Six Baha’i women were arrested and transferred to prison to begin serving sentences totaling nearly 39 years.

The women – Neda Mohebi, Farideh Ayoubi, Zarrindokht Ahadzadeh, Zhaleh Rezaei, Atefeh Zahedi, and Noora Ayoubi – were taken into custody after being summoned to the enforcement office of a court in Hamedan.

Branch 2 of the Hamedan Revolutionary Court sentenced Mohebi to seven years and eight months in prison and the other five women to six years and three months each.

The court suspended three years of Mohebi’s sentence and two years each for Ahadzadeh, Rezaei, and Ayoubi, the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights reported.

The women were convicted of “propaganda against the Islamic Republic” and “organizing illegal Baha’i classes and groups.”

They were previously arrested on November 7, 2023, and released on bail in December 2023 pending trial.

The post Six Baha’i Women Arrested and Sent to Prison in Iran appeared first on Iran Press Watch.

Hengaw – Monday, October 27, 2025

Roya Sabet, a Baha’i woman from Shiraz and a long-term resident of the United Arab Emirates, has been arrested to serve a ten-year prison sentence and transferred to Adelabad (Central) Prison in Shiraz.

According to information obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Sabet was detained at her sister’s home in Shiraz and taken to Adelabad Prison to begin serving her sentence. Her arrest took place on Saturday, October 25, 2025.

Sabet had earlier been sentenced by Branch 1 of the Shiraz Revolutionary Court to a total of 25 years in prison, including 20 years on charges of “collaboration and communication with Israeli nationals and institutions and forming and managing a group with the intent to act against national security” and five years on charges of “promoting Baha’i religious beliefs contrary to Islamic Sharia.”

Under Iran’s sentence aggregation law, the court ruled that the most severe of her sentences, ten years of imprisonment, would be enforced.

The Baha’i woman, who had lived in the UAE for 23 years, was previously arrested on February 15, 2024, after being summoned by the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Shiraz, on charges of “propaganda against the regime” and “acting against national security.”

She was released from Adelabad Prison in August 2024 after five months of pre-trial detention upon posting bail.

The post Baha’i woman Roya Sabet arrested to serve prison sentence in Shiraz appeared first on Iran Press Watch.

Translation by Iran Press Watch

HRANA News Agency – The prison sentence of Anisa Fanaian, a Bahá’í citizen, remained unchanged following the acceptance of her request for retrial by the Supreme Court and the referral of her case to a parallel branch. Branch 10 of the Semnan Provincial Court of Appeals has once again sentenced her to eight years in prison in its new ruling.

According to information received by HRANA, despite the Supreme Court’s acceptance of the retrial, the parallel branch of the Semnan Court of Appeals has reissued the previous sentence of eight years in prison for Ms. Fanaian.

On October 2, following the acceptance of her retrial request by the Supreme Court, Anisa Fanaian, a Bahá’í citizen, was released from Semnan Prison after posting bail.

Ms. Fanaian had earlier been arrested on March 11, 2025, by security forces on one of Semnan’s streets to serve her prison sentence and was transferred to Semnan Prison.

In December of last year, Branch 7 of the Semnan Court of Appeals, presided over by Judge Javad Raeisi and Counselor Ali Momeni, had sentenced her to seven years in prison on the charge of “forming a group with the intent to disrupt national security” and one year in prison on the charge of “propaganda against the regime.”
Under Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, the severest sentence, i.e. seven years of imprisonment, was enforceable.

At the end of 2023, in the initial trial, the Semnan Revolutionary Court had sentenced Ms. Fanaian to:

• 10 years in prison for “forming a group with the intent to disrupt national security,”
• 5 years in prison for “educational or promotional activities deemed deviant and contrary to the sacred law of Islam within the framework of a sect, group, or association,”
• a fine of 50 million tomans, and
• 15 years’ deprivation of social rights (category five).

She was also sentenced to one year in prison for “propaganda against the regime.”
Additionally, $4,350 USD, which was personal property belonging to family members and seized from her daughter’s room, was confiscated in favor of the state.

This Bahá’í citizen residing in Semnan, who had previously served a prison term, was arrested again in mid-August 2023 by security agents and later released on bail.

It is noteworthy that Anisa Fanaian is the niece of Attaollah Rezvani. HRANA had earlier reported that, 11 years after the murder of Attaollah Rezvani, a Bahá’í citizen, the Juvenile Criminal Court of Hormozgan Province, while confirming that it was an intentional homicide, rejected the family’s request for compensation (diya) from the Public Treasury Fund “because the victim was Bahá’í.”

