Closure of Businesses of Three Baha'is After Participating in Religious Ceremony

The businesses of three Baha'i citizens in Qaemshahr, Mazandaran province, were sealed by officials from the places of business department due to their closure during the Baha'i religious holiday. According to a report by HRANA, a media organization of human rights activists in Iran, on Tuesday, November 6, the eyewear shop of Sohrab Laghai Azar, the refrigerator repair shop of Kamran Babaei, and the stationery store belonging to Kamran Abedini were sealed because these citizens closed their shops on Saturday and Sunday, coinciding with the Baha'i religious holiday. Based on this report and according to one of the relatives of these three citizens, 'Saturday and Sunday of this week were Baha'i religious holidays, and because these Baha'i citizens closed their shops during the holiday, their businesses were sealed by the officials.' The Baha'i World Community had warned in previous days that the harassment and repression of Baha'is in Iran has intensified and stated that 'it has become alarmingly aware of new cases of the government's ongoing efforts to cleanse Iran of Baha'i history and identity.' According to unofficial sources, more than 300,000 Baha'is live in Iran, but the constitution of the Islamic Republic does not recognize the Baha'i faith and treats it with hostility. Human rights organizations have criticized the continuation of organized repression against religious minorities, especially Baha'is. For decades, the judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic have deprived Baha'i citizens of their civil rights, including the right to education, describing educational programs outside the government framework as 'deviant.' Human rights organizations say that the rights of Baha'is in Iran have been systematically violated over the years, and government pressures on them have increased in recent months.