Exclusive; Yekta Fahendj Saadi Remains in Limbo in Adelabad Prison, Shiraz

Yekta Fahendj Saadi, a Bahá'í citizen imprisoned in Shiraz, has been in limbo at Adelabad Prison for about 80 days after being arrested by agents of the Islamic Republic's Ministry of Intelligence. Ms. Fahendj Saadi was detained on December 18 and transferred to Adelabad Prison on February 19, where she has been held in temporary detention since. Prior to that, she was imprisoned in the Soroush and Plaque 100 detention centers under harsh and solitary conditions. According to reports received by Voice of America, despite her family's repeated visits to the court, her status remains unclear after 78 days of detention. In the past two weeks, Ms. Fahendj Saadi has only had two opportunities for a cabin visit with her family. She has been arrested several times in previous years as well. Bahá'ís, who are among the largest non-Muslim religious minorities in Iran, have systematically faced harassment since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. According to the annual report on 'International Religious Freedom' for 2022, published by the U.S. Department of State's Office of International Religious Freedom, the repression, violence, discrimination, and social stigmatization against members of the Bahá'í community in Iran have intensified. Yekta Fahendj's sister speaks to Voice of America about the details of this Bahá'í citizen's renewed arrest, highlighting five weeks of uncertainty in Shiraz's intelligence detention center, where Yekta Fahendj Saadi's charges remain unspecified. The 'complaint-making' policy against imprisoned Bahá'ís is noted, with Farhad Sabetan commenting on the government's desperation in providing evidence. Human rights observers express concern that pressure on Iran's Bahá'í community has intensified in the months of Mehr and Aban 1402 (September and October 2023).