Yesterday at least 9 Baha’i citizens were arrested in Baharestan, Isfahan.
According to the Campaign for the Defense of Political and Civil Prisoners, at least 9 Baha’i residence of Baharestan in Isfahan province, named Shahab Ferdowsian, Nasim Jaberi, Mehranollah Daddy, Shahbaz Bashi, Vahideh Nizmand, Naser Lotfi, Ghodous Lotfi, Saghar Manouchehrzadeh and Homa Manouchehrzadeh were arrested by security forces and taken to an unknown location on Friday, November 29th, 2019.
The arrests are said to have been carried out along with their home search. There is no information on the charges or the reason for the detention of these citizens, and security forces have searched their homes and seized some of their personal belongings.
Campaign sources say that there are more than 9 Baha’i detainees in Baharestan, but only identities of 9 have been identified.
Some officials have attributed the November 2019 protests to foreign agents or Baha’i citizens, while Baha’i citizens have been detained and imprisoned for many times over the years of this regime ruling.
UN human rights reporters have repeatedly protested to the Iranian government on their treatment of Baha’is and believed that it is a clear indication of Iran’s neglect of human rights treaties.
The Islamic Republic’s constitution does not recognize Baha’i as a religion or religion, and therefore the detention and imprisonment of Baha’is continued for four decades.
Mistreatment of Baha’is has intensified in recent years, including the destruction of their cemeteries, arbitrary arrests, home raids, confiscation of property, job dismissal, and deprivation of their basic civil rights. Iranian Baha’i youth are still deprived of their university education, and any university in which Baha’i students’ study, are forced to expel them. Baha’i professionals are denied public office and are discriminated against by private companies for their beliefs. Even those who defend them are attacked.