Over the past decade, the Bahá’í community in Iran has been targeted by security and judicial authorities more than any other religious minority. According to annual reports from the Statistics, Publications, and Archives Department of the Human Rights Activists in Iran organization, over the past three years, an average of 72% of reports concerning religious minorities have been related to violations of the civil rights of Bahá’ís.

The post After Acceptance of a Retrial: Anisa Fanaian Again Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison appeared first on Iran Press Watch.

HRANA – Shahram Fallah, a 64-year-old Baha’i citizen currently held in Kerman Prison, has been sentenced by Branch 1 of the Kerman Revolutionary Court to 13 years, 6 months, and 2 days in prison, along with one year of exile in Birjand County.

According to the verdict, Mr. Fallah received 7 years, 6 months, and 1 day in prison for allegedly conducting educational and proselytizing activities deemed “deviant and contrary to Islamic law” through “false religious claims” and “organizational ties with foreign entities.” He was also sentenced to 6 years and 1 day in prison for forming a group with the intent to disrupt national security.

Mr. Fallah was arrested on August 18, 2025, by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence at his home and subsequently transferred to Kerman Prison. During the arrest, security agents confiscated mobile phones belonging to his family members and guests, as well as several of his religious books and images.

A long-time target of state repression, Shahram Fallah has previously faced arrest, prosecution, and imprisonment due to his Baha’i faith.

The post Shahram Fallah, Baha’i Citizen, Sentenced to Imprisonment and Exile appeared first on Iran Press Watch.

Translation by Iran Press Watch

In the fire of separation our souls are consumed.

In the name of God, the Lord of life and wisdom.

My wife, Roya Sabet, a Bahá’í citizen who had lived in the United Arab Emirates for twenty-three years, traveled to Shiraz on January 4, 2024, to care for her elderly and ailing parents. There she was arrested by agents of the Revolutionary Guard’s intelligence division on charges of “membership in the misguided Bahá’í sect” and “propaganda against the regime.” She has always denied these baseless accusations and protested them firmly and openly.

After enduring five months of tormenting solitary confinement and two months of imprisonment in Adelabad Prison—marked by repeated interrogations and the spiritual anguish of separation from her husband, children, and family—she was released on August 13, 2024, upon posting an unprecedented and crushing bail of 8.2 billion tomans.

In the Holy Qur’án, after faith in God, comes the command “and show kindness to your parents.” So exalted is this act that it is mentioned even before prayer and fasting. My wife went to Shiraz only to tend to her parents. On October 30, 2023, her father, Mr. Iraj Sabet, passed away, and her mother, Mrs. Nosrat Momtaz, remains bedridden to this day.

In the past decade, the Bahá’í community of Iran—especially its women—has faced more security and judicial persecution than any other religious minority. According to annual reports by the Human Rights Activists in Iran, an average of 272 reports each year over the past three years have documented violations of the civil rights of Bahá’ís.

On September 22, 2024, the Revolutionary Court of Shiraz sentenced my wife to twenty-five years in prison, of which ten years are enforceable, along with two years of travel ban and other supplementary punishments. This cruel sentence was upheld by Branch 37 of the Fars Provincial Court of Appeal. It is a verdict devoid of justice and humanity. My wife is entirely innocent. No credible evidence has ever been presented against her. Her two lawyers, in Shiraz and Tehran, have defended her courageously and in full accordance with the law.

This judgment has plunged our family into crisis and unbearable pain. For nearly two years I have lived alone, carrying the weight of her absence, while our children endure profound emotional distress and anxiety about their mother’s fate. Truly, we are burning in the fire of separation.

On September 19, 2024, the travel ban was lifted from her record, and on September 22, her passport was returned to our home, indicating she could finally travel. After nearly two years of anguish, we rejoiced that reunion was at last possible. She purchased her ticket on October 4, 2024, and after all the expenses and preparations, she arrived at the airport—only to have her passport seized. The officials told her, “A new travel ban has been issued for you today.”

We are devastated by these unjust and inhuman rulings. From the depths of our sorrow, we appeal to all human rights organizations in Iran and across the world to put an end to the oppression inflicted upon the Bahá’ís of Iran and to deliver us from this blazing fire of separation and grief.

