On September 19th, The House of Repesentatives of the US Congress debated three resolutions concerning human rights in Iran. The resolutions are symbolic statements coinciding with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s address to the United Nations in New York.

One resolution directly condemns the repression of Iran’s Bahais by the government. Congressman Tom Lantos pointed to a deterioration of conditions for adherents to the Bahai faith in Iran over the past year. The resolution was overwhelmingly passed.

On 15th September the US Department of State released their “International Religious Freedom Report” for the year 2006, in Iran it reports “intensified negative campaigns against religious minorities – particularly the Baha’is – following the June 2005 election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.” The report also talks of the problems in Egypt where, it states, “members of religious groups that are not recognized by the Government, particularly the Baha’i Faith, experience personal and collective hardship.”

Sources:
VOA News – Congressional Critics Blast Iran on Human Rights
Austin American Statesman – McCaul blasts Iran in resolution

See also: The Growing Threat to Iran’s Bahá’ís