Detention of Saba Sefidi, Bahai Citizen, Continues After More Than a Month
Saba Sefidi, a Bahai citizen residing in Tehran, continues to remain in detention and in legal limbo after 33 days from the time of her arrest. Ms. Sefidi was detained on December 12 after appearing at Branch 2 of the Prosecutor’s Office of Evin.
According to Hrana news agency, the news outlet of the Iranian Human Rights Activists Association, today, Sunday, February 14, 2022, Saba Sefidi, a Bahai citizen residing in Tehran, remains in detention and in legal limbo after more than a month from her arrest.
Despite repeated follow-ups by Ms. Sefidi’s family, no information has been obtained regarding the reasons for her detention, her condition, and her place of detention. The failure to provide a clear response by the judicial authorities of Branch 2 of the Prosecutor’s Office of Evin and security agencies has increased concerns of this Bahai citizen’s family.
Ms. Sefidi, who was detained on December 12 after appearing at Branch 2 of the Prosecutor’s Office of Evin, has had only a few brief contacts with her family since her arrest.
Previously, Skyler Thompson, Foreign Relations Officer of the Iranian Human Rights Activists Association, said regarding this news: “This organization strongly condemns discriminatory practices against religious minorities in Iran. We call on Iran to take clear steps to ensure that Iranians, particularly Bahai citizens, are able to enjoy religious freedoms, including the free practice of their chosen religion.”
Bahai citizens in Iran are deprived of freedoms related to religious beliefs. This systematic deprivation occurs despite Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which state that everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and the freedom to change religion or belief, and the freedom to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance, either individually or in community with others and in public or in private.
Based on unofficial sources in Iran, there are more than 300,000 Bahai citizens, but the Iranian Constitution only recognizes Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism, and does not officially recognize the Bahai faith. For this reason, the rights of Bahai citizens in Iran have been systematically violated over the past years.
Source: Hrana
