91998E2778

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2778/98

by Johanna Maij-Weggen (PPE) to the Commission

(14 September 1998)

Subject: The execution by hanging of Mr Ruhu'llah Rawhani in Iran

Is the Commission aware that Mr Ruhu'llah Rawhani was hanged on 21 July in Mashad in Iran on the grounds of having converted a young woman to the Bahá'i religion?

Is the Commission aware that this charge has been refuted by the young woman herself, who has apparently stated that her mother was a Bahá'i and that she herself was raised as a Bahá'i, and is the Commission aware that the young woman herself has not been detained?

Is the Commission aware that Mr Rawhani was denied all visits after his detention, that he was refused legal assistance and that all the indications are that he did not have a proper trial and that no sentence was formally pronounced against him?

Is the Commission aware that no Bahá'is have been executed since 1992 and that there are a further 15 Bahá'is in prison, four of whom have also been sentenced to death?

Will the Commission ask the Iranian government for clarification of the execution of Mr Rawhani and of the fate of the 15 other Bahá'is in prison?

Answer given by Mr Marín on behalf of the Commission

(22 October 1998)

The Commission regrets the execution of Mr Ruhu'llah Rawhani in Mashad, Iran, on 21 July 1998. A Troika demarche to the Iranian government in Teheran was made on this matter on 5 August 1998.

The Commission has no delegation in Teheran and has no first-hand information on the circumstances surrounding the trial and sentence of Mr Rawhani. The Iranian authorities maintain that he was provided with legal assistance throughout his trial and that he was not sentenced to death because of his religious beliefs since, although not recognised as a religious minority, Baha'i members are free to practise Bahai'sm as long as their activities do not endanger Iran's national security. The Iranian authorities also maintain that Mr Rawhani was judged and condemned previously in 1984 and 1985 for crimes against state security.

The Commission is aware that three other members of Iran's Baha'i community (Mr Ataullah Hamid Nasirizadih, Mr Sirus Dhabihi Muqaddam, and Mr Hidayat Kashifi Najafabadi) are imprisoned and also face the death sentence. The Commission, in coordination with Member States, is very concerned by these cases and will continue to keep the human rights situation in Iran under close and careful review.