November 5, 2024

Arrests, Imprisonments of Baha’i Soar as Iran’s War on Religious Minority Intensifies

Baha’i Women Singled Out for Harsh and Aggressive Persecution

Over 1,200 Facing Court Proceedings or Sentenced to Prison for Practicing Faith

November 5, 2024 – The Islamic Republic has intensified its crackdown on the Baha’i community, the country’s largest unrecognized religious minority, with soaring arrests and detentions that have particularly targeted Baha’i women, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) and the International Baha’i Community (BIC) said today.

While the Iranian government has for decades relentlessly persecuted members of the Baha’i faith, arresting and imprisoning their leaders and blocking them from school, jobs, and business ownership, the state’s assault on the community has greatly intensified, with over a thousand Baha’is—predominantly women—now facing court proceedings or lengthy prison sentences.

“The Iranian government’s full-out assault on the Baha’i community demands far greater global attention—the Islamic Republic is aggressively trying to erase an entire community simply for their desire to practice their faith,” said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of CHRI.

“By targeting Baha’i women for especially brutal persecution, the Iranian authorities are not only devastating families and attacking the very heart of the community’s resilience, they are intentionally broadening their escalating war on women,” Ghaemi added.

“When Baha’i women are attacked, entire families feel the pain of this injustice. The targeting of Baha’i women—who are doubly marginalized both as women and as members of a religious minority—demands urgent global attention. Sentencing so many Baha’i women to prison just for their beliefs demonstrates the urgent need for governments to demand that Iran ends this persecution,” said Simin Fahandej, the Baha’i International Community’s representative to the UN.

Key Findings:

At least 70 Baha’is are currently in detention or serving prison sentences, while 1,200 are facing court proceedings or have been sentenced to lengthy prison sentences.
In 2024 alone, more than 93 Baha’is were summoned to court or prison—and more than 75% of them were women. (See list below for numerous cases of Baha’i persecution from January to October.)
Since 2021, arrests and imprisonments of Bahai’s, property confiscations, destruction of cemeteries, denial of burials, and business closures have increased by 50% each year.

CHRI and BIC call on the UN, governments worldwide, human rights groups, and religious organizations of all denominations to demand that the Iranian authorities immediately:

Release all imprisoned Baha’is;
Drop all charges and cease the persecution of Baha’is for the practice of their faith;
End the policies of educational and employment discrimination;
Return or provide compensation for all confiscated or destroyed businesses and properties;
Cease the destruction of Baha’i gravesites.

New Wave of Assaults Come After Decades of Brutal Persecution

Speaking to CHRI on condition of anonymity, a source close to a Baha’i family in Iran said:

“The intensification of government pressures on the Baha’i community in recent years, such as arrests or confiscation of Baha’i properties, has brought back many past traumas to the family. In the 1980s, several members of the Baha’i family that I know were executed, and some of their properties were confiscated. Just a year ago, another woman from this family was arrested. This caused many past traumas to resurface.”

Iran’s constitution does not recognize the Baha’i faith as an official religion. For decades, Baha’is in Iran have been systematically denied access to education and employment opportunities, subjected to the confiscation or destruction of their business and properties, faced arbitrary arrests, sentenced to lengthy prison terms on bogus charges after grossly unfair trials, and subjected to the destruction of their gravesites. This persecution violates numerous international conventions, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Iran is a signatory.

Commenting on the severe and all-encompassing nature of the Iranian government’s persecution of the Baha’is, Saeid Dehghan, a prominent human rights lawyer, said:

“The Islamic Republic’s systematic discrimination and extensive restrictions against Baha’is — including bans on university education, dismissals from government jobs, shop closures, and especially widespread property confiscations —leads us to conclude that the Islamic Republic of Iran is committing ‘religious apartheid’ against the Baha’is.”

Targeting Baha’i Women: A Gendered Repression

Women within the Baha’i community have increasingly borne the brunt of the state’s persecution, which is aimed at dismantling the community’s leadership structures. There have been a growing number of cases where Baha’i women are arrested on spurious charges such as “propaganda against the state” and “membership in illegal groups”—common pretexts used to justify the broader persecution of religious minorities. Many have been imprisoned under inhumane conditions, denied access to legal representation, and subjected to physical and psychological abuse.

