New Wave of Arrests as Iranian Judiciary Intensifies Persecution of Baha’is

by Kian Sabeti

Iran’s judicial system has become “a weapon for suppression” of religious minorities, particularly the Baha’i community.

The Baha’i International Community has documented more than 750 cases of harassment and persecution of Baha’is across Iran between July and November - three times the number recorded during the same period in 2024 - according to Wesaq Sanaei, a spokesperson for the organization.

“The judicial system, which should uphold justice and impartiality and act as a refuge against oppression, has instead become a weapon for suppression and harassment of Baha’is and other minorities and dissidents in Iran,” Sanaei told IranWire.

The documented cases include more than 200 raids on homes and businesses, interrogations leading to the detention of at least 110 Baha’is, court hearings for more than 100 individuals, and new prison sentences ranging from two to ten years.

At least 45 people were summoned to begin serving prison terms during this period, including mothers separated from young children.

The intensification of persecution coincided with a 12-day war between Iran and Israel, which the Baha’i community says provided a new pretext for the Iranian government to target religious minorities.

Sanaei pointed to several cases that illustrate what he described as systematic abuse of judicial processes to persecute Baha’is regardless of legal outcomes.

In one prominent example, 26 Baha’i citizens from Shiraz were acquitted after the Supreme Court overturned their convictions in 2022 and ordered a retrial.

However, at the direction of a senior judicial official in Fars province, their cases were reopened and proceedings resumed.

When the defendants’ lawyer attempted to follow up on the cases at the official’s office, he was forcibly removed and told, “These people are not accused, they are guilty,” according to Sanaei.

The spokesperson said this behavior reflects the judiciary’s prevailing attitude toward Baha’is.

In another case, Aniseh Fanaian, a Baha’i citizen in Semnan, had her sentence overturned by the Supreme Court, only to have the Semnan court reaffirm the previous sentence of eight years in prison.

Additional recent cases include the confiscation of property belonging to 20 Baha’i citizens in Isfahan, the arrest and imprisonment of six Baha’i women in Hamadan, and multiple arrests in Golestan province.

“All these cases show that Iran’s judicial apparatus, without observing the principle of impartiality, targets citizens just for being Baha’i and for their beliefs with judicial harassment and persecution,” Sanaei said.

The persecution of Baha’is in Iran dates to the earliest months of the Islamic Republic’s establishment in 1979 and has continued systematically for more than four decades.

The community says pressure on minorities, especially Baha’is, typically intensifies when the Iranian government faces internal crises such as public protests.

While systematic harassment has been ongoing for five decades with varying intensity, Sanaei added that recent months have witnessed a significant increase in hate-mongering and the fabrication of lies against Baha’is.

This campaign has been conducted through multiple channels, including speeches at official gatherings, social media content production, book and novel publishing, and organized seminars.

The effort targets various minority communities, with the Baha’i community among the primary focuses.

“Hate-mongering is a well-known mechanism that totalitarian governments use to normalize their cruel behaviors, create divisions among people, and mobilize public opinion,” Sanaei said, though he added that he believes this effort has failed in Iran.

In addition to the hate-mongering campaign, the community continues to face longstanding forms of persecution, including property confiscation, arbitrary arrests, unjust imprisonments, long-term prison sentences, and systematic restrictions on access to education and employment opportunities.

Over the past 18 months, more than 15 resolutions and reports addressing the widespread violation of civil and civic rights of Iranian Baha’is have been issued by various international bodies, including special rapporteurs, international human rights organizations, United Nations–affiliated entities, and EU parliamentary representatives.

Recent examples include a European Parliament resolution and a United Nations secretary-general’s report specifically addressing the persecution of Baha’is in Iran.

Sanaei said these international documents demonstrate that “harassment and persecution of Baha’is in Iran not only continues but has also intensified.”

“These resolutions and the use of international mechanisms reflect a common perspective at the highest levels of the global community regarding the blatant violation of human rights in Iran and show that this issue is seriously receiving global attention,” he said.

The spokesperson added that international recognition of the persecution campaign indicates that widespread human rights violations in Iran have been “firmly placed on the global agenda.”

“It shines a light on the Iranian government’s treatment of minorities, including Baha’is, and shows that the world is watching the Islamic Republic’s actions - a matter that discredits the Iranian government’s repeated denials of facts regarding human rights violations at the international level,” Sanaei said.

The Baha’i International Community is calling on Iranian authorities to abolish discriminatory policies against Baha’is and other citizens and to fully respect all human rights enshrined in international treaties that Iran has joined.

“The demand of the international community from Iranian authorities is completely clear - they must abolish discriminatory policies against Baha’is and other citizens and fully respect all human rights enshrined in international treaties that Iran joined years ago,” Sanaei said.

The community expressed hope that the Islamic Republic will immediately respond to requests from the international community and independent human rights bodies and end the widespread violation of fundamental rights of all Iranian citizens, including Baha’is.