After Eight Years, 28 Baha’i-Owned Business Remain Sealed in Hamadan

Source: www.hra-news.org

Translation by Iran Press Watch

HRANA News Agency – The shops of 28 Baha’i citizens in Hamadan remain sealed after about eight years. In 2012 the Hamadan Building Authority sealed 33 trade units belonging to Baha’i citizens in the city. The pleas of these citizens to reopen their places of business have so far been fruitless. These Baha’is have been banned from doing business in retaliation for closing their shops in observance of Baha’i Holy Days.  In recent years the loss of ability to conduct business has forced some of the owners to sell their shops.  21 of the shops remain sealed.

According to HRANA News Agency, the news organization of Human Rights Activists in Iran, after eight years, 21 trade shops belonging to 28 Baha’i citizens in Hamadan continue to be sealed.

Following are the names of the 28 Baha’i owners of 21 sealed trade units:

1.  Parviz Seifi (Tamasha Optometry)
2.  Mozafar Ayoubi (Farhad Optometry)
3. Mr. Badie Poor (Optometry)
4. Noureddine Jahangiri and Shuja Jahangiri (Deedeh Optometry).
5. Fardin Roshan-Nahad and Salar Seifi (Alvand Optometry)
6. Parviz Maboudi Bina, Kamran Maboudi Bina, Sirus Maboudi Bina (HVAC)
7. Peyman Bayati (HVAC)
8. Farshid Rezai (HVAC)
9. Naeem Aghdasi Yekta (Rice Sales and Distribution).
10. Kamran Aghdasi Yekta, Samandar Aghdasi Yekta (Vehicle Repair Shop);
11. Nader Aghdasi Yekta (Vehicle Repair Shop)
12. Behnam Ayoubi, Mansour Ayoubi (Vehicle Repair Shop);
13. Peyman Aghdasi (Car Injector Repair)
14. The late Badiollah Khademi (Auto parts Shop).
15. Manouchehr Aghdasi Yekta (Auto parts Shop).
16. Behrouz Rashedi and the late Youssef Rashedi (electronics)
17. Saman Khodayari (Elevator Installation and Repair)
18. Peyman Tabasi (Textile Sales).
19. Shahla Azizi (Textile Sales)
20. Mehran Khandel (Coil Winding Shop)
21. Parisa Aghdasi (English Language Teacher).

In addition to the above, four were forced to sell their shops after their places of business were sealed.

1. Farhang Maboudi Bina (Grocery Store).
2. Ramin Moghimi (Car Injector Repair)
3. Alireza Khandel (Auto Parts)
4. Mehran Shenasa (Auto Parts)

The financial impact has negatively affected the Baha’i Community’s ability to thrive financially, including those employees who lost their jobs when the shops were sealed.

The identities of Farhad Roshan Nahad, Hamid Azizi, Nasser Mobin, Parviz Sharifi, and Kaveh and Jamal (unknown lastname) have been authenticated by HRANA.

It is of note that, due to numerous followups, one of the owners was successful in obtaining an order for seal removal of his shop from the Administrative Justice Court, but Hamedan authorities prevented the reopening of his shop. (the shop owner asked not to be identified).  According to an informed source, “the authorities tore the order in front of the owner’s eyes and said there is no such thing.”

Earlier in November of 2012, police in the city of Hamadan had sealed off 32 shops belonging to Baha’i citizens in the town.

Baha’i citizens, based on their religious beliefs, close their places of business to perform religious rituals. But law enforcement and security agencies seal their places of business despite their legal and citizenship rights in practice of their religious beliefs and management of their companies.

The Baha’i Citizens’ Trade Centers are sealed while under paragraph B of Article 28 of the Trade Union Law, the owners of the trade units may close their shops for up to 15 days per year without informing the union.