Subscribe to Bahá’í News UK
Oct
9
Bahá’ís welcome Miliband’s condemnation of Iran’s draft penal code
Filed Under Human Rights, Iran, Parliamentary | Leave a Comment
The UK Bahá’í community has welcomed a statement by the Foreign Secretary condemning a draft bill currently under discussion in Iran’s Parliament which would make apostasy a capital offence.
The Rt Hon David Miliband MP said he deplored the way in which the Iranian Parliament is “now discussing a draft penal code that would set out a mandatory death sentence for the ‘crime’ of apostasy.”
“Mr Miliband’s statement is timely and of great assistance to the Bahá’ís and other religious minorities in Iran,” said Robert Weinberg, Secretary for External Affairs for the UK Bahá’í community. “We concur with the Foreign Secretary that this legislation would, if adopted, violate the right to freedom of religion and belief as enshrined in international human rights law, to which Iran is a signatory.”
Mr Miliband’s views have also been welcomed by the human rights group, Christian Solidarity Worldwide. Its National Director Stuart Windsor said, “We welcome the Foreign Secretary’s strong stance on Iran’s recent human rights record and particularly his comment on the nature of the draft bill. Such legislation, if passed, will almost certainly hold grave consequences for Christians and Bahá’ís in Iran.”
Technorati Tags: Iran, Baha’i, bahai, Miliband, persecution, apostasy, human rights