Source: iranbahaipersecution.bic.org
News Bulletin #11-25
Iran
14 MARCH – 21 MARCH 2025
[This bulletin documents only the most significant acts of persecution and human rights abuses which the BIC has noted during the reporting period. It does not include those routine acts of discrimination to which Bahá’ís in Iran, whether as individuals or as a community, are subjected on a daily basis. The information presented in each bulletin is based on information available at the time of writing and may have changed subsequently.]
1. ARRESTS/IMPRISONMENTS
1.1: Baha’i Prisoner Sepehr Ziaie Denied Nowruz Leave After 2.5 Years in Evin Prison
TEHRAN PROVINCE: It was learned on 18 March 2025 that Mr. Sepehr Ziaie, a Baha’i prisoner, has been held in Evin Prison for two and a half years (908 days) without any furlough leave. Despite his advanced age, hearing loss, and multiple health issues, the court has once again denied his request for temporary release for Nowruz. Mr. Ziaie was sentenced to five years in prison in January 2023 on charges of membership in the Baha’i community.
Releases
1.2: Ardeshir Fanaian Released from Semnan Prison After 6 Years
SEMNAN PROVINCE: It was learned on 21 March 2025, that Mr. Ardeshir Fanaian has been released from Semnan prison after serving 6 years of imprisonment. He spent more than half of his prison term in solitary confinement. He was originally sentenced after being charged with membership in the Baha’i community or, more accurately, of being a Baha’i.
1.3: Erfan Eshraghi Released on Bail of 2 Billion Tomans
ALBORZ PROVINCE: On the afternoon of 17th March 2025, Mr. Erfan Eshraghi, a resident of Golshahr, Karaj, was released on bail of two billion tomans. Details about the charges against Mr. Eshraghi have not yet been obtained.
Mr. Eshraghi was arrested by security forces while leaving his residence on 18 February 2025. Subsequently, officers visited his home, conducting a thorough search and confiscating laptops, mobile phones, books, and religious photographs belonging to him and his family. Mr. Eshraghi was initially taken to a security detention center in Qazvin following his arrest, and later transferred to the city’s prison.
Detention and Interrogation
1.4: Home of Faraz Agha Babaie Searched in Isfahan – Subjected to Interrogation and Assault
ISFAHAN PROVINCE: On, 11 March 2025 agents from the Ministry of Intelligence searched the home of Faraz Agha Babaie, a Bahá’í resident in Isfahan, confiscating personal belongings and summoning him for interrogation.
The search was carried out with a judicial warrant on charges of “propaganda against the regime.” During the raid, electronic devices and religious books belonging to Mr. Agha Babaie were seized by intelligence officers.
Following the raid, agents instructed him to report to the Intelligence Office for further questioning. He complied the next day, where he was subjected to several hours of interrogation and physical assault, before ultimately being released and allowed to return home.
1.5: Mahta Mokari Summoned for Interrogation in Tehran
TEHRAN PROVINCE: On 12 January 2025, Mrs. Mahta Mokari, a Baha’i architect and resident of Tehran, was summoned to the Ministry of Intelligence Office in Tehran and subjected to interrogation concerning her participation in a UNESCO sponsored professional program in France.
1.6: Ataollah Rajab-Ali Summoned for Interrogation in Hamadan
HAMADAN PROVINCE: It was learned on 13 March 2025 that Mr. Ataollah Rajab-Ali was summoned to the Ministry of Intelligence headquarters on 28 January 2025 and was interrogated for four hours. The questioning particularly revolved around the operation of the Hamadan Golestan Javid Baha’i cemetery.
2. COURT APPEARANCES
2.1: 11 year Prison Sentence for Shahdokht Khanjani Upheld by Court of Appeal
SEMNAN PROVINCE: It was learned on 13 March 2025, that the initial ruling of the court of first instance regarding Mrs. Shahdokht Khanjani, was upheld by the court of appeal. On 8 February 2024 Mrs. Khanjani was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the charge of “forming a group with the intention of disrupting the security of the country” and to a further one year in prison for the charge of “propaganda activity against the regime”. She was also sentenced to a two-year ban on membership and activity in political, social, and cultural groups, and a two-year ban on activities on the internet. With the application of Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, the maximum sentence of ten years imprisonment is likely applicable to Mrs. Khanjani.
2.2: Court Hearings Deferred for Baha’is in Hamadan
HAMADAN PROVINCE: It was learned on 13 March 2025 that court hearings for a number of Baha’is in Hamadan which were initially scheduled for 6 February 2025 were deferred to 27 April 2025. Lawyers representing the Baha’is were able to determine that the charges against the defendants are based on Article 500 bis of the Islamic Penal Code.
2.3: Appeal Court Hearing for Kioumars Rashedirad in Hamadan
HAMADAN PROVINCE: It was learned on 13 March 2025 that Mr. Kioumars Rashedirad had taken his initial sentence of 15 billion tomans to the court of Appeal in Hamadan. In March 2024 agents from the Ministry of Intelligence agents raided the home of Mr Rashedirad’s mother and confiscated a collection of books, Bahá’í writings, photographs, and merchandise belonging to Mr. Rashedirad. At the time the agents also warned of future raids on Mr. Rashedirad’s shop, hinting at the confiscation of its merchandise.
2.4: Nine Sentenced to Prison terms in Tabriz
EAST AZERBAIJAN PROVINCE: It was learned on 13 March 2025 that nine Baha’is in Tabriz, Mrs. Azam Azmoudeh, Ms. Shiva Isakhani, Ms. Nasim Naimi, Mrs. Ladan Mohammadnejad, Mrs. Mahlagha Aghdasi, Ms. Lachin Norasteh, Mr. Iraj Norasteh, Mr. Sina Aghdasi and Mr. Peyman Norasteh, were all sentenced on 28 February 2025, to terms of one year in prison of which three months are to be served and nine months are suspended for 5 years. The charges against them were membership in a group opposing the Islamic Republic of Iran. Photographs of some of the nine are presented in Annex 1.
3. HOME SEARCHES
3.1: Security Agents Raid the Home of Emilia Hakiman in Zahedan, Confiscate Personal Belongings
SISTAN AND BALUCHESTAN PROVINCE: At 10 a.m. on Wednesday, 12 March 2025, security agents from the Ministry of Intelligence raided the home of Mrs. Emilia Hakiman, a Baha’i residing in Zahedan.
The agents entered the home without presenting any official warrant and spent two hours searching the house. They confiscated religious books, a tablet, a laptop, and mobile phones. On their departure they instructed Mrs. Hakiman not to leave the city.
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