On Saturday, August 22, 2009, Khabar Navard shared the following news, which appears below in translation:
In a continuation of the widespread arrests of Baha’is throughout Iran, on Wednesday, August 19, 2009, at 12:30 pm, five (5) agents in plain clothes raided the home of Mr. Vahid Haqiqi in Kashan. After they search his residence, agents confiscated his computer, CDs and various religious materials and took both Mr. Haqiqi and his 17-year old son, Sina, into custody.
The two Baha’is were conducted to the Military Intelligence office; after interrogation, Mr. Haqiqi was asked to provide a surety bond that he would return the next morning, at 9 am, to be taken to court.
The following day, which corresponded to the anniversary of the Martyrdom of the Bab [in accordance with lunar reckoning], and which is one of the Baha’i Holy Days on which all work is to be suspended, Mr. Haqiqi went to the Military Intelligence office. He was accompanied by Mrs. Mona Rouhani, another Baha’i, who had also been summoned by the same office. They were then taken to the court and interrogated by the prosecutor of Branch 4 of the judiciary in Kashan, Hojjatu’l-Islam Tarabiyan. Afterwards, a bail of 100,000,000 Rial [equivalent to US$10,000] was determined for each, but both were taken to the central prison of Kashan. The charge against each Baha’i was recorded in their files as, “Propagation of the Baha’i religion”.
It appears that the raid and interrogation was purposefully scheduled in such a way that it would conclude at the end of day on Thursday, so that the Baha’is would not be able to raise the required bail at such a late hour, and would be forced to spend the weekend [Friday] in prison.
On Saturday afternoon, August 22, after bail and the surety bond had been processed, the two Baha’is were released from prison on a temporary basis, until such time as the court could be convened for them to be tried.
[Posted on Monday, August 24, 2009, at: http://khabarnavard.blogspot.com/2009/08/blog-post_2668.html. Translation by Iran Press Watch.]
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