— Mohammad-Ali Rouhaniyan
October 9, 2025

The post A Letter from the Heart — by the Husband of Roya Sabet, Bahá’í Prisoner of Conscience appeared first on Iran Press Watch.

Kian Sabeti

Translation by Iran Press Watch

Security and judicial actions against Bahá’í citizens residing in Iran have noticeably increased over the past four months. A large number of Bahá’ís have, during this period, faced home and workplace searches, trials, arrests, and imprisonment. Continuing the campaign of persecution and pressure on Bahá’ís in Iran, security agents of the Islamic Republic simultaneously and extensively raided the homes of at least 13 Bahá’í citizens across various cities on Monday, October 20, 2025, and arrested six of them.

House Searches and Arrests of Bahá’í Citizens

One of the cities where the homes of Bahá’ís were raided early Monday morning by Ministry of Intelligence agents was Tehran. Among the homes searched was that of Shabnam Chaboksavar. According to reports, at 7:30 a.m., agents presented a physical search warrant at her door, preventing her from leaving the house, and entered to conduct a search. After thoroughly searching the home and confiscating personal items such as her mobile phone, laptop, books, and religious photographs, the agents left. Matin Agahi, Noura Nozdehi, and Aruna Kowsari are other Bahá’ís in Tehran whose homes were searched by Ministry of Intelligence agents.

So far, the names of three arrested Bahá’í citizens in Tehran — Hengameh Sharifi, Fahim Agahi, and Fouad Abdolghaffari — have been confirmed. These individuals were arrested following searches of their homes. No information is available about the charges against them or where they are being held.

On Monday, another Bahá’í citizen, Adib Rahmani, was arrested in the city of Sari. The reason for the arrest of this young Bahá’í, who has been denied access to higher education, is unknown. His arrest came shortly after Mohammad-Bagher Mohammadi Laeini, the Friday prayer leader of Sari, claimed during a meeting of the Mazandaran Provincial Council for Public Culture that Bahá’ís are part of the intelligence and espionage networks of the “Zionist regime” and therefore should not be allowed to return to the country or reclaim their confiscated properties.

In addition to Adib Rahmani, two other Bahá’í citizens — Sonia Toudi’i and Shahram Kashani-Nejad — had previously been arrested by Mazandaran’s Intelligence Department and remain in temporary detention.

Two other Bahá’í citizens in Shiraz were also arrested on Monday, coinciding with the raids in other cities. Negar Misaghian, who had previously been detained, was arrested again on Monday in front of her young child and taken to the Shiraz Intelligence Detention Center, known as “Building 100.” At the same time, another Bahá’í from Shiraz, Shakib Farzan, was arrested at his home. Intelligence agents searched his residence, confiscated some personal belongings, and transferred him to the same detention center.

Six days prior to these arrests, two other Bahá’í citizens — Fardin Bengaleh and Afshin Haghighat — had been detained in Shiraz and remain in custody. Reports have also been received of the searches of Armaghan Enayati’s home in Semnan and Saman Eslami’s in Zahedan. On Monday, security forces entered these homes, searched them, and confiscated electronic devices, communication tools, books, and religious photographs.

According to reports, most of these raids were carried out in a way that created an atmosphere of fear and distress among family members.

International Reaction

These raids and arrests of Bahá’í citizens on Monday occurred only weeks after António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, reacted to the intensifying persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran. In his latest global report on intolerance and religion (or belief)-based violence, Guterres wrote:

“Bahá’ís in the Islamic Republic of Iran continue to face arbitrary arrests, imprisonment, and restrictions on access to education and livelihood; they are targeted solely because of their religious beliefs.”

The post Security and Judicial Actions Against Bahá’í Citizens in Iran Intensify appeared first on Iran Press Watch.

Translation by Iran Press Watch

HRANA News Agency – On Monday, October 20, Bahá’í citizens Negar Misaghian and Shakib Farzan, residents of Shiraz, were arrested by security forces and transferred to the Shiraz Intelligence Detention Center, known as Plaque 100.

According to HRANA, the news agency of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, Bahá’í citizens Negar Misaghian and Shakib Farzan were arrested in Shiraz.

Based on information received by HRANA, the arrests of Ms. Misaghian and Mr. Farzan took place today, Monday, October 20, at their homes by security agents. After their arrest, the two were transferred to the Shiraz Intelligence Detention Center, known as Plaque 100.

