Continued Persecution of Religious Minorities in Iran; Fifteen Baha'i Women Summoned to Isfahan Revolutionary Court

The news agency of human rights activists in Iran, Hrana, reported on Sunday that fifteen Baha'i citizens residing in Baharestan, Isfahan, have been summoned to the first branch of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court after receiving a notification. Hrana identified these citizens as Mojgan Pourshafie, Nasrin Khademi, Azita Rezvani-Khah, Shohreh Ashouri, Mojdeh Bahamin, Bashari Motahar, Sara Shakib, Samira Shakib, Roya Azadkhush, Nushin Hemmat, Shourangiz Bahamin, Sanaz Rasteh, Maryam Khorsandi, Firoozeh Rasti-Nejad, and Farkhondeh Rezvan. They have been asked to appear in court on May 1 to defend against the charges brought against them. These Baha'i women face accusations such as 'propaganda against the Islamic Republic' and 'participation in conducting deviant educational and promotional activities contrary to Islamic law.' Earlier, on April 11, an indictment against these fifteen Baha'i citizens was issued by the Isfahan Prosecutor's Office with charges of 'propaganda against the Islamic Republic and participation in conducting deviant educational and promotional activities contrary to Islamic law.' According to Hrana, among these women, Roya Azadkhush, Azita Rezvani-Khah, Sara Shakib, Sanaz Rasteh, Shohreh Ashouri, Shourangiz Bahamin, Firoozeh Rasti-Nejad, Maryam Khorsandi, Mojgan Pourshafie, Nasrin Khademi, and Nushin Hemmat were arrested in 2021 and were later released on bail. The homes of Mojdeh Bahamin, Farkhondeh Rezvan-Pei, Bashari Motahar, and Samira Shakib have also previously been searched by government forces. According to human rights organizations, Baha'i citizens in Iran are systematically deprived of freedoms related to their religious beliefs, despite Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which state that everyone has the right to freedom of religion and belief, as well as the freedom to express it individually or collectively, publicly or privately. Unofficial statistics indicate that more than three hundred thousand Baha'is live in Iran, who have been continuously and systematically subjected to government persecution over the past 45 years since the establishment of the Islamic Republic. Human Rights Watch described the actions of the Islamic Republic in persecuting Baha'is in Iran as 'crimes against humanity' on April 2. A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department stated the next day to Voice of America, 'The leadership of the Islamic Republic continues to disregard the rights of minorities, including Baha'is, and for this reason, UN human rights experts consider these actions indicative of a systematic policy of persecution.' Nasim Sabati, a Baha'i citizen, has been summoned to serve a sentence of three years and eight months in prison. Hrana reported the rejection of the request for retrial of Payam Vali, a imprisoned Baha'i citizen, by the Supreme Court. The U.S. State Department expressed deep concern about the ongoing repression of Baha'is in Iran. Human Rights Watch: The persecution of Baha'is by the Iranian government is a 'crime against humanity.' Keyvan Rahimian, a imprisoned Baha'i citizen, stated: 'The greatest discrimination is the deprivation of service for the welfare of Iran.' The Semnan Revolutionary Court sentenced a Baha'i citizen to imprisonment and 'participation in cult therapy classes.'