Iranian authorities are stepping up the use of courts and security agencies to target members of the Baha’i community through prison sentences, arbitrary detention and property seizures, the Baha’i International Community and Human Rights Watch said.
“Iranian authorities are relentlessly persecuting Baha’is, depriving them of the most basic human rights in what amounts to ongoing crimes against humanity – solely because of their faith,” said Human Rights Watch Iran researcher Bahar Saba, quoted in the statement.
The groups said the crackdown intensified after the Israel-Iran war in June and involved arrests, interrogations, unfair trials and asset confiscation.
Between June and November, the Baha’i International Community recorded more than 750 cases of harassment across Iran, three times the number in the same period last year. The incidents included more than 200 raids on homes and businesses and the arrest of at least 110 Baha’is. Courts issued prison sentences of between two and ten years, including against mothers separated from young children.
“A justice system that should deliver fairness and neutrality instead serves as a weapon of persecution,” said Simin Fahandej, the Baha’i International Community’s representative to the UN in Geneva.
EU pressure builds over Iran record
The statements follow moves in Europe to raise pressure on Tehran. In April, the EU imposed sanctions on parts of Iran’s judiciary and several judges and prosecutors over human rights violations, including the persecution of Baha’is.
Last month, the European Parliament adopted a resolution urging EU governments to sanction Iranian officials involved in abuses against the Baha’i community and to press for the release of those jailed for their beliefs.
Iran does not recognize the Baha’i faith, the country’s largest non-Muslim religious minority, which rights groups say has faced sustained repression since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
“Tehran and Minsk have complementary economies and can meet each other’s needs,” Aref said, stressing that political goodwill between the two nations provides “a strong basis for broadening ties in trade, industry, and technology.”
The two-day meeting, co-chaired by Iran’s Industry Minister Mohammad Atabak and Belarusian Industry Minister Andrei Kuznetsov, brought together senior officials, business representatives, and experts from both countries to outline a new phase of economic, scientific, and industrial cooperation.
Atabak announced that Tehran and Minsk had agreed to establish joint industrial plants in Sistan-Baluchestan Province in southeastern Iran, focusing on the production of heavy machinery, agricultural equipment, and mining technology as part of efforts to expand bilateral industrial cooperation. He called the initiative “a turning point” in bilateral industrial relations and part of efforts to implement the Iran–Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) free trade agreement.
Atabak added that the two governments aim to remove banking and customs obstacles, enhance trade facilitation, and allow Belarusian firms to use Iran’s southern ports as gateways to markets in India, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
Officials also discussed joint ventures in pharmaceuticals, medical technology, and higher education, including university partnerships and mutual recognition of degrees. Aref said these initiatives could “turn scientific and technological cooperation into one of the pillars” of Iran–Belarus relations.
Iran’s cyber police, known as FATA (Iran’s internet crime enforcement agency), blocked the account of Niousha Mofidi, a young woman who performed solo at a concert by Iranian pop singer Hamid Hami.
All posts on her Instagram account, which had nearly 12,000 followers, were deleted. Security officials said the page was closed for “producing criminal content.”
A video shared on social media showed Mofidi singing along from the audience while Hami told others, “Let her sing,” then remained silent so her voice could be heard alone. Mofidi had previously posted videos of her singing on Instagram.
The Instagram account of Iranian rapper Evi, which had nearly 26,000 followers, was also taken offline on Monday. She had previously said security agencies contacted her, demanding she delete her page within 24 hours—a demand she refused.
“I will stand with my people for the rest of my life and will not accept anything that contradicts living freely, even if it is presented in the name of religious law,” she said in a post.
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, women in Iran have been banned from singing in the presence of men, based on religious interpretations. The policy ended the official careers of female singers active before the revolution and pushed their work to the margins.
In recent months, repression against singers and music activists—particularly those opposing the mandatory hijab—has intensified.
More than 160 artists, civil activists, and organizations, including 19 based inside Iran in April condemned the government’s increasing crackdown on female singers, describing it as part of a systematic effort to suppress women and reinforce a gender-discriminatory system.
