Several Baha’i citizens have been arrested to date across Iran since nationwide protests began in late December, sources told Iran International.
Those arrested include Peyvand Naeimi, Borna Naeimi and Shakila Ghasemi in Kerman, southeastern Iran; Behzad Yazdani and his wife Romina Khazali, Mahsa Sotoudeh, Mandana Sotoudeh, Pejman Zare, Sara Sepehri and Anqa Siavoshi in Shiraz, southern Iran; and Flora Samadani in Yazd, central Iran.
Vafa Kashefi, Navid Zarrehbin Irani, Payam Faridian, Rabee Maleki and Sepehr Koushkbaghi were also arrested in Mashhad, northeastern Iran, while Riyaz Behrad was arrested in Karaj, west of Tehran, and Artin Ghazanfari in Tehran.
Many remain in detention and legal limbo, and there has been no new information about the release or continued detention of some of them, including Faridian, Maleki and Koushkbaghi.
Some other Baha’i citizens have also been arrested in recent weeks and temporarily released after posting heavy bail.
Seventy-two days after the internet shutdown in Iran, sources told Iran International that the real scale of arrests and pressure against the Baha’i community is far wider than the cases reported publicly, but disruption to the flow of information, threats against families and the security atmosphere have made access to precise information difficult.
Detainees held in limbo, families pressured
Several Baha’i citizens arrested in recent weeks and months remain in legal limbo, with no clear access to judicial proceedings, sources Iran International.
Families in some cases have been denied information about their relatives’ location, physical condition, charges or possible release dates, and have faced threats and pressure from intelligence agents when seeking answers.
Some detainees have had only brief contact with relatives, at times lasting just a few seconds, leaving families unable to assess their physical or mental condition.
Sources told Iran International that some detainees remain in custody despite families securing heavy bail, while new charges have been added in some cases.
There are also serious concerns about detainees with medical conditions or caregiving responsibilities, who have faced limited contact, shortages of medicine, inadequate medical care and restricted access to their families in detention.
The simultaneous arrest of relatives, prolonged legal limbo and threats against families seeking information have added to the pressure on Baha’i families, sources said.
Homes raided, property confiscated
The homes of all Baha’i citizens arrested in this wave were searched by security forces, according to information obtained by Iran International.
During the raids, security forces confiscated personal belongings, identity documents, mobile phones, laptops, computers, books and, in some cases, valuable property.
Sources said the searches were not limited to inspecting homes and in some cases involved ransacking residences and taking whatever officers wanted, from digital devices and personal documents to gold and jewelry.
On the morning of May 4, security forces raided the Shiraz home of Faramarz Nadafian and his wife, Parivash Nadafian.
Officers presented a handwritten warrant, searched the home and confiscated mobile phones, a computer case, books and even the family’s gold and jewelry.
A day later, on May 5, security forces raided the home of Afsaneh Jazzabi, also known as Rasekhi, a 66-year-old Baha’i citizen in Shiraz.
Sources said officers entered the home with a warrant titled “cooperation with Israel,” threatened and humiliated her and her 85-year-old mother, and confiscated items including books, frames, a mobile phone, a gold pendant and a gold chain without providing a receipt.
They also threatened the family with confiscation of their home and transfer to an unknown location, the sources added.
Prison sentences enforced
Alongside arrests and searches, authorities have continued enforcing prison sentences against Baha’i citizens, sources told Iran International.
Didar Ahmadi, Boshra Mostafavi and Elna Naeimi in Kerman, southeastern Iran, as well as Negin Khademi, Yeganeh Rouhbakhsh, Neda Badakhsh, Mozhgan Shahrezaei, Shana Shoughifar, Arezoo Sobhaniyan, Parastoo Hakim and Neda Emadi in Isfahan, central Iran, have been transferred to prison to serve their sentences, the sources said.
Baha’is face long-running persecution
Iran does not recognize the Baha’i faith as an official religion, unlike Christianity, Judaism or Zoroastrianism, although Baha’is constitute the country’s largest non-Muslim religious minority.
The community has faced systematic harassment and persecution since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, including arrests, confiscations, denial of education and lengthy prison sentences.
Iranian authorities have long accused Baha’is of links to Israel, partly because the faith’s spiritual center is in Haifa, where the shrine of its founder stands. Rights groups say such claims have been used to justify pressure on the community.
Iran’s Intelligence Ministry said in late December that it had identified a 32-member “espionage network” linked to Baha’i citizens, accusing them of “rioting and sabotage” and saying 12 had been arrested and 13 others summoned.
Officials also accused Baha’i citizens of spying for Israel during Iran’s 12-day war with Israel in June and opened cases against several members of the minority.
Nearly three quarters of documented violations against religious minorities in Iran over the past three years have involved Baha’is, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