Referring to the widespread detention of Baha’i women in recent months, a source told CHRI:

“It cannot be said that these pressures and encounters are new. They existed before. But the fact is that Baha’i women have always had a more serious role in holding Baha’i meetings. We basically live under the rule of an anti-woman government in which there are many forms of discrimination. When you are a woman and a follower of the Baha’i faith, this discrimination not only intensifies but also comes with fear. Imagine a girl who spent her childhood in the 1980s with all the disastrous news and the poisonous atmosphere against the Baha’is and her family members.”

In a recent case, on September 25, 15 Baha’i women were re-tried by Branch 1 of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Court in Isfahan, central Iran, on charges of “promoting” their religious beliefs. On October 20, ten other Baha’i women were collectively sentenced to 90 years in prison by the same court, with additional penalties, including fines and travel bans, on charges of “propaganda and educational activities deviating from Islamic law.”

In July 2024, 18 UN experts sent a letter to the Iranian government outlining severe rights abuses against Baha’i women and requesting an official response within 60 days. With no reply from Iranian authorities, the experts made their letter public on October 22, 2024. The UN experts expressed serious concern over “the recent alarming increase in the systematic targeting of Baha’i women, including through arrests, summoning for interrogation, enforced disappearance, raids on their homes and confiscation of their personal belongings.”

They continued: “The systematic nature of these violations represents a continuous pattern of targeted discrimination and persecution of this community and its members based on their religious affiliation and identity.”

The experts highlighted how Baha’i women in Iran face compounded persecution due to both their gender and faith:

“The Baha’i community has seen a rise in attacks against women over the last year. It is reported that Baha’i women currently comprise two-thirds of all Baha’i prisoners in Iran, with a significant number being held without due process and their whereabouts unknown. This intensification of attacks has reportedly seen a significant recent increase in arrests and summonses, with dozens of women facing baseless criminal charges and prison sentences. These women are being separated from their families, some with young children. It is reported that young mothers have endured the harsh conditions of solitary confinement, frequent interrogations, inadequate medical attention, and restricted family contact.”

The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran also raised serious concerns over the increase in arbitrary arrests this year in his final report to the UN Human Rights Council.

Additionally, the UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Iran found that Baha’is and other minorities in Iran were disproportionately targeted during the state’s lethal suppression of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests that erupted across Iran in 2022-23. It too noted that minority women, including Baha’is, faced compounded discrimination based on both gender and religion.

Destruction of Baha’i Graves and Secret Burials

In March 2024, Iranian authorities razed more than 30 newly dug graves of Baha’is in a Tehran mass grave, removing markers and flattening the area. This particular site has been used for more than two years to forcibly bury Baha’is without allowing families to be present or respecting funeral practices.

In August 2024, a 110-year-old Baha’i cemetery in Ahvaz was set on fire, and its ancient trees were cut down.

The Islamic Republic’s destruction of Baha’i gravesites in Iran has been a documented practice for decades, including the removal of grave markers as part of efforts to erase their identity.

Cases of Baha’i Arrests in Iran (January-October 2024)

The following is a CHRI summary of the recent state-led persecution of Baha’is from January to October 2024. All of these prosecutions lacked even the most basic due process rights.

