Source: humanrightsinir.org
Tuesday, September 13, 2022- Four Baha’i citizens living in Gorgan, Golestan Province, were interrogated after being summoned by telephone to the city’s Intelligence Department.
According to Human Rights in Iran, on Wednesday, September7, 2022, Neda Abdian, Shafagh Fahandej, Shaghayegh Pour-Enayati and Hoda Kan’ani, four Baha’i citizens living in Gorgan, Golestan Province, were interrogated for several hours after being summoned by telephone to the city’s Intelligence Department.
Explaining the news, an informed source told the reporter of Human Rights in Iran: “As security pressures on Baha’i citizens have increased, the interrogators of the Gorgan Intelligence Department announced to Hoda Kan’ani, Shafagh Fahandej and Shaghayegh Pour-Enayati, who specialize in music and songwning, that they should not act in this field by handing over a letter of commitment. Neda Abdian, on the other hand, has been asked not to work in kindergartens and the reason for this is religious propaganda by these Baha’i citizens.”
It should be noted that on July 31, 2022, during a massive raid on Baha’i citizens’ homes in Gorgan, the agents of the Gorgan Intelligence Department searched the homes of Shafagh Fahandej and Shaghayegh Pour-Enayati.
Also, on August 24, 2022, Hoda Kan’ani’s residence was inspected by the agents of the Gorgan Intelligence Department and some personal belongings of this Baha’i citizen were confiscated, and she was informed that they would be contacted for summons and interrogation.
According to a circular issued by the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution adopted on February 25, 1991, Baha’i citizens are deprived of any civil rights and face a variety of human rights violations and coercive treatment by the Government of the Islamic Republic.
Also, based on the circular of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution, Baha’i citizens in Iran are among the people without citizenship rights. Deprivation of Iran’s Baha’is in the form of sealing business premises, denial of the right to education from elementary school to higher education, destruction of their cemeteries and other holy places, and the imposition of other social restrictions are examples of these abuses.
On July 21, 2022, the World Baha’i Community had issued a statement warning about the increase in security pressures and the widespread wave of arrests, suppression and deprivation of Iranian Baha’is from their citizenship rights in Iran.
Also, On August 23, 2022, Amnesty International issued a request for immediate action, condemning the repression and applying security and social pressures on the Baha’i community of Iran, calling for an end to the repression of the Baha’is of Iran.
Suppression of religious minorities violates Articles 2, 18 and 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Articles 2 and 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which emphasizes the right of individuals to practice religious rituals,carry out manifestation and religious education, either alone or in community with others and in public or private.
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