A source close to the families confirmed the news to HRANA and said:

“Ms. Misaghian was arrested in the presence of her young child. Her husband, Mahboub Habibi, who is also a Bahá’í, has been summoned to the Shiraz Intelligence Office. Following the arrest of Shakib Farzan, his home was searched by agents, and several of his personal belongings were confiscated.”

So far, no information has been obtained regarding the reasons for their arrests or the charges brought against these Bahá’í citizens.

Negar Misaghian and Mahboub Habibi had previously been arrested and faced judicial proceedings because of their religious beliefs and activities.

Over the past decade, the Bahá’í community in Iran has been more heavily targeted by security and judicial actions than any other religious minority.
According to annual reports from the Statistics, Publications, and Documentation Center of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, during the past three years, an average of 72% of all reports related to religious minorities have concerned violations of the civil rights of Bahá’ís.

The post Shiraz: Bahá’í citizens Negar Misaghian and Shakib Farzan arrested appeared first on Iran Press Watch.

Translation by Iran Press Watch

HRANA News Agency – In a new wave of security and judicial actions against Bahá’í citizens in Iran, the homes of at least nine Bahá’ís in the cities of Tehran, Shiraz, Semnan, Zahedan, and Sari were searched by security forces today. Among them, seven Bahá’í citizens — Fahim Agahi, Matin Agahi, Hengameh Sharifi, Adib Rahmani, Negar Misaghian, Shakib Farzan, and Armaghan Enayati — were arrested.

According to HRANA, the news agency of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, on Monday, October 20, 2025, a number of Bahá’í citizens in several cities were targeted by security forces.

Based on information received by HRANA, Fahim Agahi, Matin Agahi, and Hengameh Sharifi were arrested in Tehran; Adib Rahmani in Sari; Negar Misaghian and Shakib Farzan in Shiraz; and Armaghan Enayati in Semnan. The homes of these Bahá’í citizens were also searched by security agents.
Among them, Armaghan Yazdani and Matin Yazdani were released after several hours.

Additionally, the homes of Saman Eslami in Zahedan and Arona Kousari in Tehran were also searched by security forces.

The security agents, after entering the homes of these Bahá’í citizens, conducted full searches of their residences and confiscated various electronic devices, communication equipment, books, and personal belongings. Some eyewitnesses reported that the searches created an atmosphere of fear and anxiety among the families.

Earlier today, HRANA reported that Negar Misaghian and Shakib Farzan, after their arrests, were transferred to the Shiraz Intelligence Detention Center, known as Plaque 100. However, the whereabouts of the other detainees remain unknown.

The reasons for the arrests and the charges brought against these seven citizens are still unclear, and HRANA is pursuing further information.

Negar Misaghian has previously faced judicial actions because of her religious beliefs and activities. Armaghan Enayati and Adib Rahmani were previously denied higher education in Iranian universities due to their Bahá’í faith.

These arrests and home raids come amid repeated similar incidents in recent months, where Bahá’í citizens across various Iranian cities have faced waves of detentions, security pressures, social deprivation, and judicial restrictions.
In recent years, the security and judicial agencies of the Islamic Republic have used vague and repetitive accusations — including “propaganda against the regime,” “acting against national security,” and “forming an illegal group” — to justify arrests, confiscation of property, sealing of businesses, and denial of basic civil rights for Bahá’í citizens.

Over the past decade, the Bahá’í community in Iran has been more heavily targeted by security and judicial actions than any other religious minority.
According to annual reports from the Statistics, Publications, and Documentation Center of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, during the past three years, an average of 72% of all reports related to religious minorities have concerned violations of the civil rights of Bahá’ís.

The post Bahá’ís of Iran: 9 homes raided and 7 citizens arrested in one day appeared first on Iran Press Watch.

Translation by Iran Press Watch

Nasim Simyari, a political prisoner and one of those arrested during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests, announced in a note from Evin Prison that she has gone on a hunger strike in support of Fariba Kamalabadi, a Bahá’í prisoner, and in a call for her release.

Fariba Kamalabadi, together with Mahvash Sabet (Shahriari), another former member of the leadership group of the Bahá’í community of Iran known as the “Yaran of Iran,” was released from prison in 2017 after completing a 10-year sentence. However, both women were re-arrested in August 2022, held for months in solitary confinement, and again sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The 63-year-old Bahá’í citizen was transferred, along with other female inmates, to Qarchak Prison following Israel’s attack on Evin Prison. Her daughter, Elham Taefi, told Iran International in July that her mother was being held in unsanitary quarantine conditions lacking basic facilities.

