IRFN (Jan. 31-Feb. 5): Iran Considers Death Penalty for Apostasy

Feb 5, 2008

International Religious Freedom Archive
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1. Iran: Officials Find New Ways to Bar Bahá'ís From Universities
2. Kyrgyzstan: Decree May Outlaw Smaller Religious Communities
3. China: Protestants Beaten Following Raid on Private Home
4. Malaysia: Customs Officials Confiscate Bibles
5. Iran: Parliament Considers Death Penalty for Apostasy
6. Indonesia: Ahmadi Muslims Monitored Following Official Request
 

Features: The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion and Belief, Asma Jahangir, speaks about difficulties facing religious communities and individuals in Israel and the Gaza Strip. From the UN News Centre.

Chinese authorities continue to restrict Tibetan Buddhism ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, banning monks from conducting prayers in temples or private homes, constructing new stupas or visiting existing ones, and engaging in various activities that are central to the religion. From Radio Free Asia.

1. Iran: Officials Find New Ways to Bar Bahá'ís From Universities
TEHRAN - Iranian universities have found a new way to prevent Bahá'í students from enrolling without attracting negative attention from the international community, Bahá'í World News Service reported Jan. 31. Nearly 800 out of more than 1,000 Bahá'í students who sat for the university entrance exams last June have been told their examination files are "incomplete" and therefore cannot be reviewed by universities, barring them from access to higher education.

2. Kyrgyzstan: Decree May Outlaw Smaller Religious Communities
BISHKEK - A proposed presidential decree could ban many of Kyrgyzstan's smaller religious communities, according to a Forum 18 report Jan. 31. If declared, reported regulations stipulate that every religious community must be registered and have a membership of at least 200 adult citizen members. Sources conflict on the status of the decree. Some officials deny its existence, while others say that it has already been approved by the Justice Ministry.

3. China: Protestants Beaten Following Raid on Private Home
YUNNAN PROVINCE - A group of Protestants in Yunnan Province, China, were violently attacked as they attempted to claim damages for a December 2007 raid conducted on a house in Kunming by police and Religious Affairs Bureau officials, AsiaNews reported Feb. 1. On January 23, members of the Christian group appeared at the Xishan Public Security Bureau to file a claim for the Bibles and other religious objects destroyed in the course of the raid. According to AsiaNews, the police began to beat them, sending one woman to the hospital with severe injuries.

4. Malaysia: Customs Officials Confiscate Bibles
KUALA LUMPUR ­- Customs officials at an airport in Kuala Lumpur confiscated 32 English-language Bibles from a traveler, telling her that all religious materials needed to be cleared by the Internal Security Ministry's publications control unit, the Associated Press reported Feb. 4. The Royal Malaysian Customs department defended its actions, saying that it was necessary to determine if the Bibles were destined for commercial purposes. The traveler, from the Philippines, is said to have been carrying the Bibles for use in a study group.

5. Iran: Parliament Considers Death Penalty for Apostasy
TEHRAN - The Iranian Parliament is considering a new version of the penal code that would legislate the death penalty as a punishment for apostasy, a first in Iran's history, the Assyrian International News Agency reported Feb. 5. The measure is designed to target minority religious communities in Iran, specifically Bahá'ís. Article 225-7 of the code would give the 'apostate' three days to recant his or her religious beliefs, but failure to do so would allow the death penalty to be carried out. Links to the penal code (available in Farsi) can be found at the link above.

6. Indonesia: Ahmadi Muslims Monitored Following Official Request
JAKARTA - The Indonesian government has created a team to monitor the activities of the Ahmadi community in the country, following a declaration by the Indonesian Ulema Council that the Ahmadi community was a heretical Islamic sect, The Jakarta Post reported Feb. 5. The monitoring team, comprised of government officials, including members of the Attorney General's Office, the Home Ministry and the National Police, was created January 24 by a decree from the Religious Affairs Ministry.