October 29, 2024: Behrad Azargan, a Baha’i, was sentenced by Branch 15 of Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Court to 11 years in prison, along with a two-year ban on online activity and travel. His charges include “disruptive educational activities” through music classes, “membership in opposition groups,” and “publishing falsehoods.”
October 24, 2024: Paridokht Shojaie Baghini, a Baha’i, summoned to begin a 25-month prison sentence for “educational activities or deviant propaganda disruptive to Islamic sharia.”
October 24, 2024: Two Baha’i women, Souzan Eid Mohammad-Zadegan and Niousha Badeie Sabt, sentenced to five years in prison each on the sham charge of “educational activities or deviant propaganda disruptive to Islamic sharia.
October 20, 2024: Ten Baha’i women sentenced to prison by Branch 1 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Isfahan, central Iran, for “propaganda and educational activities deviating from Islamic law.”
October 18, 2024: Faraz Razavian, a Baha’i, sentenced to two years in prison, an 80 million toman fine, and deprived of social rights for five years for the education and promotion of the Baha’i faith.
October 13, 2024: Mahvash Sabet, a 72-year-old Baha’i imprisoned in Tehran’s Evin Prison, denied urgent medical care despite needing specialized treatment for lung disease.
October 3, 2024: After a six-month suspension, 80-year-old Baha’i Ataollah Zafar has returned to Tehran’s Evin Prison to continue a two-year sentence for “membership in illegal groups and organizations with the aim of disrupting national security”—a charge commonly applied to Baha’i faith members.
September 28, 2024: Baha’i citizen Mahboub Habibi was arrested in Shiraz by Islamic Republic agents, and his wife, Negar Misaghian, also a Baha’i, was arrested on September 18, 2024.
September 25, 2024: Fifteen Baha’i women were retried in Isfahan for “promoting” their religious beliefs after a June 2024 sentence of five years in prison.
September 23, 2024: Baha’i couple Soudabeh Mehdinejad and Shahin Mavedat were arrested at their home in Gorgan, with Islamic Republic agents confiscating electronic devices and Baha’i literature.
September 18, 2024: Baha’i citizen Negar Misaghian was arrested at her home in Shiraz, southern Iran. Agents also confiscated her phone, laptop, and passport.
September 16, 2024: Several Baha’is in Tabriz were arrested during coordinated raids by Ministry of Intelligence agents, including Sina Aghdasi, Azam Azmoudeh, and Iraj Norasteh. Homes were searched, and personal belongings were confiscated.
September 9, 2024: The Kerman Appeals Court confirmed a two-year and one-month prison sentence for Baha’i Paridokht Shojaie Baghini without holding a hearing. Shojaie was charged with “deviant educational or propaganda activities contrary to or disturbing Islamic law.”
September 2024: Ten Baha’i women were summoned by the Islamic Revolutionary magistrate in Isfahan, central Iran, for allegedly promoting their faith: Neda Badakhsh, Arzou Sobhanian, Yeganeh Rouhbakhsh, Mojgan Shahrezaei, Parastou Hakim, Yeganeh Agahi, Bahareh Lotfi, Shana Shoghifar, Negin Khademi, and Neda Emadi.
Early September 2024: Baha’i citizens Shiva Kashani-Nejad and Mojgan Samimi were sentenced by Branch 3 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Rasht to two years and one day in prison, fines, and additional punishments.
August 5, 2024: Matin Fahandej Saadi, a 34-year-old Baha’i, was arrested by IRGC agents in Kerman. His home was raided, and personal belongings were confiscated.
July 29, 2024: Baha’i Nahid Behrouzi was arrested by security agents in Karaj and charged with “propagating the Baha’i faith.”
Mid-July 2024: Baha’i researcher Mojgan Salmanzadeh was arrested while traveling in West Azerbaijan province.
June 2024: Sentences were upheld against three Baha’is, Hassan Salehi, Vahid Dana, and Saeid Abedi, who were originally sentenced in October 2023 to home arrest and fines for “sectarian propaganda” and “membership in illegal sects.”
July 2024: Baha’i citizen Roya Sabet, arrested in February 2024, was reported in critical health due to a severe drop in blood pressure while in detention in Shiraz.
June 9, 2024: Baha’i Tahereh Norouzi was arrested by security agents in Shiraz.
May 28, 2024: Security agents destroyed a rice farm belonging to Baha’i families in Mazandaran province.
May 28, 2024: Baha’i Nazila Khanipour and her son Vesal Heravi were arrested in Rasht, and Baha’i Sepideh Rashidi was arrested the day before in Ahvaz.
April 2024: Fifteen Baha’i women in Isfahan were issued arrest warrants for allegedly promoting their faith by organizing educational classes for children, which is prohibited in Iran.
April 2024: Baha’i Anisa Fanaian was sentenced to 16 years in prison for “organizing a group to undermine national security” and “propaganda against the state.” She was active in providing education to disadvantaged children.
March 2024: Three members of a Baha’i family in Bojnurd, northeast Iran, were convicted for “engaging in educational activities and propaganda against Sharia law,” receiving prison sentences and fines.
March 2024: Islamic Republic authorities demolished over 30 Baha’i graves at Khavaran Cemetery in Tehran, removing grave markers and bulldozing the burial sites.
February 2024: Fifteen Baha’is went on trial in Qaemshahr for “deviant educational and propaganda activities contrary to Islamic Sharia.”
February 13, 2024: Two Baha’i women, Mina Karami and Nooshin Mesbah, began serving prison sentences for practicing their faith.
February 2024: Keyvan Rahimian was sentenced to five years in prison for providing education to Baha’is, who are banned from Iranian universities.
January 2024: Baha’i Soroush Ighani reported to Adelabad Prison to serve a six-month sentence for his faith, while Mina Karami was summoned to serve a five-year term.
January 2024: Baha’i Hoorieh Mohseni was sentenced to three years in prison for “membership in groups aiming to disturb national security” and “propaganda against the state.”