In her note, published on her Instagram account on Sunday, October 12, Simyari wrote that Kamalabadi had been informed by her lawyer last week—while seven years of her sentence still remained—that she was to be released. In early October, news of her impending release was announced by a representative of the judiciary, and it was said she would be transferred to her ward within a week.

Simyari added: “They told her to prepare to leave, but the distance between Fariba’s joy, her family’s joy, her lawyers’ joy, and that of the women’s ward—and the pain of her continued imprisonment—was only a few days. The news came that her release had been canceled.”

Referring to the fact that Kamalabadi has spent more than 13 years of her life in prison, Simyari wrote that this Bahá’í citizen “stands tall” and shows empathy and solidarity with all other inmates, sharing her experiences with them.

At the end of her note, the political prisoner declared: “For Fariba, and for the thousands of days she has spent in captivity; for the sufferings she has endured; for her years of steadfastness, patience, and resilience—until the unconditional freedom of my dear Fariba, a teacher from whom I have learned so much—I will be on hunger strike.”

The Bahá’ís are the largest non-Muslim religious minority in Iran and have been systematically persecuted since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

In recent months, pressure from the Islamic Republic on Bahá’ís in Iran has intensified.

In a statement issued on September 24, the Bahá’í International Community, referring to the promises made by Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran’s 14th president, to respect the rights of all ethnic and religious minorities, stated that Bahá’ís continue to face persecution in Iran.

Unofficial sources estimate that more than 300,000 Bahá’í citizens live in Iran.

The constitution of the Islamic Republic officially recognizes only Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and the Zoroastrian Faith.

The post Nasim Simyari, political prisoner, goes on hunger strike in protest over the continued imprisonment of a Bahá’í citizen appeared first on Iran Press Watch.

HRANA – On Tuesday, October 14, Zhinus Mohammad-Nezhad, a Baha’i citizen residing in Urmia, was arrested by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence and transferred to an undisclosed location. At the same time, her home and her parents’ residence were searched by the agents.

Based on information obtained by HRANA, her arrest took place on Tuesday, October 14, at her home on in Urmia, when Ministry of Intelligence agents detained her. Simultaneously, both her home and her elderly parents’ nearby residence were searched. During the searches, several personal belongings of the Mohammad-Nezhad family were confiscated.

So far, no information has been made available regarding the reasons for her arrest, her place of detention, or the charges brought against this Baha’i citizen.

Over the past decade, the Iranian Bahá’í community has been disproportionately targeted by Iran’s security forces and judiciary, more than any other minority group. In the past three years, an average of 72 percent of the reports on religious rights violations collected by HRANA have documented the Iranian regime’s repression of the Bahá’í community.

The post Urmia: Baha’i Citizen Zhinus Mohammad-Nezhad Arrested appeared first on Iran Press Watch.

HRANA – On October 14, Afshin Haghighat, a Baha’i citizen residing in Shiraz, was arrested by security forces in the city and transferred to an undisclosed location. At the same time, his home was searched by agents, who confiscated several digital devices and religious books belonging to Mr. Haghighat and his family.

A source close to Haghighat’s family confirmed the arrest to HRANA, stating:
“On Tuesday, security agents came to the home of this Baha’i citizen in Shiraz and arrested him. His residence was simultaneously searched, and during the search, a number of digital devices and religious books belonging to him and his family were confiscated.”

As of this report, no information is available regarding the reasons for the arrest, his place of detention, or the charges brought against this Baha’i citizen.

Over the past decade, the Iranian Bahá’í community has been disproportionately targeted by Iran’s security forces and judiciary, more than any other minority group. In the past three years, an average of 72 percent of the reports on religious rights violations collected by HRANA have documented the Iranian regime’s repression of the Bahá’í community.

The post Afshin Haghighat, a Baha’i Citizen, Arrested appeared first on Iran Press Watch.

HRANA – On Tuesday, October 14, Fardin Bengaleh, a Baha’i citizen residing in Shiraz, was arrested by security forces and taken to an undisclosed location.

According to a report received by HRANA, Mr. Bengaleh was arrested in Shiraz by security forces on Tuesday, October 14. So far, no information has been obtained regarding the reasons for his arrest, the location of his detention, or the charges brought against him.

