Uncertainty over detained Baha'i citizens in Karaj; one month has passed since their arrest
More than a month has passed since the arrest of a number of Baha'i citizens in Karaj, and they are still being held without charges and in limbo.
The families of these detained citizens are unaware of their status and have only been informed of their transfer to Evin Prison through a brief phone call.
HRANA, a news agency that publishes human rights news in Iran, named eight Baha'i citizens: Parvan Manavi, Elham Salmanzadeh, Hooman Khoshnam, Payam Shabani, Peyman Manavi, Maryam Ghafarmanesh, Jamileh Pakro (Mohammad Hossein), and Kianoush Salmanzadeh, who were arrested in Karaj from September 15 to October 24, 2018, and are still being held in Evin Prison.
Over the past month, Baha'i citizens in various cities across the country have faced increasing pressure from Iranian security and judicial institutions, and a number of Baha'i citizens have also been arrested in the cities of Shiraz and Isfahan.
Farhad Sabetan, a spokesman for the Baha'i International Community, told VOA about the latest situation of Baha'i detainees in Karaj: "We do not know the details of exactly how much these loved ones have been able to stay in touch with their loved ones, although reports in the media indicate that some of the families of the detainees have been able to have private visits."
He added: "From the conversations that have been exchanged between prisoners and their families during these cabinet meetings, the prisoners have told them that they have been interrogated and beaten. In any case, they have undoubtedly not been treated well."
He added: "Unfortunately, we do not have precise details of the latest status of the Baha'i detainees who were arrested in Karaj, but we are aware that a large number of Baha'i citizens have recently been arrested in Shiraz, Baharestan and other places, at least 16-17 people. For example, on September 16, Mr. Ehsan Mahboob Rah-e-Vafa, Mr. Navid Bazdegan, Ms. Bahareh Ghaderi, Ms. Elaheh Samizadeh, Noura Pourmoradian, Soudabeh Haghighat in Shiraz, and on September 23, eight other Baha'i citizens were arrested in Isfahan. So, unfortunately, in the last one or two months, we are witnessing a strong wave of arrests of Baha'i citizens in different parts of Iran."
He continued: "No charges have been filed against those who have been arrested, neither officially nor unofficially. Unfortunately, the trend that has been going on for a long time, where many Baha'is are arrested without charges and sent to prison, has also been applied to the recent detainees. In some cases, of course, they have been charged with a series of fabricated charges, such as disrupting the country's national security, espionage, or attending public gatherings, and similar charges, for which they have not provided any documents or evidence. As a result, the only thing that can justify these arrests is that being a Baha'i in Iran is considered a crime and these people are being arrested because they are Baha'is."
Baha'i citizens in Iran are under pressure and the Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran has deemed them impure.
This is 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 religion and to change their religion with belief, as well as the freedom to manifest it, either alone or in community with others and in public or private.
The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran only recognizes the religions of Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism, and does not recognize the Baha'i faith; for this reason, the rights of Baha'is in Iran have been systematically violated over the past years.
The US State Department has repeatedly mentioned violations of the rights of Baha'is and other minorities in Iran in its annual human rights report.
Source: Voice of America
