By Pishtaz and AFP | 2023-11-15

Iranian officials have arrested a number of members of the Bahai faith, the country's largest non-Muslim religious minority, amid a fresh crackdown on the community, representatives of the group said Tuesday (November 14).

Activists say Bahais, whose faith is not recognized by the Iranian regime, have faced persecution since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, with a fresh intensification of repression over the last year.

At least 19 Bahais were detained in raids on their residences by security forces last week in Hamedan and Karaj, said the Bahai International Community (BIC), which represents Bahais at the United Nations (UN).

Ten other members of the community were arrested last month in Esfahan, all of them women, BIC's statement added, with a total of 32 Bahais detained nationwide since last month.

The residences targeted in the raids in Hamedan included those of five women aged between 70 and 90, one of whom suffers from Alzheimer's disease, it said.

Two of the women targeted are widows of men who were executed by the Islamic Republic in the immediate aftermath of the 1979 revolution.

"The latest arrests and home searches... confirm rising fears that Iran's government has redoubled its crackdown on the persecuted Bahai community in Iran," the BIC said.

Concerns over crackdown

In a statement to AFP, representatives of Bahais in the United States said all of the Bahais arrested in Iran remain in prison, with the exception of two women detained in Esfahan who were released on bail.

Those in custody have not been allowed to their families to visit them, it said, and several have been sent to the hospital for treatment for reasons that are unclear as of yet, the statement said.

The arrests have triggered international concern.

The US ambassador at large for international religious freedom, Rashad Hussain, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that "persecution of Bahais in Iran must end" and "the trend of authorities targeting Bahai women is deeply disturbing."

Canada's Office of Human Rights said it was concerned by "the reports of arrests and violent treatment" of Bahais in Iran, while Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said he was "very concerned" by the arrests.

Senior community figures Mahvash Sabet, a prominent Bahai activist and poet, and Fariba Kamalabadi -- both of whom were arrested in July 2022 -- remain in prison and are serving 10-year sentences.

The Bahai faith is a relatively modern monotheistic religion with spiritual roots dating back to the early 19th century in Iran.

Bahais in Iran complain of discrimination in their daily lives, making it a struggle to open businesses and even bury their dead.

They also complain that they are systematically denied access to higher education in Iran if they announce their religion.

After the latest arrests, Iran's intelligence ministry on Monday accused community members of espionage and working illegally to spread their religion.

History of discrimination

Iran's Bahai community has been subjected to discrimination, restrictions and arrests for years, facing raids last year on its dwellings and businesses.

In August 2022, 13 Iranian Bahais, including prominent members of the community, were abruptly arrested in raids on 52 homes and businesses across the country, said Diane Alai of the BIC.

Iranian officials sealed off the village of Roshankouh in Mazandaran province and destroyed six Bahai houses and confiscated 20 hectares of land.

Video footage posted on social media showed the residents of Roshankouh, which is known to have a strong Bahai presence, standing aghast in front of the wreckage of their houses after the destruction.

The BIC said in a statement that heavy earth-moving equipment was used at the time to demolish the houses and one Bahai resident was arrested.

"We ask everyone to raise their voice and call for these dreadful acts of blatant persecution to be immediately stopped," Alai said at the time.

She denounced a "step-by-step plan" by the Iranian authorities of "first blatant lies and hate speech, then raids and arrests, and today land grabs, occupations and the destruction of homes."

The Islamic Republic regards members of the Bahai faith as "heretics" and regards them with suspicion, as the community has its main center and spiritual home in Haifa, Israel.

Bahais have faced similar persecution in Yemen at the hands of the Houthis, an Iranian proxy group.

In 2018, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on Iran to end human rights violations against minority religions, including the Bahais.

It pointed to "harassment, intimidation, persecution, arbitrary arrests and detention," among other breaches.