Four Baha’i Citizens Summoned and Interrogated in Gorgan
Hrana News Agency – Shafagh Fahandej, Shaqayeq Pouranayati, Hadi Kananani, and Nada Abidian, Baha’i citizens residing in Gorgan, were interrogated for several hours at the city’s intelligence office following telephone summons.
According to Hrana News Agency, the news organ of the Iranian human rights activists collective, on Wednesday, September 16, 1401, four Baha’i citizens residing in Gorgan were interrogated for several hours at the intelligence office of this city.
An informed source told Hrana in this regard: “Three of these Baha’i citizens named Shafagh Fahandej, Shaqayeq Pouranayati, and Hadi Kananani (Samimi), who are active in the field of music, were asked to commit that they would no longer engage in activities in this field, and similarly, Nada Abidian (Taifi) was asked not to engage in kindergarten activities. This is while she does not have any activities in kindergartens.”
These citizens were summoned by phone to the Gorgan intelligence office and were interrogated for 9 hours.
On Sunday, the 9th of Mordad this year, the homes of Shafagh Fahandej, Shaqayeq Pouranayati, and Hadi Kananani were searched simultaneously with the homes of dozens of other Baha’i citizens in Iran by security forces.
Baha’i citizens in Iran are deprived of freedoms related to religious beliefs. This systematic deprivation occurs despite the fact that according to Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, including the freedom to change religion, and the freedom to manifest this belief individually or collectively, and publicly or in private.
Based on unofficial sources in Iran, there are more than 300,000 Baha’is, but Iran’s constitution only recognizes Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism, and does not recognize the Baha’i religion. For this reason, over the years, the rights of Baha’is in Iran have been systematically violated.
Source: Hrana
