Baha'i World News Service

HAIFA, 19 March 2009 -- A new Web site with information for visiting the Baha'i shrines and gardens in Haifa and Acre was introduced today by the Baha'i International Community. The Web site gives details about tours, hours, and the gardens themselves, as well as...

HAIFA, 18 March 2009 -- On March 21, Baha'is around the world will mark Naw-Ruz - their new year - a date that this year coincides with the 100th anniversary of the interment of the remains of the Bab on Mount Carmel. On Naw-Ruz in 1909, 'Abdu'l-Baha, then the head of...

GENEVA, 16 March 2009 -- A court in Egypt today removed any grounds for preventing Baha'is from receiving proper official identity documents, clearing the way for an end to years of deprivation for Egyptian Baha'is - and opening the door to a new level of respect for...

NEW YORK, 6 March 2009 -- The Baha'i International Community has issued an open letter to Iran's prosecutor general outlining the tragic history of the persecution of Baha'is in that country, explaining their innocence in the face of accusations made by the government, and...

KIEV, 3 March 2009 -- The historic series of 41 Baha’i conferences that began four months ago in southern Africa wrapped up last weekend in eastern Europe with a gathering in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev. Some 730 people – mostly from Ukraine, Russia, Moldova,...

ACCRA, 24 February 2009 -- Accra was host this last weekend to the largest of the nine regional conferences held in Africa with 1,700 participants from eight countries. The Accra gathering was held concurrently with the regional conference in Baku, Azerbaijan. They were the...

GENEVA, 18 February 2009 -- The European Union yesterday issued a statement expressing its “deep concern” over Iran’s plans to bring seven imprisoned Baha'i leaders to trial for espionage and other charges soon. The Baha’i International Community has called for their...

Istanbul, 17 February 2009 -- The 38th conference in the series of Baha’i gatherings occurring around the world was held last weekend in Istanbul, drawing 925 participants, mainly from Turkey, Cyprus, and Albania. Istanbul is the only city hosting a conference where...

NEW YORK, 15 February 2009 -- The Baha’i International Community has issued a statement of gratitude to the Iranian intellectuals, scholars, writers, journalists, activists, and artists throughout the world who signed an open letter apologizing for their silence during Iran’s...

NEW YORK, 15 February 2009 -- International reaction to news that Iran may soon put on trial seven Baha'i leaders for espionage and other charges came swiftly last week as governments, parliamentary leaders and human rights organizations expressed strong criticism of any such...

GENEVA, 12 February 2009 -- Reports that seven imprisoned Baha’is have been accused of espionage and other crimes and that their case will be referred to the Revolutionary Court next week are deeply concerning, potentially marking a new and dangerous stage in Iran’s...

GENEVA, 12 February 2009 -- The following are a series of short biographical profiles of the seven Baha'i leaders currently being held in Evin prison in Iran. Six were arrested in their homes in Tehran on 14 May 2008. A seventh had been arrested earlier, on 5 March 2008, while...

FRANKFURT, 10 February 2009 -- A historic Baha’i conference in Frankfurt last weekend brought to mind an earlier gathering in the same city a half century before – one that was also a milestone in Baha’i history. Last weekend’s event in Frankfurt was one of the current...

BATTAMBANG, 3 February 2009 -- Some 2,100 Baha’is from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam gathered in Cambodia’s second-largest city for a historic conference that had citizens of all four nations sitting side by side to discuss service activities in their...

GENEVA, 30 January 2009 -- The destruction earlier this month of a cemetery in Iran used for the mass burial of hundreds killed in the aftermath of the Islamic revolution in 1979 is an outrageous violation of human dignity, the Baha'i International Community said today. More...

ULAANBAATAR, 27 January 2009 -- The coldest capital city on earth was the gathering place last weekend for 1,800 Baha’is from Mongolia, Russia, and other nations – called together to celebrate achievements in community-building work and make plans for future activities at the...