Urgent - New Crackdown Targets Baha'is in Iran

Baha’i News – Iranian authorities continue to escalate their systematic campaign against the Baha’i minority in the country. Recently, the city of Karaj witnessed a widespread raid and search operation of the homes of four Baha’i citizens: Saman Zaer, Soheil Rouhanifard, Milad Mohammadi, and Nosrat Mohammadi. This action represents a new chapter in the long series of pressures and violations faced by Baha’is in Iran.

Details of the Raid and Confiscation: Tactics of Intimidation and Theft

Reports indicate that the search operation was carried out in a manner designed to intimidate residents. According to a source close to the families, five male security forces and one female officer stormed the homes of Zaer and Mohammadi after breaking the main door locks. The masked officers videotaped the operation, creating an “atmosphere of terror and fear,” and conducted body searches of those present in the homes.

Most alarming is the confiscation of valuable personal belongings that accompanied these raids. Seized items included gold and jewelry, as well as laptops, hard drives, mobile phones, and a number of works and publications related to the Baha’i Faith. This pattern of confiscation suggests an attempt by the authorities to deprive Baha’is not only of their religious freedom but also of their livelihoods and personal property, potentially using seized electronic devices to gather information against them.

Campaign Expansion: A Widespread Search Wave

This campaign wasn’t limited to Karaj. Reports and images obtained by “Iran International” show that forces caused damage to personal property during the searches, exacerbating the harm to the families. These incidents in Karaj are also part of a broader wave of Baha’i home searches across various Iranian cities in recent weeks.

Other examples of this campaign include:

The raid and search of the home of Arman Bahrami, a Baha’i citizen residing in Isfahan, by intelligence ministry agents, who then served him and his mother, Elham Siadat, with summonses.
The search of the homes of six Baha’i citizens in Yazd and one Baha’i citizen in Shiraz, and the confiscation of some of their personal belongings.

This systematic repetition of home searches and personal property confiscations is not new; it’s a recurring tactic employed by Iranian authorities against Baha’is over the past four decades.

Systematic Persecution of Baha’is in Iran: A History of Violations

Baha’is constitute Iran’s largest non-Muslim religious minority, with unofficial estimates putting their number at over 300,000 citizens. However, the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran only recognizes Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism as official religions, effectively excluding the Baha’i Faith from any protection or rights. This constitutional disenfranchisement opens the door wide to systematic and continuous persecution since the 1979 revolution.

Historically, Baha’is in Iran have been subjected to widespread repression campaigns, including:

Executions: In the early years after the revolution, hundreds of Baha’is were executed, including members of the Baha’i administrative institutions.
Imprisonment and Detention: Baha’is are routinely arrested and imprisoned on fabricated charges related to national security or propaganda against the regime.
Deprivation of Education and Employment: Baha’is are barred from attending universities, dismissed from government jobs, and prohibited from practicing many professions. Their businesses are often closed, and their properties systematically confiscated.
Destruction of Cemeteries and Holy Sites: Many Baha’i cemeteries and holy places have been destroyed, representing a blatant violation of religious freedom.
Surveillance and Harassment: Baha’is are subjected to constant surveillance, their homes are frequently raided, their personal belongings confiscated, and they are deprived of basic citizenship rights.
Media Smear Campaigns: Government-backed media campaigns are launched against them to demonize them and justify their persecution.

The significant increase in pressure over the past year indicates a new escalation in this oppressive campaign. These blatant human rights violations pose a major challenge to the international community, which demands an end to the systematic persecution of Baha’is in Iran and the guarantee of their fundamental rights as citizens. These recent events in Karaj and other cities are a painful reminder of the precarious situation Baha’is endure in their homeland…..More

Author:
Monir Erfani
Journalist & Translator
ABN Bahá’í News
Contact: monir@abnnews.net

Human Rights: Discrimination Against Baha’is in this Arab Country

Baha’i Woman Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison
.

Baha’i persecution Iran, Baha’is in Iran, Baha’i suppression, Iran human rights violations, religious freedom Iran, religious minorities Iran, Iranian security forces, Baha’i home searches, confiscation of Baha’i property, Karaj, Isfahan, Yazd, Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iran law and religion, history of Baha’i persecution, Baha’i community Iran, Saman Zaer, Soheil Rouhanifard, Milad Mohammadi, Nosrat Mohammadi, Arman Bahrami, Elham Siadat, Baha’i News.