Pressure on Baháʼís Intensifies; One Detained Amid Home Searches of Eight Other Citizens
Harana News Agency – On Sunday, 9 Mordad, Behnam Momtazi, a Baháʼí citizen residing in Qazvin, was detained by security forces simultaneously with a search of his home. At the same time, homes of other Baháʼí citizens including Navid Molaei, Sogand Rangraz, Masoud Bahrami and Rojin Bik Aghaei in Qazvin, Sara Shabanpur and Nakisa Sadeghi in Karaj, and Shaqayeq Keshavarz and Ismail Jamali in Tehran were searched by security forces.
According to Harana News Agency, the news organ of the Human Rights Activists group in Iran, on Sunday, 9 Mordad 1401, in continuation of home searches and detention of Baháʼí citizens, Behnam Momtazi in Qazvin was detained by security forces.
According to information obtained by Harana, Mr. Momtazi’s detention was accompanied by a home search, and to date no information about his place of detention is available.
Simultaneously, homes of other Baháʼí citizens including Navid Molaei, Sogand Rangraz, Masoud Bahrami and Rojin Bik Aghaei in Qazvin, Sara Shabanpur and Nakisa Sadeghi in Karaj, and Shaqayeq Keshavarz and Ismail Jamali in Tehran were searched by security forces.
Among these citizens, the workplace of Mr. Ismail Jamali was also searched by security forces.
During the searches, officers confiscated several personal items belonging to these citizens.
On Sunday, 9 Mordad, Harana had reported the detention of Mahvash Sabet (Shahryari), Fariba Kamalabadi, and Aafif Naeimi, former members of the leadership of the Baháʼí community in Iran known as “Yaran-e Iran,” as well as Saman Estevar, another Baháʼí citizen. Additionally, homes and workplaces of these citizens along with four other citizens named Nasir Haravi, Kamyar Habibi, Mozaffar Nabili and Sara Shaban were searched by security personnel, and some of their personal belongings including mobile phones, electronic devices, and items related to the Baháʼí faith were confiscated. In continuation of these mounting pressures, homes and workplaces of three other Baháʼí citizens named Nima Haghar and Nazila Haghar in Tehran, as well as the home of Sabin Yazdani in Karaj were searched by security forces. During the search of Ms. Yazdani’s home, officers confiscated all digital devices of hers and her family members.
Furthermore, according to information obtained by Harana, during the past day, homes of Navid Mithaghi in Sari, Ehsan Jaberi and Bahar Bengale in Shiraz, Farida Hedayati in Mashhad, Bita Momtazi (Sarraf) and Poya Momtazi (Sarraf) in Karaj, as well as homes of five other Baháʼí citizens in Gorgan named Shafagh Fahndezh, Shakib Moudi (Masoumi), Afsoon Moudi (Masoumi), Shaqayeq Pourenayati, and Nada Taaefi were also searched by security forces.
Additionally, an informed source told Harana: On Sunday, 9 Mordad, Soha Sabati (Rahmani), a Baháʼí citizen residing in Sari, was detained by security forces simultaneously with a search of her home. At the same time, homes of other Baháʼí citizens including Sanaz Alizadeh and Fathia Menouchehrzadeh (Mithaghi) in Sari, Azadeh Yaghini and Afsaneh Tashakkur in Gonbad Kavous, and Afnaneh Ansari in Mahshahr were searched by security forces. Among these citizens, Ms. Ansari was also detained and released after several hours.
Baháʼí 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 stipulate that everyone has the right to freedom of religion and belief, and the right to change religion, as well as the freedom to express religion individually or collectively, either in public or in private.
According to unofficial sources in Iran, there are more than 300,000 Baháʼí citizens; however, Iran’s constitution only recognizes Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism, and does not recognize the Baháʼí faith. For this reason, the rights of Baháʼís in Iran have been systematically violated over the past years.
Source: Harana
