|
IRAN - Ongoing Repressive Measures Against Bahá'í Citizens
March 15, 2026: March 15, 2026 - IRAN. Ongoing Repressive Measures Against Bahá'í Citizens in Kerman in the Shadow of War
Several Baha’i citizens in Kerman have been held in both detention centres and prisons despite the ongoing wartime conditions. Moreover, reports suggest that since the onset of winter 2026, and in tandem with the nationwide protests in January, no fewer than 20 Bahá'í citizens have been detained in various cities throughout Iran.
According to these reports, numerous cases of arrests, summons, and judicial proceedings against Bahá'í citizens were recorded between January and March 2026. In some instances, those detained were denied contact with their families and access to legal counsel for a period of time; in other cases, no information is yet available on their whereabouts or conditions of detention.
Continued Detention of Bahá'í Citizens in Kerman
Shakila Ghasemi, a 26-year-old Bahá'í citizen residing in Kerman who was arrested by IRGC intelligence forces on 2 February 2026, remains in detention under unknown conditions.
Shaghayegh Ghasemi, the sister of this Bahá'í citizen, told IHRNGO that although most of those arrested by IRGC intelligence in Kerman have been released, Shakila Ghasemi and Borna Naeimi, both Bahá'í citizens, remain in custody.
Shaghayegh also expressed concern about the conditions of her sister's detention, noting that the family has no information on her exact place of detention. She stated: "The family's requests for information about where Shakila is being held, as well as her release on bail or with an electronic ankle tag, have so far gone unanswered."
Furthermore, she noted: "Two other Bahá'í citizens, Adib Shahbazpour and Peyvand Naeimi, are also being held in Kerman Prison, where Peyvand Naeimi is being kept in solitary confinement."
Peyvand Naeimi was arrested at his workplace on 8 January 2026 and Adib Shahbazpour at his home on 20 January. Borna Naeimi, 29 years old and a father of one child, was also arrested at his home in Kerman on 1 March 2026, with security agents using violence during the apprehension. He has been incommunicado since his arrest.
In the same city, Venus Hosseininejad, Rozhin Hosseininejad, Aylin Sahragard, and Pouyan Gholami, other Bahá'í citizens, were also arrested by security forces during January and February 2026.
Meanwhile, Venus Hosseininejad and Peyvand Naeimi have been charged in a joint case related to the nationwide protests of January 2026 with “membership of an online network under Israeli influence”, and state media broadcast a report on 31 January containing their forced confessions.
The Office of the Bahá'í International Community in Geneva issued a statement on 3 February 2026, describing the broadcast of such forced confessions on state television as indicative of "a major escalation in the Iranian government's campaign against the Bahá'í community". The statement declared that Bahá'ís face a fresh wave of repression, "scapegoating and incitement to hatred in the midst of a national crisis".
Security Crackdown on Bahá'í Citizens in Various Cities Across Iran
A number of Bahá'í citizens in other Iranian cities have also faced security and judicial measures by the Islamic Republic during the winter of 2026.
In Mashhad, security forces arrested Payam Faridian on 22 January, and no information is available on his condition. Five other Bahá'í citizens, Afarin Bashash, Sepehr Koushkbaghi, Navid Zarrebin Irani, Erfan Tabatabaei, and Rabi Maleki, have also been arrested in this city.
Other Bahá'ís arrested during the winter include Moein Mohammadi in Yazd, Forough Ram in Zahedan, Hamed Mehrabkhani in Tabriz, and Artin Ghazanfari, a photojournalist in Tehran.
Additionally, Nita Babanejad and her son Parsa Emadi, two Bahá'í citizens residing in Isfahan, were arrested at their home by agents of the city's Intelligence Department on 5 March 2026 and remain in detention. They have been charged with "propaganda against the state."
The Islamic Republic's judiciary routinely relies on security-related charges as the basis for building cases against Bahá'í citizens, a practice that forms part of the sustained and systematic pressure exerted against the Bahá'í community in Iran.
* The image above features eight Bahá'í citizens who were detained in the city of Kerman during the wave of arrests in winter 2026.
Top row, from left: Shakila Ghasemi, Pouyan Gholami, Peyvand Naimi, Venus Hoseininejad
Bottom row, from left: Borna Naimi, Aylin Sahragard, Rojin Hoseininejad, Adib Shahbazpour
https://iranhr.net/en/articles/8653/ (Source: IHR)
|
