Three Baha'i Citizens Arrested in Tirran, Isfahan

Radio Farda has learned that Rashid Dehghani and Pedram Dehghani, residents of Tehran, and an 18-year-old teenager named Parsa Dehghani, a resident of Karaj, have been arrested in the city of Tirran, Isfahan province, due to their belief in the Baha'i faith. Informed sources told Radio Farda that security forces entered the home of one of the Baha'is in the village of Mohammadiyeh, a part of Tirran, on Saturday, November 12, and arrested all the Baha'i men present in the house, totaling 11 individuals. As of today, eight of the detainees have been released, but Rashid, Parsa, and Pedram Dehghani remain in custody, and there is no information on their status or the reason for their continued detention. According to these sources, Saturday was one of the Baha'i holidays, and Baha'i citizens, most of whom are relatives, were present at this house. The three Baha'i citizens had traveled from Tehran to this city on that day. Reports from Radio Farda indicate 'threats of torture' against 10 Baha'i women in Isfahan during their detention. These sources have stated that Pedram Dehghani 'takes specific medications, and the family has not been able to deliver these medications to him so far.' Security forces have pressured the relatives of these three Baha'i citizens to prevent news of their arrest from being reported. In recent years, especially after the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests, pressure on Baha'i citizens in Iran has significantly increased. Despite the presence of 300,000 Baha'is in Iran, the Islamic Republic does not recognize the Baha'i faith. Iranian officials have repeatedly labeled Baha'is as 'spies and enemies' and have issued numerous death sentences, arrests, imprisonments, and restrictions on education and business, as well as destruction of homes and cemeteries against followers of this faith over the past four decades.