- 2021-04-29 — A sentence was issued against a Qatar citizen and a Bahá'í, Remy Rowhani, on charges linked to his religious beliefs after a secret hearing was held in his absence. No evidence had been presented at any time to substantiate the charges against Mr Rowhani. To then issue a prison sentence and fine in absentia was contrary to due process and was further evidence of an official policy of discrimination against the Bahá'ís. [The European Times 11 June 2022; BIC News 30 December 2024]
Rowhani was charged under articles 4 and 42(5) of Law No. (15) of 2014 on the Regulation of Charitable Activities for collecting funds in 2013 and 2014 “without permission from the Board [of Directors of the Regulatory Authority for Charitable Activities],” according to court documents reviewed by Human Rights Watch. This law took effect after being published in the country’s official gazette on October 2, 2014. The retrospective application of the penalties under this law contradicts article 40 of Qatar’s constitution and article 15 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
The charges were based on Rowhani’s collection of donations from Bahá'ís in Qatar as part of his role on the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Qatar, the Bahá'í International Community (BIC) said. Financial donations are considered a religious obligation (but without pressure or coercion from other Bahá'ís or Bahá'í institutions) and are central to the Bahá'i faith. [Human Right Watch 25 May 2025]
- 2022-05-22 — A story carried by The Sunday Telegraph in London and written by the law firm representing Remi Rouhani in Qatar's highest court against an unjust conviction, alleged that the Qatari authorities discriminated against him because of his Faith. He was a Bahá'í citizen of Qatar and the former director of the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It is believed that Mr Rouhani's case may serve as a bellwether for Qatar's intention regarding the Bahá'í Faith and other religious minorities. [The Sunday Telegraph 22May2022; BIC News 30 December 2024]
- 2024-05-25 — Human Rights Watch issued a statement on the religious discrimination of the Bahá'ís in Qatar.
Qatar’s government has discriminated against Bahá'ís in Qatar for decades, with hundreds of people harmed by a pattern of punishment and discriminatory policies. The government has deported as many as 14 members of the group for no apparent reason other than individuals belonging to the Bahá'í faith in cases Human Rights Watch documented from 2003 to 2025. Qatari authorities have also previously terminated the employment of a Bahá'í member and refused to grant a certificate of good conduct, which is required for employment in Qatar, to four members of the group.
Islam is Qatar’s official religion. And while the Qatari constitution guarantees freedom to practice religious rites, Qatari authorities have discriminated against the Bahá'í minority in the country in administrative and legal matters. A high-ranking Qatari religious figure told one of the now-deported Bahá'ís that if he announced his conversion to Sunni Islam, he could “make the deportation go away.”
In addition to the deportations, officials have delayed the community’s attempts to reestablish an existing Bahá'í cemetery and refused to accept marriage certificates issued by elected Bahá'í institutions in Qatar. Bahá'ís have also faced discrimination elsewhere in the region, including the crime against humanity of persecution in Iran and other forms of repression in Egypt and Yemen.
[News Release 25 May 2025]
- 2024-12-23 — Remi Rohani, a senior Bahá'i dignitary was arrested at the Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar while leaving the country for a short holiday. He is a highly respected Qatari citizen who has served his country with distinction for decades—most recently as Director of the International Chamber of Commerce’s Middle East and North Africa regional office. This action marks an arbitrary escalation after decades of discrimination against the Baha’is in Qatar merely on account of their religion.
In April 2021, a Qatari court framed Mr. Rowhani in a prejudicial case judged in absentia. The ruling was confirmed in May 2022 by an appeals court. In response to international concern, Qatari officials had given assurances that Mr. Rowhani’s one-month prison sentence and $13,700 fine would not be enforced, and he had been assured just week prior that he was free to travel. These actions marked an arbitrary escalation after decades of discrimination against the Bahá'ís in Qatar merely on account of their religion.
For over eight years, Mr. Rowhani has served as chairperson of the National Assembly of the Baha’is of Qatar, a pastoral voluntary role addressing the spiritual and administrative needs of the Baha’i religious community—which has existed in Qatar for over 80 years. His detention is emblematic of the broader pattern of discrimination faced by Baha’i community members in Qatar. [BIC Post on X; BIC News 30 December 2024; BIC News 17 June2025]
See the interview with his daughter, Nora Rowhani, on YouTube.
- 2025-08-13 — A Doha court sentenced the chair of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís in Qatar, Remi Rohani (71), to five years in prison. He had been charged with promoting a doctrine or ideology that “casts doubt on the foundations and teachings of Islam” under article 259 of the penal code. They also charged him with violating social principles and values using information technology, under article 8 of the 2014 Cybercrime Prevention Law, and disseminating material that calls and promotes the adoption of “destructive principles,” under article 47(b) of the 1979 Law on Publications and Publishing. The charges were based on an X account and an Instagram account that represent the Qatari Bahá’í community linked to Rowhani’s phone number and e-mail address.
Qatar has a long-standing record of discriminating against Bahá’ís, including by deportation, delaying the community’s attempts to reestablish an existing Bahá’í cemetery, and refusing to register marriage certificates issued by elected Bahá’í institutions in Qatar. [Human Rights Watch 15 Aug]
Qatar’s deputy attorney general appealed the sentence on September 7 seeking a longer prison term, the appeal document reviewed by Human Rights Watch revealed. An appeal hearing was held on September 10, with the decision expected on September 17. Court documents show the prosecution lists two grounds for the appeal. The first alleges the court erred in law by linking the offenses with which he was charged, thus treating them as one crime. The prosecutor is asking for Rowhani to be given the maximum sentence for each of three offenses. The prosecution also claims that the offenses constituted an “infringement upon the authority of the State.” The prosecutor requested a “deterrent penalty,” stating that the aim is not only to deter the individual from reoffending, but also the rest of society. Qatari authorities convicted Rowhani despite United Nations experts’ warnings of what they described in July as “a broader and disturbing pattern of disparate treatment of the Bahá’í minority in Qatar.” Qatari authorities have discriminated against members of the Bahá’í faith based solely on their religious identity through deportations and blacklisting. This has resulted in the separation of families and loss of employment and income, delaying the community’s attempts to re-establish an existing Bahá’í cemetery, and rejecting marriage certificates issued by elected Bahá’í institutions in Qatar. Qatar deported as many as 14 members of the group over more than 20 years for no apparent reason other than belonging to the Bahá’í faith. [Human Rights Watch 16 September]
On the 1st of October the Bahá'í International Community announced that Mr Rohani had been acquitted of the charges against him and release. [BIC News; Geneva Council for Rights and Liberties]
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