Luxembourg's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Jean Asselborn, has expressed his grave concern regarding the situation of religious minorities, particularly Baha'is, in Iran and Yemen.
In a statement issued on Monday evening, Minister Jean Asselborn made reference to reports that Iran has "reopened proceedings against at least 77 members of the Baha'i community in recent weeks".
In this context, he recalled his recent letter to Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif expressing his "grave concern regarding the treatment of the Baha'i religious community by the Iranian authorities". He noted that the incarceration of members of the Baha'i community "is particularly worrying in the current context of the COVID-19 pandemic". Luxembourg's Foreign Minister thus called on the Iranian authorities "to do their utmost to guarantee adequate sanitary conditions within penitentiary institutions in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and to provide medical care to all prisoners at all times".
Minister Jean Asselborn also expressed concern over the "continued incarceration of six Baha'is by the Houthis in Yemen, despite the fact that their release had been announced on 25 March". He added that Luxembourg continues to "monitor the situation of these detainees closely, together with the United Nations and the European Union" and joined the Foreign Ministers of Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom "in calling on the Houthis to implement their announcement to release members of the Baha'i faith".
