USCIRF Urges US Government To Support Iranian Protesters

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) urged the US government to assist Iranians amid worsening crackdowns on minorities and dissidents.

In its annual report, the USCIRF stated in Iran, “officials systematically harassed, arrested, detained, sexually assaulted, raped, and tortured protesters, including minors.”

The USCIRF also emphasized the increased enforcement of compulsory hijab laws throughout 2023, along with increased surveillance and secret funding of a morality patrol to “harass uncovered women.”

“In 2023, religious freedom conditions in Iran remained extremely poor. Protests against mandatory hijab laws and other restrictions on freedom of religion or belief continued despite security forces’ violent repression … During the year, Iran executed at least eight protesters on religiously grounded charges,” read the commission’s 2024 annual report.

The report comes amid a crackdown on women from last month under the regime’s new initiative called Nour which has since seen social media flooded with footage of morality police using violence against women rebelling against the hijab, with allegations of police extortion, theft, and harassment prevalent. 

Additionally, the report mentions the regime's suppression of religious minority groups, including Sunni Muslims and Baha'is. The latter lacks recognition as a legitimate religion by Iran's Shiite clerical regime, resulting in systematic and longstanding violations of Baha'is' rights in the country where only Islam, Judaism and Christianity are legally recognized religions.

“In 2023, authorities conducted individual and mass arrests of Baha’is across Iran, taking them to undisclosed locations and imposing excessively long prison sentences. Iranian security officials beat and brutalized Baha’is during raids and searches of private homes,” the report added.

It is estimated that there are approximately 300,000 Baha'is in Iran, one of the most persecuted minorities in the country. Harassment, forced displacement from residences and businesses, and unequal treatment in government employment and higher education are some of the challenges the group faces in the midst of the country's already deepening economic crisis.

USCIRF also pointed out that Iran's government continues to impose repressive policies abroad, including harassment of religious dissidents and targeting of Jewish sites. The report mentions three instances in Greece, Cyprus, and Brazil last year where the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) planned to attack Israeli targets.