Reports of 'Beatings' and 'Torture' of Detained Bahá'ís in Golestan

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reports that 24 Bahá'í citizens arrested in 2012 in Golestan province were subjected to 'beatings' during their detention, accused of illicit relationships, and tortured through methods including keeping their cells cold. According to the website, 12 of these Bahá'ís, detained in the fall of 2012, had requested an investigation into these abuses in a letter to the head of the Golestan judiciary on November 30 of that year, but 'have received no response to date.' The letter details that one interrogator placed a 'very tight handcuff' on the wrist of Behnam Hosseini, one of the detained Bahá'ís, and connected the other end to a bar above his head, positioning him on a sloped surface so that only the tips of his toes touched the ground. The authors of the letter stated that the interrogators 'beat' Mr. Hosseini, 'kicking his shins and knees, placing a pen between his fingers, sometimes hitting the back of his neck and sometimes in his mouth, and... subsequently kept him outside in the rain for several hours on a cold night.' The report also indicates that interrogators forced Hena Aghighian, one of the detained Bahá'í women, to 'go under the table' and 'kicked her in the side and other parts of her body' to answer their questions, and when she did not respond as the interrogator wished, he tore and crumpled the interrogation paper and forcibly placed it in her mouth. The International Campaign for Human Rights also reported, citing 'an informed source,' that 12 other Bahá'ís detained in February and March 2013 faced 'other forms of torture.' According to this 'informed source,' interrogators would 'cool down' the solitary confinement cells where these prisoners were held, causing their bodies to ache from the cold, and when they protested, they were told that since they had not cooperated, they had to endure the cold. It was also stated that 'all' these prisoners were 'accused of illicit relationships' and that 'their interrogators told them they used their wives or daughters to attract men.' The 'informed source' further noted that one female prisoner's interrogator would 'get too close to her during questioning, pressing her against the corner of the wall with his foot and threatening her verbally after getting too close.' These Bahá'í citizens were eventually released on bail but were collectively sentenced to 193 years in prison. According to the report, Shahnam Jazbani and Sheida Ghoddosi were each sentenced to 11 years, while Behnam Hosseini, Parisa Shahidi, Pariush Shojaei, Mojdeh Zahoori, Beita Mohebati, Beita Hedayati, Vataq Sanayi, Hena Aghighian, Shohreh Samimi, Hena Koushkbagi, Farahnaz Tabianian, Pooneh Sanayi, and Mona Amri Hasari were each sentenced to 9 years. Navid Moallemi, Nazi Tahghighi Hasari, Carmelita Bidlian, Mitra Noori, Roufia Pakzadan, Shiva Rouhani, Soudeh Mahdinejad, Maryam Dehghan, and Hooshmand Dehghan were each sentenced to 6 years. According to the European Bahá'í community, about 300,000 Bahá'ís live in Iran, where the Islamic Republic does not recognize Bahá'í faith as a religion, and Bahá'ís are deprived of the right to higher education and employment in government positions. The Bahá'í community claims that since the 1979 revolution, over 200 Bahá'ís have been killed by the Iranian government, and thousands of Bahá'ís have been arrested and subjected to harassment. Meanwhile, Simin Fahandj, spokesperson for the Bahá'í World Community, stated in February that over 80 Bahá'ís are currently imprisoned.