Fardin Bengaleh is a Baha’i citizen living in Shiraz.

Over the past decade, the Iranian Bahá’í community has been disproportionately targeted by Iran’s security forces and judiciary, more than any other minority group. In the past three years, an average of 72 percent of the reports on religious rights violations collected by HRANA have documented the Iranian regime’s repression of the Bahá’í community.

The post Baha’i Citizen Fardin Bengaleh Arrested appeared first on Iran Press Watch.

Geneva—15 October 2025—Three judiciary officials in Isfahan province, Iran, have issued seizure orders against several local Baha’is who as a result face the imminent and catastrophic loss of productive assets including a pistachio farm. Isfahan’s Chief Justice Asadollah Jafari, Judge Morteza Barati, and Mehdi Bagheri, have made anti-Baha’i statements in the past and two of them are under European Union sanctions for human rights abuses.

“To rob citizens of their means of livelihood for which they have worked for decades, only because of their faith, is in plain terms, state-led theft,” said Simin Fahandej, a Representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva. “For a government to allow itself to unlawfully take the means of livelihood from individuals for their faith is, fundamentally, to rob them. Added to this are the wider economic pressures faced by all Iranians, making this nothing short of an effort to strangulate and impoverish the entire Baha’i community, leaving them without even the basic necessities of life.”

Invoking Article 49—which empowers the state to seize property gained through illicit means—to confiscate legitimate and productive economic assets, without any evidence or due process, is a gross perversion of the law. In August, the BIC reported that over 20 other Baha’is, also in Isfahan, are under threat of losing all their belongings in the same way.

The use of Article 49 by Isfahan’s judiciary exposes its systematic campaign to persecute the Baha’i community through dispossession and economic pressure.

The latest seizures were ordered by Judge Morteza Barati, of the Revolutionary Courts in Isfahan, who was sanctioned by the European Union(link is external) (EU) for his involvement in human rights abuses. Barati has previously stated his intention to “strip” all Baha’is in Isfahan of their belongings and threatened that, “If the [Article 49] court is convened, we will ruin your life.”

A judiciary official named Mehdi Bagheri is also involved in the current cases. Over several months and on multiple occasions, he has denied several Baha’is access to the Chief Justice, preventing them from appealing their cases. Mr. Bagheri has also repeated statements claiming that “the perverse Bahaist sect stems from Britain and Zionism”—ridiculous statements which nevertheless are a form of hate speech that has been propagated for decades against the Baha’is by the Islamic Republic. He further stated that, for this reason, “there is no justification for Baha’is to have in-person meetings with the Chief Justice.”

The Isfahan Chief Justice Asadollah Jafari has himself also been sanctioned by the EU(link is external) for human rights violations—significantly reducing the likelihood of securing justice from these judiciary officials in the current seizure cases.

The behavior of these judicial officials reflects a general culture of autonomy and impunity when acting against Baha’is, promoted by the leadership of the Islamic Republic which often results in extreme actions of oppression and persecution for which no one is held accountable.

The BIC understands that the Baha’is in Isfahan are pursuing all legitimate options within the country, to reverse the seizures, and the offices of the President, the Ministry of Justice and Iran’s Judiciary have each stated they will follow up on the irregularities of these cases. But concerns remain that Isfahan’s judicial process is being conducted in an arbitrary and opaque way, without due process, with lawyers for the Baha’is also being obstructed from accessing case files or information.

Article 49 confiscations are ordered by a special branch of the Revolutionary Courts, operating under the Executive Headquarters of Imam Khomeini’s Order (EIKO, or Setad) which identifies and seizes assets deemed to be acquired through illicit means and returning them to their rightful owners. If no owners are identified, properties revert to the state, at which point they are placed at the disposal of the person of the Supreme Leader through the EIKO body. This means that confiscated Baha’i assets are channeled to entities under the direct authority of the Supreme Leader.

The same Isfahan judiciary has recently issued cruel and heavy sentences against Baha’is, outside the Article 49 cases, including prison sentences totaling 90 years issued against 10 Baha’i women(link is external) in the city.

“The Iranian authorities have made it clear that their only justification for persecuting the Baha’is in Iran, from arrests and imprisonments to economic impoverishment, has been their faith, and nothing more,” Ms. Fahandej said. “Their true intentions are apparent to the world. History will no doubt  deliver its verdict for the cruelty meted out to the Iranian Baha’i community.”

