcing the Senate's action and setting out additional background.

Iran's Supreme Leader Questions Saudi Control of Hajj

According to today's Jerusalem Post, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has questioned Saudi Arabia's continued control of the hajj  pilgrimage.  Last year over 2000 pilgrims, many of them Iranians, died in a crush of crowds outside Mecca. (See prior posting.) Iran is a regional rival of Saudi Arabia, and this year talks on arrangement for Iranians to make the hajj broke down.  No Iranians will attend this year. (See prior posting.)  A message on Khamenei's website reads:

Because of these (Saudi) rulers' oppressive behavior towards God's guests (pilgrims), the world of Islam must fundamentally reconsider the management of the two holy places and the issue of haj.

The hajj is projected to begin on September 9.

Iran Will Boycott This Year's Hajj

Reflecting continuing tension between the two countries, on Sunday Iran announced that it will not allow its citizens to travel to Saudi Arabia in September for the Hajj.  According to the New York Times, Iran blamed Saudi Arabia for lack of cooperation, while the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said an Iranian delegation refused to sign an agreement to resolve outstanding issues. The two countries had been at odds over transportation, security and procedures for issuing visas. (See prior posting.) Press TV quoted remarks by Iran's Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ali Jannati:

Given the way Saudi authorities treated Iranian delegates and talked to them during two rounds of negotiations as well as in view of their sabotage and obstacles they created, unfortunately Iranian pilgrims cannot go to Hajj this year.

Hundreds of Iranian pilgrims were killed in a stampede during last year's Hajj. (See prior posting.)

Saudis, Iran At Odds Over Hajj Arrangements This Year

AlJazeera reported yesterday that Iranian Muslims may miss out on the Hajj this September because Iran and Saudi Arabia have been unable to agree on organizational details.  The two countries are at odds over transportation, security and procedures for issuing of visas this year. Last year 464 Iranians were among the 2000 pilgrims killed in a stampede during the Hajj.  Iran insists that the Saudis issue visas inside Iran through the Swiss embassy (the two countries have severed relations), while the Saudis say Iranians should use an online system. Also Iran wants to split pilgrims between Saudi and Iranian airlines.

Iran's Rouhani Visits Italy; Religious Protocol Among Economic Talks

As reported by Al Jazeera, on Monday Iran's President Hassan Rouhani arrived in Italy to begin a four-day European trip that will also take him to France. The trip focuses mainly on renewing economic ties. International Business Times reports that some Italians are angered at their government's handling of Rouhani's tour of a famous Rome museum:

Rouhani toured the Musei Capitolini (Capitoline Museums) – which hosts a huge collection of artefacts from the ancient, medieval and renaissance periods – accompanied by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on 25 January.

However, the Iranian leader could not admire some of the museum's masterpieces, as all marbles depicting naked scenes had been carefully hid behind large white panels.

The vast censorship effort was reportedly implemented as a show of respect to the reformist president, out of fears that the exposed private parts of ancient Roman gods could offend Iranian sensitivity. Wine was also banned from official receptions.

VIS reports that Rouhani also met in the Vatican with Pope Francis:

During the cordial discussions, common spiritual values emerged and reference was made to the good state of relations between the Holy See and the Islamic Republic of Iran, the life of the Church in the country and the action of the Holy See to favour the promotion of the dignity of the human person and religious freedom.

Iran Says It Will Sue Saudis Over Hajj Deaths

According to the Straits Times, Iran's Attorney-General Ibrahim Raeesi yesterday said that his country will file a lawsuit in international legal bodies against Saudi Arabia over the death of at least 769 people in a stampede during the  Hajj pilgrimage last week. (See prior posting.)  Some 130 of the dead were pilgrims from Iran, and another 340 Iranian nationals remain missing. Iran says Saudi authorities had inadequate safety measures at the symbolic stoning of the devil ritual.  The Saudi's say the stampede was beyond human control.

First Lady Hosts Nowruz Reception

Yesterday, First Lady Michelle Obama hosted a reception in the East Room of the White House to mark Nowruz.  The holiday, with roots in Zoroastrianism, celebrates the start of the new year in the Persian calendar. In her remarks (full text), Mrs. Obama said in part:

I think it’s so fitting that we’re holding this celebration here today because one of my favorite things about the White House is how it is truly the People’s House –- a house that reflects the diversity of culture and traditions that make us who we are as a country.  And Nowruz is one of those traditions.

For more than 3,000 years, families and communities in the Middle East, Asia, and all around the world, including here in the United States, have celebrated this holiday to mark the renewal of the earth in springtime....

The GW Hatchet reports in more detail on the reception.

California Court Says Iranian Forum Would Discriminate Against Women and Non-Muslims

In Aghaian v. Minassian, (CA App., Feb. 17, 2015), a California state appellate court held that Iranian citizens living in the United States should not be required to litigate a dispute with other Iranian citizens over property in Iran in an Iranian court.  Reversing the trial court's forum non conveniens stay of the action in California, the appellate court said:

[T]he evidence is overwhelming that Iranian courts discriminate against women and non-Muslims. Among other things, Plaintiffs submitted evidence that the testimony of a woman counts for half the value of that of a man, and that women are not treated equally before the courts, particularly in personal status matters relating to marriage, divorce, inheritance, and child custody, and only men can serve as judicial officers.... [T]he judiciary in Iran is heavily influenced by religious authorities and ... the law requires the head of the judiciary as well as the prosecutor general and all Supreme Court judges to be high ranking clerics....

Two of the three Plaintiffs here are women and [plaintiffs] family members are not Muslim. Leaving aside whether Iranian courts are independent or corrupt, this is sufficient to show Iran is not a suitable alternative forum. This is the “rare circumstance” in which an alternative forum “provides no remedy at all.”

Los Angeles Metropolitan News-Enterprise reports on the decision.

Forfeited Iranian Charity's Building Will Be Sold; Iran Claims Religious Freedom Violation

On Thursday, the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York announced that the federal district court has approved a U.S. government settlement agreement (full text of stipulation) with holders of terrorism-related judgments against the Government of Iran.  The agreement among other things provides for the sale of a forfeited building in Manhattan. The building belonged to the Alavi Foundation and Bank Melli, which the court found acted as fronts for the government of Iran.  The court last year ordered forfeiture because of violations of the Iranian Transactions Regulations promulgated under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, and the federal money laundering statutes. In response, yesterday Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement claiming that "the New York branch of Alavi Fund is an independent charity fund in the United States which has no relation with Iran." It added that the court's verdict violates "the US commitments to respect and safeguard the religious freedom of its own citizens."

House Subcommittees Hold Hearing On Iran's Detention of American Pastor

On Dec.12, two subcommittees of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee held a joint hearing on "Iran’s Persecution of American Pastor Abedini Worsens."  The text of prepared statements and videos of the entire hearing are available on the Committee's website.