New wave of pressure on Baha'is in Iran; homes of dozens of Baha'is searched and several arrested

During the new wave of arrests and summons of Baha'is in Iran, security agents of the Islamic Republic raided the homes of dozens of Baha'i citizens in various parts of Iran on Sunday, August 30, and searched and confiscated the personal belongings of these citizens, as well as arresting a number of them.

According to a report received by Radio Farda, the arrest of Mahvash Sabet Shahriari and Fariba Kamalabadi in Tehran and Afif Naimi and Saman Estavar in Karaj by security forces has so far been confirmed.

Sohi Sabeti, a resident of Sari, and Behnam Momtazi, a resident of Qazvin, were also among those arrested on Sunday.

Mr. Naimi and Ms. Sabet Shahriari and Ms. Kamalabadi are all well-known leaders of the Baha'i community and former members of the "Friends of Iran" group who were released from prison after serving 10 years in prison.

Simin Fahandezh, spokesperson for the Baha'i International Community in Geneva, confirmed the names of the three arrested citizens in an interview with Radio Farda and reported the Iranian government's increased pressure on Baha'is, including issuing heavy sentences against them, especially in recent weeks.

Ms. Fahandezh described such actions as indicative of a “new wave of persecution of Baha’i citizens” at the hands of the Islamic Republic government.

Searches of Baha'i homes in various cities

Security officers simultaneously raided the homes of a number of Baha'is living in Tehran, including Nima Haggar, Nazila Haggar, Soheila Azhir, Elnaz Khademi, Shaghayegh Keshavarz, and Pejman Khorami, and searched and confiscated their personal and electronic belongings.

In Karaj, the homes of Baha'i citizens, including Sara Shabanpour, Nasir Heravi, Gina Arbasi, Kamyar Habibi, Mozaffar Nabili, Bita Mumtazi, and Sabin Yazdani, were raided and searched by officers.

Reports also indicate that among the Baha'is living in Mashhad, Shadi Tabrizi, Hedeya Ghayabi, and Farideh Hedayati, and in Shiraz, Bahareh Pejgaleh and Raheleh Keshani faced raids by security agents on their homes on Sunday.

At the same time, the agents raided and searched the homes of a number of Baha'i citizens living in northern Iran, including Shafaq Fahandezh, Shakib Masoumi, Shaghayegh Pour-Enaiti, and Neda Taifi in Gorgan, and the home of Soraya Manouchehrzadeh in Sari.

Meanwhile, Arash Sadeghi, a civil activist and former political prisoner, announced in a tweet that he had "confirmed the arrest of 15 of them," while mentioning the names of some of these citizens.

As of the time of writing, no details of the arrest of these citizens have been released, including the arresting agency, possible charges, and their location.

International human rights organizations, citing widespread arrests and heavy sentences against Baha'i citizens, consider the Iranian government's behavior a "systematic violation of human rights."

In this context, the Baha'i International Community issued a statement on August 1, listing the cases of persecution of Baha'is by the Islamic Republic government, including the arrest, trial, and closure of businesses of these citizens, and calling for an end to the repression of Baha'is in Iran.

The Islamic Republic of Iran does not recognize the Baha'i faith, and its judicial and security officials have repeatedly called Baha'is "spies and enemies."

Bans on university education, exclusion from a wide range of jobs, dismissal from the government sector, and numerous restrictions in the private sector are among the restrictions and repressive measures against Baha'i citizens in the Islamic Republic.

Source: Radio Farda