Concerns of Human Rights Observers; Pressure on Iran's Baha'i Community Intensified in October and November 2023

According to the latest statistical analyses from human rights organizations, pressure on Iran's Baha'i community intensified from the beginning of October 2023 and continued until the end of November. During the two months of October and November, at least 40 Baha'i citizens were arrested by security forces, and the homes of at least 66 individuals were searched by security personnel. Additionally, during this period, 38 Baha'i citizens were sentenced to a total of more than 133 years and 9 months in prison by judicial authorities. The Baha'i World Community (BIC), which represents Baha'is worldwide, stated on November 29 to Voice of America that the Iranian government has increased its repression of the Baha'i minority by arresting 19 individuals last week. Simin Fahandej, a representative of BIC at the United Nations, reported that 'these 19 arrests and 20 home raids occurred a few days ago in the cities of Hamadan and Karaj.' She further added that several weeks prior, dozens of arrests were reported in the cities of Shiraz, Yazd, and Isfahan, indicating an increase in the harassment of Baha'is across the country. The representative of the Baha'i World Community noted that among the 10 Baha'is arrested in Isfahan, all were young women. Additionally, among those arrested in recent weeks, four or five elderly women were included, whose husbands had been executed by the Iranian government in the 1980s. A Baha'i citizen residing in Hamadan described the security forces' approach during their home searches as 'violent,' stating: 'The security forces lifted the tiles and ceramics of the houses, inspected the feathers of pet birds, and even tore the furniture apart. Seizure of cash, gold, and any valuable items, including home and vehicle documents, was another form of harassment by security forces during these raids.' HRANA, the news agency of human rights activists in Iran, announced the identities of the forty arrested Baha'i citizens and published a list of sixty-six other Baha'i citizens whose homes were searched over the past two months. The arrests reported last week raised concerns among Western governments. Rashad Hussain, the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, tweeted: 'The harassment and torture of Baha'is in Iran must end. Religious persecution is unacceptable, and the trend of authorities targeting Baha'i women is deeply concerning.' The Office of Human Rights, Freedoms, and Inclusion of Canada and Jean Asselborn, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg, issued similar statements on X, formerly known as Twitter. Last month, Javad Rahman, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, stated at a UN meeting in New York that there has been a 'significant increase in attacks, targeting, and harassment' of Baha'is in Iran. Rahman noted: 'Since July 2022, over 333 incidents have been reported, including cases of arbitrary detention, interrogation, illegal arrests, torture, mistreatment, property destruction, desecration of cemeteries, deprivation of educational rights, and other forms of economic pressure.' The IRGC reported that 10 Baha'i citizens were arrested in the provinces of Tehran and Alborz, with trials and searches of several Baha'i citizens' homes in Sari and Hamadan. The harassment of Baha'is in Iran has increased; 26 Baha'is have been sentenced to a total of 126 years in prison, and two Baha'i citizens were sentenced to prison by the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Mashhad.