With the arrest of another person in Damavand, the number of Baha'is arrested in two days has reached four.
"Mitra Forsatipour", a Baha'i citizen living in Gilavand, a district of Damavand County, was arrested by security forces and transferred to Evin Prison. Earlier, on Monday, October 10, Voice of America reported the arrest of three Baha'i citizens living in Shiraz, named "Kiana Shoa'i", "Farzan Masoumi", and "Sorushabadi".
According to news published on social media, this Baha'i citizen was arrested on Monday, October 19, after agents from the Ministry of Intelligence visited his home and was transferred to Ward 209 of the Ministry of Intelligence in Evin Prison.
It is worth noting that during her arrest, security agents searched Ms. Forsatipour's home and confiscated a number of her personal belongings, including her "laptop and cell phone," and took them away.
There is no precise information about the reason for the arrest of this Baha'i citizen, however, the Campaign for the Defense of Political and Civil Prisoners has announced that during the arrest, security agents described Mitra Forsatipour's accusation as "propaganda against the system."
Claims of state media in Iran
Four Baha'is were arrested in the last two days, while the Islamic Republic's media outlets have accused these individuals of rape.
After the news of the arrest of these Baha'i citizens was published on social media, Mehr News Agency quoted the Ministry of Intelligence as saying that these three Baha'i citizens were "under the pretext of the birthday of one of the leaders of the [Baha'i] sect, seeking to organize their elements in different areas of Shiraz and hold private and unconventional meetings and gatherings during the mourning period of the last decade of the month of Safar" and were arrested.
On Tuesday, October 20, the IRNA news agency also announced in a news release that these individuals intended to overshadow the Arbaeen march.
These claims come as the Islamic Republic's authorities continue to suppress religious minorities despite international protests.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently said during the unveiling of the annual Religious Freedom Report that the repression of Baha'is, Christians, and other religious and sectarian minorities in Iran continues to be a cause for serious concern.
Javed Rehman, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, also said in his second report on the human rights situation in Iran in August of this year: "The Islamic Republic no longer executes Baha'is solely for their religious beliefs, but the risk of raids, arrests, and imprisonment is constant, and since August 2005, more than 1,168 Baha'is have been arrested and faced with vague and ambiguous charges."
International human rights organizations and the United States government have repeatedly condemned the persecution and imprisonment of followers of religious minorities in Iran.
Source: Voice of America
