asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to a booklet entitled Persecution of the Ba-hai's in Iran; and the action he has taken regarding this religious minority and the systematic campaign to eliminate them which has taken and is taking place.
Written Answers. - Ba-hai's in Iran.
86.
A booklet entitled Persecution of the Ba-hai's in Iran, 1979-1986 has been drawn to my attention. Relevant recent material available to me includes a report on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran prepared by the Special Representative of the Commission on Human Rights for the current session of the UN General Assembly. That report indicates that by July 1988 a number of prominent Ba-hai's imprisoned because of their faith had been released or had their sentences reduced and that no new arrests had been reported since February 1988.
We are concerned at reports of continued infringments of human rights in Iran including persecution of members of the Ba-hai's faith. We follow closely the evolution of these matters and have pursued the question actively in the frame-work of European Political Co-operation, at the UN Human Rights Commission and at the UN General Assembly as well as in bilateral contacts with the Iranian authorities. We have supported all the resolutions presented at the UN on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Reference is regularly made in these resolutions to the situation of minority groups such as the Ba-hai's. Together with a majority of our partners in the Twelve, we have on several occasions and consistently since 1986 co-sponsored these resolutions. The admission in 1986 of a number of Iranian Ba-hai refugees to this country was a practical manifestation of our humanitarian concern. We will continue to follow closely developments relating to the Ba-hai community in Iran and to make known our concern as appropriate.