Trial and Search of Several Baha'i Citizens' Homes in Sari and Hamadan

Simultaneously with the trial of three Baha'i citizens in the Revolutionary Court of Sari on Tuesday, November 7, government agents searched the homes of four Baha'i citizens in Hamadan, confiscating some of their belongings and documents, including their passports. According to HRANA, the news agency of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, the charges against Soha Sabati, Behrouz Rahmani, and Sanaz Alizadeh, Baha'i citizens residing in Sari, are 'propaganda in favor of groups or organizations opposing the regime' and 'membership in a group or association aimed at disrupting national security.' The report states that these three individuals were summoned to the Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office in Sari, Mazandaran province, in September 2023, and were released on bail after being informed of the charges. Meanwhile, government agents searched the homes of four Baha'i citizens, Mehran Khandal, Pouran Habibi (Khandal), Zhinous Shadabi, and Akhtar Kothari (Naeimi), in Hamadan and confiscated some of their personal belongings and documents. According to HRANA, after several hours of searching these individuals' homes, agents took their mobile phones, computers, passports, and several of their documents. No news has been published regarding the reason for the searches of these Baha'i citizens' homes in Hamadan. In recent days, in addition to the trial of a Baha'i citizen in Mashhad, government agents have also searched the home of another Baha'i citizen in Shiraz. The charges against Cyrus Zabihih, a Baha'i citizen residing in Mashhad, who was tried on Saturday, November 4, in Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Mashhad, include 'forming or managing a group or association with the intent to disrupt national security' and 'membership in a group or association with the intent to disrupt national security' and 'propaganda against the regime.' Simultaneously, government agents searched the home of Roya Sheikhi, a Baha'i citizen residing in Shiraz, confiscating communication and electronic devices, including family members' phones, laptops, religious books, national ID cards, passports, and even some work items belonging to her brother. Recently, the Mazandaran Court of Appeals sentenced 14 Baha'i citizens to imprisonment and fines in verbal rulings. The Baha'i community worldwide has recently stated that the issuance of prison sentences against Baha'i citizens is an increasing pattern of persecution of Baha'is in Iran and has called on the international community to hold the Iranian government accountable for human rights violations. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has also expressed concern in a statement about the intensifying pressure on religious minorities in Iran and the Islamic Republic's campaign to detain Baha'is. According to this commission's report, currently, at least about 200 individuals are imprisoned in the Islamic Republic for religious or ideological reasons. Baha'i citizens in Iran have been systematically subjected to execution, widespread social and political discrimination, and illegal actions, including arrests and desecration of their cemeteries, since the 1979 revolution.