Five Bahá’í Citizens Arrested in Iran Within One Week; Homes of Two Others Searched

Five Bahá’í citizens were arrested and the homes of two other Bahá’í citizens were searched during the past week.

An informed source told Voice of America that on Sunday, August 20, a Bahá’í citizen named “Sohila Haghighat” residing in Shiraz was arrested by IRGC intelligence officers and transferred to an unknown location.

Three other Bahá’í citizens residing in Tehran named “Manireh Bavil Seflayee,” “Minoo Zamanipour,” and “Gholamhossein Mazloumi” were arrested by intelligence officers in Tehran and transferred to Evin Prison.

According to this informed source, security forces declared at the time of arresting “Manireh Bavil Seflayee” that she was arrested in connection with pursuing the matter of grave desecration of a Bahá’í citizen in Gilavand.

On Sunday, August 20, the Campaign to Defend Political and Civil Prisoners reported that Sohila Haghighat was arrested by 7 security officers whose faces were masked on charges of “holding meetings against national security” in her personal residence. Before transferring this Bahá’í citizen to an unknown location, the officers searched her home, seized a number of her personal belongings, and took them away.

According to this aware source, on Friday, August 18, officials from the Tehran Ministry of Intelligence visited the home of “Jamal al-Din Khanjani,” the former representative of the Bahá’í community in Iran, and searched his residence. After lengthy interrogation of him and another family member, they seized and took away several personal items, all books, and cash.

Mr. Khanjani was released in late March 2018 from Rajaiee Shahr Prison after serving ten years of his sentence without even being granted a single day of furlough.

This informed source told Voice of America that on Monday, August 14, the home of “Toraj Amini,” a Bahá’í researcher and historian, was also searched by IRGC intelligence officers from Karaj, and a number of his personal belongings and religious books were seized. He was told he would be summoned for interrogation soon.

Another Bahá’í citizen named “Farid Moghaddam Ziraki” was arrested on Saturday, August 12 by security officers in Birjand and transferred to an unknown location. Despite more than a week having passed, the reason for his arrest and his place of detention remain unknown.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke during the unveiling of the annual religious freedom report and said that in Iran, the suppression of Bahá’ís, Christians, and others continues to affect consciences.

International human rights organizations and the United States have repeatedly condemned the harassment and imprisonment of followers of religious minorities in Iran.

Source: Voice of America