“But it is today that these acts must stop and for Baha’is be allowed to live and work as equal citizens. Iran’s government, which is responsible for the well-being of all its citizens, must reassure the Baha’is that their lives and properties will be protected and any assets so unjustly taken from the Baha’is must be returned,” she added.

Background

Details of the Baha’is affected—and the properties targeted by the authorities—are being withheld by BIC to protect their security as they appeal the seizure orders.

The post Isfahan Judiciary seizes and confiscates assets of Baha’is appeared first on Iran Press Watch.

HRANA – The prison sentence of Maryam Zabihi, a Baha’i citizen residing in Qaemshahr, has been reduced by the Mazandaran Province Court of Appeals to three months and one day. She had initially been sentenced to ten months in prison by a lower court.

According to Hyrkani news, Ms. Zabihi’s ten-month prison sentence was reduced to three months and one day by the Mazandaran Province Court of Appeals in late September.

The initial verdict against Ms. Zabihi was issued by Branch 104 of the Qaemshahr Criminal Court (Category Two) on the charge of “educational activities contrary to and disruptive of the sacred Islamic law.”

The charge reportedly stemmed from holding university examination sessions for students of the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education (BIHE) at her private residence. It is worth noting that, since Baha’is are denied access to higher education in Iran, this unofficial university was established by members of the Baha’i community to provide Baha’i students with access to higher education.

On Monday, February 12, 2024, security agents searched Maryam Zabihi’s home, seizing all electronic devices, textbooks, laptops, and tablets belonging to five Baha’i youths who were present at the time.

Over the past decade, the Iranian Bahá’í community has been disproportionately targeted by Iran’s security forces and judiciary—more than any other minority group. In the past three years, an average of 72 percent of the reports on religious rights violations collected by HRANA have documented the Iranian regime’s repression of the Bahá’í community.

The post Appeals Court: Baha’i Citizen Maryam Zabihi Sentenced to Imprisonment appeared first on Iran Press Watch.

HRANA – On Sunday, October 12, Sonia Toudiee, a Baha’i citizen residing in Babol, was arrested by security forces and taken to an undisclosed location.

Based on information obtained by HRANA, Ms. Toudiee was detained on the evening of Sunday, October 12, in Babol County. At the time of her arrest, security agents searched her residence, seizing a number of her personal belongings.

As of this report’s publication, the reasons for her arrest, her current whereabouts, and the charges against her remain unknown.

Previously, on May 17, 2025, Ms. Toudiee’s home was searched by security forces.

Sonia Toudiee is a Baha’i citizen residing in Babol, Mazandaran Province.

Over the past decade, the Iranian Bahá’í community has been disproportionately targeted by Iran’s security forces and judiciary—more than any other minority group. In the past three years, an average of 72 percent of the reports on religious rights violations collected by HRANA have documented the Iranian regime’s repression of the Bahá’í community.

The post Baha’i Citizen Sonia Toudiee Arrested in Babol appeared first on Iran Press Watch.

Translation by Iran Press Watch

HRANA News Agency – Keyvan Dehqani, a Bahá’í citizen residing in Isfahan, has been sentenced by the Revolutionary Court of the city to six years in prison, two years of exile, a monetary fine, and additional supplementary punishments.

According to HRANA, the news arm of the Human Rights Activists in Iran organization, Mr. Dehqani has received the above sentences including imprisonment, exile, and financial penalties.

Anisa Dehqani, the sister of this Bahá’í citizen, announced that Keyvan was tried on the morning of Wednesday, October 8, at the Isfahan Revolutionary Court, and the verdict was issued later that same day.
He was sentenced to six years in prison, two years of exile, a fine of 160 million tomans, deprivation of social rights, and confiscation of his property, mobile phones, and laptop.

The specific charges brought against Mr. Dehqani that led to this verdict have not yet been disclosed, and HRANA’s investigations into the matter are still ongoing.

Previously, on July 6, Keyvan Dehqani and his child Lava Dehqani were summoned and interrogated by the Intelligence Department of Isfahan. They were released after the completion of the interrogation process.

Mr. Dehqani has a prior record of arrest and conviction due to his Bahá’í faith and related activities.

Over the past decade, the Bahá’í community in Iran has faced more security and judicial persecution than any other religious minority.
According to annual reports by the Statistics, Publications, and Research Department of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, during the last three years, an average of 72% of all reports concerning religious minorities have involved violations of the civil rights of Bahá’í citizens.

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