as a religious minority under the Constitution of Iran, enjoy virtually no rights under the law, and are banned from practicing their faith. Throughout 2014 and 2015, Iranian authorities shut down numerous Baha’i-owned businesses across the country. (21) More than 100 Baha’is are being held in prison solely because of their religious beliefs, including the Baha’i leaders Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naemi, Saeid Rezaie, Mahvash Sabet, Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Vahid Tizfahm. (22) Christians, particularly converts and underground house church leaders, face sustained persecution, arrests, legal harassment, and long-term prison sentences. Since 2010, more than 500 Christians have been arrested or detained. (23) Officials of the United States have stated that the human rights record of Iran is abysmal and the Department of State has reported that there has been little meaningful improvement in human rights in Iran under the new government, including torture, political imprisonment, and harassment of religious and ethnic minorities . (24) According to the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2014 of the Department of State, Iranian law states that same-sex sexual activity is punishable by death, flogging, or other punishments. Iranian authorities harassed, arrested, and detained individuals they suspected of being gay . While detained, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals have reported physical abuse and torture by security officers, including sexual assault and rape. (25) The Government of Iran continues to commit egregious human rights abuses against its own citizens in violation of its international obligations under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. 202. Expansion of list of persons involved in human rights abuses in Iran (a) In general Section 105 of the