Global Bahá'í Community Protests Violent Arrest of Bahá'í Women in Isfahan

The global Bahá'í community described the violent arrest of 11 Bahá'í women by the Islamic Republic as a "ruthless act" and part of a "systematic campaign of harassment and repression" against Bahá'ís. Roya Azadkhush, Shourangiz Bahamin, Nasrin Khademi, Maryam Khorsandi, Bashri Motahar, Mojgan Pourshafie, Firouzeh Rastehnejad, Sanaz Rasteh, Sara Shakib, Azita Rezvani-Khah, and Farkhondeh Rezvan-Pey were arrested on Wednesday, January 23, by government forces and transferred to the Dowlatabad prison in Isfahan to serve their sentences. The global Bahá'í community noted that security agents of the Islamic Republic forcibly entered the homes of these women by climbing over walls, pressuring neighbors, and pretending to be municipal workers, subjecting them to "high-pressure and intrusive searches." The statement mentioned that several of the arrested women have infants and young children who were left anxious and terrified by the actions of the security agents. Simin Fahandj, representative of the global Bahá'í community at the United Nations in Geneva, emphasized that the Islamic Republic carried out this action two days before its human rights record was to be reviewed at the United Nations. She added, "What these women are being punished for is their service to their local communities." The global Bahá'í community has urged the international community to call on the Islamic Republic to end discrimination against Bahá'ís and to stop government harassment, repression, arrests, and confiscation of their property during the upcoming Universal Periodic Review session. The UN Human Rights Council is set to hold its fourth "Universal Periodic Review" session in Geneva on January 25, where Iran's human rights performance will be assessed, and recommendations for improvement will be made. The global Bahá'í community had previously warned that despite Iran's acceptance of past recommendations during the 2019 review, it has not taken any effective steps to eliminate discrimination and has intensified human rights violations against Bahá'ís. The recently arrested Bahá'í citizens had previously been detained on May 24, 2021, along with several other Bahá'í women residing in Baharestan, Isfahan, and were released on bail on June 17 of the same year. After their trial by the first branch of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court, initial sentences including imprisonment, fines, social service bans, and travel restrictions were issued. Recently, a group of 18 UN human rights experts, including Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran, expressed concern over the increasing organized repression against Bahá'í women in Iran. These experts had previously condemned the escalating discrimination against Bahá'í women in a letter to the Iranian authorities. Bahá'í citizens have faced widespread deprivation since the 1979 revolution, including dismissal from government jobs, confiscation of property, closure of businesses, denial of education, and destruction of cemeteries. According to the annual report of the "International Religious Freedom Commission" last year, the government's repression, violence, discrimination, and social stigmatization against Bahá'í citizens have intensified. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom has also expressed concern over the increasing pressure on religious minorities in Iran and the Islamic Republic's campaign to arrest Bahá'ís.