Three Baha'i citizens' businesses sealed in Qaemshahr

The businesses of three Baha'i citizens in Qaemshahr were sealed following the Baha'i religious holiday.

On Sunday of this week (November 4), the businesses of three Baha'i citizens in Qaemshahr were sealed by officials from the city's Emkan Department following a two-day religious holiday for Baha'is.

According to Article 28, Section B of the Trade Union Law, trade union owners can close their trade union for up to 15 days per year without informing the union. Baha'i citizens also close their places of business for 9 days, scattered throughout the year, in accordance with their religious beliefs, for the purpose of performing religious rituals, but the relevant law enforcement and security agencies, despite the specific legal and citizenship rights of individuals in practicing their religious beliefs and the way they manage their business places, seal their places of business.

According to published reports, on the said day, Sohrab Leghai-Azar's eyewear shop, Kamran Babai's refrigerator and freezer repair shop, and Kamran Abedini's stationery shop, all Baha'i citizens living in Qaemshahr, were sealed by the premises administration officers. According to one of these citizens, Saturday and Sunday of this week were religious holidays for Baha'is, and because these citizens had closed their shops during the day, their business premises were sealed.

The sealing of Baha'i businesses, under various pretexts, has a long history in Iran. For years, not only Baha'is, but all religious minorities have been oppressed by the Islamic Republic of Iran because of their beliefs and convictions. The authorities of the Islamic Republic have so far confiscated many properties of religious minorities, including Christians, and in some cases have auctioned off their properties. The oppression and discrimination that has plagued religious minorities in Iran for more than 4 decades continues.