Closure of 18 Baha’i-Owned Businesses in Shaheen-Shahr

Source: BahaiNews¹

Translation by Iran Press Watch

According to BahaiNews, 18 Baha’i-owned businesses in Shaheen-Shahr, Isfahan Province, were closed and sealed on Monday, May 1, 2017 by officers of the provincial Office of Public Places. The closures occurred despite the business owners previous compliance in providing all legal documents, including businesses permits, to the officers in charge.

A reliable source told the BahaiNews reporter; “the previous day, the officers visited those shops requesting the owners to provide them with all necessary documentation related to their business, including their business permits. Additionally, they indicated that on their next visit they would seal the shops. However, today they returned and closed the majority of the business places of the Baha’is.”

According to the same source “the officers only targeted the Baha’i businesses and accused them of not complying with the labour law of their trade; but they have sealed the shops because of the Baha’i Holy Day festivities, when Baha’is closed their businesses on their own volition. This sealing of the Baha’i shops happens systematically every year.”

The Baha’i’s whose shops were closed are:

1. Homayoon Memari, the owner of an electronic repair shop.
2. Erfan Karamzadeh, the owner of a tires dealing shop.
3. Ardavan Foroughian, the owner of a car repair garage.
4. Millad Azadi, the owner of a sewing machines selling shop.
5. Hossien Kharazi Shaker, the owner of a sewing machines repairs shop.
6. Pegah Akhavan, the owner of a kitchen wares shop.
7. Saeed Ghaemi, the owner of an apparels shop.
8. Kiyarash Khadem, the owner of a screen and sound equipment repair shop.
9. Marjaneh Sheikhi, the owner of a children clothing shop.
10. Pooya Azadi, the owner of an alarms shop.
11. Hakeem, the owner of a stationary shop.
12. Misagh Sadeghi, the owner of a kitchen wares shop.
13. Mr. Navidi, the owner of a stationery store.
14. Iraj Kooshkaki, the owner of a hairdressing shop.
15. Arash, the owner of a children’s toys shop.
16. Saeed Adyani, the owner of a fabric shop.
17. Shahram Golzar, the owner of a dried fruits shop.
18. Pyaman Imani and Ms. Nadiya Elmifar, the owners of an apparels shop.

During previous years, many of the Baha’i-owned businesses have suffered closure by the office of Public Places, which is a government establishment. One of the Baha’i citizens told BahaiNews that: “Shaheen–Shahr is the city where we have been living for 19 years. In previous years, the first sealed shop was in Azadi Arcade on Imam Boulevard and it was an electronic repair shop. The shop belonged to our father, Mr. Abdollah Memari and his sons, Homayoon Memari, Javad Memari and Jalaloddin Memari who were running it daily.” The late Mr. Abdollah Memari initially was arrested and taken away, however he was released at a later date. He became a Baha’i and he truly loved the Faith and bravely experienced tremendous sufferings.

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