Assaults on Iran's Baha'i Community Intensify
Armed Iranian security agents raided the homes of at least 30 Baha'is in the cities of Karaj and Hamedan this week, with at least 20 taken into custody.
Armed Iranian security agents raided the homes of at least 30 Baha'is in the cities of Karaj and Hamedan this week, with at least 20 taken into custody.
From Iran International reports, the members of the minority group, one of the most persecuted in Iran, endured verbal abuse and physical assault during the raids.
Last month, another ten Baha'is, all women, were arrested in Esfahan (Isfahan), while 26 others faced severe sentences totaling 126 years in prison. A disturbing trend has seen at least 32 individuals detained across various cities in the country in the past month.
Homes housing five elderly women aged between 70 and 90 in Hamedan were subjected to raids. One of these women, grappling with Alzheimer's disease, was rushed to the ICU in distress following the assault. In a separate incident, the door of an 82-year-old woman's home was forcibly broken, her belongings upended, and her residence damaged in her absence.
The husbands of two of these women were among the more than 200 Baha'is executed by Iran's government in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Details on charges against the detained Baha'is and their current locations remain elusive.
In September, a statement from the Baha'i community in America revealed the ongoing suppression of Baha'is in Iran. The release disclosed the detention of 60 individuals and the seizure of properties belonging to 59 other Baha'is. Despite unofficial estimates indicating the presence of over 300,000 Baha'i citizens in Iran, the country's constitution officially recognizes only Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism. The Baha'i is the largest non-Muslim religious minority, facing systematic persecution since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
