Source: www.en-hrana.org
On Monday, September 16, Azam Azmoudeh, a Baha’i citizen residing in Tabriz, was arrested by the Ministry of Intelligence forces. With her arrest, the number of detained Baha’i citizens in Tabriz has risen to three. Sina Aghdasi and Iraj Noorseteh were also detained on the same day.
Azam Azmoudeh was arrested at her home by Tabriz Intelligence agents, who also conducted a search of her residence, confiscating several electronic devices. The circumstances surrounding her arrest remain unclear.
In addition to these arrests, the homes of two other Baha’i citizens, Shiva Isakhani and Nasim Naeimi, were also searched by Intelligence agents. However, the agents left when they found that the two were not present at their residences.
As of now, there is no information regarding the reasons for the arrests or the charges against these Baha’i citizens.
Baha’is are subjected to violations of their religious rights, comprising 82% of reports on infringements against religious minorities, according to HRA’s 2023 annual report.
The Baha’i faith is not recognized as a legitimate religion by Iranian authorities, leading to systematic and longstanding violations of the rights of Baha’is in the country. This includes the denial of their fundamental right to practice their religion, which constitutes a clear breach of both Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The United Nations covenant holds that every person has the right to freedom of religion, freedom of converting religion, as well as freedom of expression, individually or collectively; openly or secretly.
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