Raid by Ministry of Intelligence Agents on the Residence of Baha'is in Tabriz; Three Arrested

On Tuesday, agents of the Islamic Republic's intelligence arrested three Baha'i citizens residing in Tabriz: Azam Azmoudeh, Sina Aghdas, and Iraj Nourasteh. According to reports, their attempt to arrest two other Baha'i citizens was unsuccessful as they were not home. According to HRANA, the media organ of human rights activists in Iran, on September 17, agents from the Tabriz Intelligence Office visited the home of Azam Azmoudeh, a Baha'i citizen living in East Azerbaijan Province, and arrested her. A source close to Iraj Nourasteh informed HRANA that the intelligence agents arrested him just two days after the death of his brother. Sina Aghdas is another Baha'i citizen who was arrested at his home in Tabriz on the same day. In addition to the arrest of these three Baha'is, the Ministry of Intelligence officials also confiscated their electronic devices, but it is unclear why they were arrested and where they are currently being held. HRANA also reported that intelligence agents visited the homes of Shiva Eisaikhani and Nasim Naeimi, but left due to their absence. Since the 1979 revolution, Baha'i citizens in Iran have systematically faced executions, widespread social and political discrimination, and illegal actions including arrests and desecration of their cemeteries. Additionally, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has previously expressed concern over the increasing pressure on religious minorities in Iran and the Islamic Republic's campaign to arrest Baha'is. The commission stated in a report that over the past few decades, the Iranian authorities have systematically targeted Baha'is, Christians, Gonabadi dervishes, Zoroastrians, Yarsanis, Shia and Sunni Muslims, and non-religious individuals for harassment, arrest, long-term imprisonment, exile, or prohibition from participating in political and social activities.