Imprisonment of Christians Jumps Six-Fold in Iran as Persecution Intensifies
Judge to Christian: “It’s a disgrace that you are even breathing the air in this sacred courtroom. You should go to prison right now.” Over 300 Prosecuted ...
Religious Freedom
UN Uncovers “Crimes Against Humanity” Against Minorities During “Woman, Life, Freedom” Movement
August 7, 2024 – The UN’s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran has released a report detailing the disproportionate impact of lethal state crackdowns on the country’s ...
Iran’s New President Inaugurated as Human Rights Crisis Deepens
Unelected and Repressive Centers of Power in Iran Remain Untouched by Election World Must Remain Focused on Atrocities Committed by Islamic Republic July 27, 2024—The inauguration of ...
UN Says Iran’s “Atrocity Crimes” Must Be Investigated
UN’s Top Expert on Iran Calls for Prosecution of Responsible Iranian Officials July 22, 2024 – The UN’s top human rights expert on Iran has called for an international mechanism to investigate and ...
“Our Homes are No Refuge” Baha’i Minority in Iran Facing Intensified State Assault
UN and International Community Must Spotlight Cases, Demand End to Escalating Oppression 180 Reports of Baha’is Targeted by State Security Forces in Last Year August 17, 2023 – The escalating ...
Prejudiced Courts Aiding Land Grabs of Baha’i Properties in Iran
Bigoted statements against Baha'is (in this photo calling them "infidels") have been written in graffiti on their properties in Iran. Court ...
UN Experts Alarmed by Escalating Persecution of Baha’i Faith in Iran
The UN has condemned the Iranian government's renewed campaign of persecution against the Baha'i faith minority. Bahai's, including former prisoners of conscience, are being arbitrarily detained while others are seeing the ...
UN Should Condemn Renewed Crackdown on Persecuted Baha’i Faith in Iran
August 5, 2022 – Increasing arbitrary arrests of members of the persecuted Baha’i faith in Iran, and an intensifying government-sponsored campaign of destruction and confiscation of their properties should be internationally condemned, said the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI). Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom ...
Four Baha’is Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Trying to Access Higher Education
Court Rulings Reveal Systematic Religious Discrimination The Baha’i faith community is one of the most severely persecuted religious minorities in Iran. Iran’s government is unabashed in its propagating of false narratives about the community ...
Mohseni-Ejei’s Appointment as Iran’s Judiciary Chief Poses Grave Threat to Rights Activists
Judicial System To Be Used To Further Suppress Dissent July 6, 2021—The appointment of Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei, a major human rights violator, as the Islamic Republic’s new judiciary chief is another indication ...
More Baha’is Begin Serving Prison Sentences in Iran Simply for Their Beliefs
Farid Zirgi Moghaddam began serving his five-year sentence in the central prison in the city of Birjand, in South Khorasan province in eastern Iran, on October 19, 2020—a prison sentence that was ...
Unrecognized Minorities in Iran Must Now Hide Religion to Obtain Crucial Government ID
New Rule Strengthens Long-Standing Discrimination Against Persecuted Religious Minorities, Especially Bahai’s January 27, 2020 – In a new rule that severely discriminates against all unrecognized minority religions in Iran, the state-issued National Identity ...
Imprisoned Sufi Dervishes Launch Hunger Strike Demanding Freedom of Movement for Ailing Spiritual Leader
More than 70 imprisoned members of the Sufi Gonabadi Order began a hunger strike in early November to honor their ailing spiritual leader Nour-Ali Tabandeh, who had been hospitalized due to complications from his own hunger strike, the Center for Human Rights in Iran ...
Baha’i Woman Blindfolded During Interrogations, Imprisoned Under “National Security” Crimes
Man Pressured to Make False Confession, Charged With National Security Crimes for Running Peaceful Baha'i Social Media Channels A Baha’i woman started serving a prison sentence and a Baha’i man was charged with ...
Prominent Iranian Activists Speak Out Against Councilman’s Imprisonment
Former Political Prisoners Condemn the Criminalization of Free Speech in Iran A group of prominent political and civil rights activists in Iran has issued a statement condemning the imprisonment of a councilman after he publicly denounced ...
Sufi Woman Beaten by Inmate in Gharchak Prison
Sufi political prisoner Sima Entesari was beaten by an inmate who claims she was promised a case review if she carried out the attack, a source with detailed knowledge of the event ...
Shiite Mystic Released from Prison in Iran After Serving Nine Years, Case Status Unclear
Editor's Note: On April 24, 2019, Judiciary Spokesman Gholam-Hossein Esmaili told reporters that all outstanding sentences in Mr. Taheri's case have been rescinded according to Article 134 of Iran's Islamic Penal Code. ...
Second Iranian Councilman Persecuted for Speaking up for Baha’i Rights
A member of the Isfahan City Council, Mehdi Moghaddari, has been suspended from his seat for six months in part for supporting a fellow councilman who had sought ...
Iran: Free Imprisoned Gonabadi Dervishes
Dozens of Sufi Gonabadi dervishes, a persecuted religious minority in Iran, have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms since mass protests in February 2018 turned violent, resulting in the deaths of five members of Iran's armed forces and one Sufi protester. Many dervishes are in jail today without access to counsel or medical treatment, being ...
Iran Appeals Court Upholds Lengthy Prison Sentences, Lashings Against 23 Dervishes
Sentences Range from Six to 26 Years Including Lashes March 15, 2019 – The mass conviction of 23 dervishes of the Sufi Gonabadi Order to prison terms of up to 26 years as well ...
UN Expert Concerned by Crackdown on Protests and Strikes in Iran
Iranian students clash with riot police during an anti-government protest around the University of Tehran, Iran, 30 December 2017. Living conditions difficult for many ...
Sufi Prisoners Denied Medical Treatment for Painful Pellet Wounds
Prison Official: “We shot to kill you, not to treat you” Two Sufi Muslims imprisoned in Iran’s Great Tehran Penitentiary (GTP) are being denied medical treatment ...
Sufi Woman Jailed in Iran Sentenced to 148 Lashes For Criticizing Gharchak Prison Conditions
Elham Ahmadi, an imprisoned member of the Sufi Gonabadi Order in Iran, has been sentenced to 148 lashes for speaking out about the denial of medical treatment and ...