Continued Uncertainty for Roya Sabat, Bahai Citizen, in 'IRGC Detention Center'

Roya Sabat, a Bahai citizen residing in the UAE who was detained in Shiraz, has been held for over 130 days without clarity on her situation, according to her husband, Mohammad Ali Rouhaniyan. On Sunday, July 1, he told Radio Farda that the charges against his wife remain unspecified. 'We have spoken with several lawyers, and they said we can intervene after the charges are clarified, especially since she is currently in an IRGC detention center,' he stated. Rouhaniyan, who lives in the UAE, mentioned that they approached the UAE security organization twice, but they were told that his wife holds an Iranian passport and is not their citizen. He explained that his wife traveled to Shiraz to care for her parents, who have Alzheimer's. 'She was only able to make a phone call and have a visit in April when she was transferred to Adelabad Prison, but she has been moved back to the IRGC detention center for a month now, and we have no news of her,' he said. Rouhaniyan expressed confidence that his wife's detention is not politically motivated, asserting that she was arrested solely 'because of her belief in the Bahai faith.' Members of Sabat's family, including her father and cousins, have a history of arrest and imprisonment due to their beliefs since the early revolution. Roya Sabat was arrested on February 15 of last year after being summoned by the IRGC intelligence in Shiraz. Two days prior, IRGC agents raided her parents' home and confiscated all her personal belongings and documents. Previous reports by Radio Farda have highlighted new restrictions on Bahais, including limitations on burial in Bahai cemeteries in Tehran, the sealing of their shops, and job dismissals, noting that a new wave of repression against Bahai citizens in Iran has begun with the onset of protests for 'Women, Life, Freedom.' The Islamic Republic does not recognize the Bahai faith, and judicial authorities have repeatedly labeled Bahais as 'spies and enemies,' issuing death sentences, arrests, imprisonments, and depriving them of education and employment.