Three Baha'i Citizens Arrested in Tabriz

Human rights sources have reported the arrest of three citizens in Tabriz, East Azerbaijan Province. According to the websites HRANA and Hengaw, agents from the Intelligence Department in Tabriz arrested Azam Azmoudeh, Sina Aghdasi, and Iraj Nooresta on Tuesday, September 17. The report states that these three citizens were arrested at their homes, and the agents conducted searches of their residences and confiscated their electronic devices. The HRANA website quoted a relative of Iraj Nooresta, stating that his arrest occurred just two days after he lost his brother, and the agents rejected his request to postpone the arrest until after the funeral. The reasons for the arrests and the charges against these Baha'i citizens have not been disclosed. Additionally, reports indicate that on the same day, intelligence agents went to the homes of two other Baha'i citizens, Shiva Eisaikhani and Nasim Naeimi, to arrest them but left due to their absence. Baha'i citizens in Iran have faced harassment, deprivation, and systematic discrimination since the establishment of the Islamic Republic, and reports indicate that pressures on them have increased in recent years. The annual human rights report by the U.S. State Department and the report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, released last month, have described the ongoing violation of the most fundamental rights of Baha'is in Iran as part of the Islamic Republic's 'targeted' approach, labeling it a matter of 'particular concern.'