Escalating Suppression Of Baha’is In Iran Causes Concern

Nearly 60 members of the minority faith group have been arrested or imprisoned in recent weeks, and 180 further members have been subjected to a relentless campaign of torture.

On Tuesday, the global Baha'i community confirmed that the detained individuals include a 90-year-old man, Jamaloddin Khanjani, who has a history of imprisonment in Iran due to his religious beliefs. He was apprehended along with his daughter, Maria.

Khanjani's previous decade-long imprisonment, from 2008 to 2017, was a result of his affiliation with Yaran, an administrative group established in response to the prohibition of official Baha'i institutions in Iran. The Yaran group, which was dissolved in 2008, sought to cater to the spiritual needs of the community. Each of it seven members were initially handed 20-year sentences, which were later reduced to 10 years and were released in 2018.

Highlighting the escalating repression, Baha'is around the world highlighted the cases of Mahvash Sabet and Fariba Kamalabadi, former members of Yaran. Both women, who were arrested on July 31, 2022, recently received confirmation of their 10-year prison sentences from an appeals court. Sabet, 70, who suffers from severe physical ailments, was among those sentenced. Afif Naimi, another Yaran member who also faced significant health issues, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment.

Meanwhile, the government's crackdown extended to the arrest of nine additional Baha'is on August 13. Accused of disrupting the drug supply, these individuals, including pharmacy owners and employees, had their businesses sealed and closed.