Translated by Ahang Rabbani
According to field reports, three Baha’is in Yasuj, the capital of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, were arrested because of social activities. According to these reports, three Baha’is of this town, namely, ‘Ali-Askar Ravanbakhsh, Zulaykha Musavi (the wife of Mr. Ravanbakhsh), and Ruhiyyih Yazdani commenced classes for [virtues and moral] education of children in July of the present year. However, they were interrogated by the Ministry of Intelligence and their personal property, such as books, CDs, and religious pictures were confiscated.
Following a summons by the Intelligence Ministry, these individuals were arrested on 28 October 2008. After two days during which their family had no news of them, they were told that the three Baha’is had been seized and incarcerated in the central prison of the city.
For some inexplicable reason, the arrested Baha’is remain unable to receive visitors or to meet anyone. The charges against them are stated as “efforts against national security by forming anti-Islamic classes”. It is said their court date is 18 November 2008.
What befell the aforementioned Baha’i activists has a precedent: previously 54 Baha’i youth were arrested in Shiraz because of their efforts to teach underprivileged children, which it was suggested had security implications. Presently three of these youth are imprisoned and are completing their four-year sentences.
[Further to our report on 29 October 2008 under the title “Arrest of Baha’is in Yasuj”, Human Rights Activists of Iran has filed a report on 16 November 2008 at http://www.hrairan.org/Archive_87/1196.html which appears above in translation. The moral educational classes mentioned in this report had no religious content, other than drawing from the great religions of the world to teach moral, ethics, virtues and good citizenship to children of various ages.]
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