Iarfhlaith Watson

Ireland's national broadcaster, RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, recently featured the situation of Bahá'ís in Iran in an interview with Professor Iarfhlaith Watson, a member of the Irish Bahá'í community. The interview drew attention to the ongoing persecution faced by Bahá'ís in Iran, including arrests, imprisonment, and systematic discrimination because of their religious beliefs. The conversation also highlighted growing international concern over the escalating repression targeting Bahá'ís and other vulnerable communities across the country. rte.ie/radio/rnag/clips/2261… #BahaiRights #Iran #HumanRights #Ireland

The dash on a Bahá'í ID card does not just signal a different faith—it triggers systematic exclusion. Bahá'ís report being denied employment, passed over for promotions, and blocked from educational opportunities because of what their ID reveals. The dash on an ID card should not determine a person's livelihood. #EgyptianBahaiRights

In an unexpected move, over 40 percent of Qatar’s Bahá’í population faces imminent expulsion from the country...Collectively, this is an unjustified and devastating escalation of the systematic discrimination against the Bahá’í community. Read the 30 April 2026 statement here: bic.org/news/sudden-expulsio…

في مصر، لا يُعترف قانوناً إلا بعقود الزواج المُبرمة وفقاً للشعائر الإسلامية أو المسيحية. وحتى عقود الزواج البهائية المسجَّلة في بلدان أخرى — بما في ذلك، في بعض الحالات، عبر السفارات المصرية — لا يُعترف بها داخل مصر. كما تنصّ المادة 134 من اللوائح الداخلية لمكتب الشهر العقاري، الصادرة بناءً على تعليمات وزارة الداخلية، على حظر تسجيل عقود الزواج المدني للبهائيين. ولا يُسمح في مصر بتسجيل عقود الزواج المدني المُبرمة في الخارج إلا إذا كان كلا الزوجين مُسجَّلين كمسلمين أو مسيحيين في بطاقات هويتهم. ويترتب على ذلك حرمان البهائيين من حقّ توثيق عقود الزواج المسجَّلة في الخارج، وإغلاق مسار كان بعض الأزواج قد لجأوا إليه سابقاً. ونتيجةً لذلك، لا يمكن تسجيل عقود الزواج البهائية قانوناً، ولا يُعترف بالأسر البهائية في إطار القانون. ولا يستطيع الوالدان إثبات علاقتهما الرسمية ببعضهما البعض أو بأطفالهما، الأمر الذي تترتب عليه آثار واسعة تشمل الميراث، وحضانة الأطفال، والمعاشات، وتصاريح الإقامة، وقدرة الأمهات المصريات على نقل الجنسية إلى أبنائهن. #حقوق_المصريين_البهائيين

The Bahá’í International Community expresses its profound concern and deep disappointment at a recent ruling by Egypt’s Court of Cassation which, in overturning a prior judgment in favour of an Egyptian Bahá’í couple married for more than 45 years, risks closing any legal pathway for Bahá’ís in Egypt to obtain state recognition of their marriages. Full statement in link: bic.org/news/bahai-internati… #EgyptianBahaiRights

Global leaders, cultural figures, and human rights advocates worldwide are calling for the release of tortured Bahá'í prisoners in Iran, Peyvand Naimi and Borna Naimi. Nobel laureates, parliamentarians, officials, and prominent global personalities have united behind the two young men as mounting international pressure builds on the Iranian government to free them. The cousins have been subjected to mock executions, electric shocks, solitary confinement, and other forms of torture aimed at forcing false confessions. bic.org/news/global-leaders-…. #BahaiRights #PeyvandNaimi #BornaNaimi #Iran

Peyvand Naimi, a young #Bahai in prison in #Iran, faces the threat of execution after enduring two mock hangings, prolonged torture and interrogation, as Iranian authorities attempt to force him to confess to crimes he did not commit. Our full story: bic.org/news/young-bahai-ira… #HumanRights

The @Europarl_EN Parliament this week “strongly condemned” the Islamic Republic of Iran’s violations against the Baha’i religious minority, denouncing over 45 years of “systematic persecution,” and urging European officials to forward the Parliament’s concerns to the Iranian government. The condemnation came through an unprecedented and historic urgency resolution—the Parliament’s newest standalone measure demonstrating its concern over the severity of the persecution facing the Baha’is. It was passed by 549 Members of European Parliament in an overwhelming display of cross-party unity. Our full story from @BahaiBIC_Europe: bic.org/news/historic-resolu… #Iran #Bahai #HumanRights Photo credit: ©️ European Union 2025 - Source : EP

Farhad Fahandej Arrested in Gorgan On Wednesday, 12 November 2025, Farhad Fahandej, a Baha’i living in Gorgan, was arrested by security forces and taken to an unknown location. At the time of his arrest, eight agents searched his residence and confiscated a number of personal belongings, including books and photographs. The agents only presented a search warrant to Mr. Fahandej, who was home alone at the time. His wife and children were later threatened and interrogated by the authorities when they returned home. The reason for the arrest, his whereabouts, and the nature of any charges against him remain unknown. Farhad Fahandej, born in 1959 in Torbat Heydariyeh, has previously faced arrest and legal actions related to his religious beliefs. #Bahai #Iran #Arrests #Imprisonments #FarhadFahandej

Thank you to @IrishMissionUN (Permanent Mission of Ireland to the @UN), for highlighting the continued discrimination of #Bahais in #Iran at the Third Committee of the #UNGA