Uncertainty Surrounds Detained Bahai Citizens in Karaj; One Month Since Their Arrest
More than a month has passed since the arrest of several Bahai citizens in Karaj, and they remain detained without being informed of charges against them.
The families of these detained citizens have no information about their status and have only learned of their transfer to Evin Prison through a brief phone call.
Hrana News Agency, which publishes human rights news in Iran, named eight Bahai citizens—Parvan Manavati, Elham Salmanzadeh, Houman Khoshnam, Payam Shabani, Peyman Manavati, Maryam Ghafarmanshe, Jamila Pakrou (Mohammad Hossein), and Kianosh Salmanzadeh—who have been detained in the city of Karaj from September 16 to October 6, 2018, and remain in indefinite detention in Evin Prison.
During the past month, Bahai citizens in various cities across the country have faced increasing pressure from Iran’s security and judicial authorities, and several Bahai citizens have also been arrested in the cities of Shiraz and Isfahan.
Farhad Sabetan, spokesperson for the Bahai World Community, told Voice of America regarding the latest situation of those detained for the Bahai faith in Karaj: “We do not have details about exactly how much these individuals have been able to maintain contact with their loved ones, but reports in the media indicate that some families of the detainees have been able to have brief visits.”
He added: “From conversations exchanged during these brief visits between prisoners and families, the detainees have told their families that they have been interrogated and beaten. In any case, without a doubt, they have not been treated well.”
He further stated: “Unfortunately, we do not have precise details of the latest situation of the Bahai detainees arrested in Karaj, but we are aware that a large number of Bahai citizens have recently been arrested in Shiraz in Baharestan and other areas, at least 16-17 people. For example, on September 16, Mr. Ehsan Mahboob Rah-e Vafa, Mr. Navid Bazmandegan, Mrs. Bahareh Ghaderri, Mrs. Elah Samie Zadeh, Nora Pour Moradian, Soudabeh Haqiqat were arrested in Shiraz, and on September 23, eight other Bahai citizens were arrested in Isfahan. Therefore, unfortunately, in the past one or two months, we are witnessing a severe wave of arrests of Bahai citizens in various parts of Iran.”
He continued to explain: “No charges have been brought against those arrested, neither formally nor informally. Unfortunately, the process that existed before, where many Bahais were arrested without charges and sent to prison, has also affected the recent detainees. Sometimes, of course, they have brought fabricated charges against them such as disrupting national security, espionage, or attendance at public gatherings, and charges of this kind, but they have not presented any documents or evidence for any of these charges. Consequently, the only thing that can justify these arrests is that being Bahai is considered a crime in Iran, and these individuals are arrested because they are Bahai.”
Bahai citizens in Iran are under pressure, and the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran has deemed them unclean.
This is while 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, and to change religion with conviction, as well as freedom to express it individually or collectively, publicly or in private.
The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran only recognizes Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism, and does not recognize the Bahai faith. For this reason, over the past years, the rights of Bahais in Iran have been systematically violated.
The U.S. State Department has repeatedly referred to violations of the rights of Bahais and other minorities in Iran in its annual human rights report.
Source: Voice of America
