Update on the Baha’is of Iran

The Persian page of Baha’i World News Service (BWNS) has provided several updates on Wednesday, July 23, 2009, which appear below in translation by Iran Press Watch.

Shiraz: Temporary leave of two Baha’i youth prisoners

Haleh Rouhi and Raha Sabet, two Baha’i youth who have been incarcerated since October 2007 on the charge of indirect teaching of the Baha’i Faith under a pretext of social projects, were given a temporary leave from prison on July 14, 2009.  This leave is for one week to 10 days.

Qa’emshahr: Simin Gorji summoned for interrogation

On July 7, 2009, two agents of the Ministry of Intelligence went to the home of Mrs. Simin Gorji in Qa’emshahr carrying a letter from the country’s Attorney General, asking her to present herself the following day at the office of the same Ministry in Sari.  The following day, Mrs. Gorji went to the office, where she was interrogated.

Our previous report regard her trial going to court on July 8, 2009, was incorrect.

Bushehr:   New updates on Baha’is who have been arrested

Further to our previous reports regarding Miss Aliyih Jaberi, a resident of Bushehr, we have learned that on July 12, 2009, she was summoned to the Ministry of Intelligence and interrogated for the entire day.  Even though at night she was permitted to return to her residence, the interrogation continued on July 13 and 14, and consumed those entire days as well.

Previously, we had reported in error that Miss Jaberi was arrested on July 9 along with her father and brother, Asadollah and Amad Jaberi, [see http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/4349]

Tonekabon: Badi’u’llah Abu’l-Fazli completed his prison sentence

Mr. Badi’u’llah Abu’l-Fazli (or Fazli), a residence of Tonekabon, in the province of Mazandaran, had been serving a prison sentence since March 2, 2009, and was released from incarceration after completing his term.  We do not know the exact date of his release.  Mr. Abu’l-Fazli was imprisoned on the charge of “active membership in the Baha’i community”, “propagation of the Baha’i faith and activities against the Islamic Republic”, “secretly teaching Muslims through sharing books or other Baha’i materials”.

Mr. Abu’l-Fazli was a shopkeeper; in July 2008 he was arrested at work by an agent of the Ministry of Intelligence on unfounded work-related charges.  He was taken to the prison facility of Sari, where he was kept for 29 days in solidarity confinement.  During the course of his incarceration, he was interrogated 8 times and subjected to verbal abuse and ridicule.

Karaj:  Special form for Baha’i applicants

It is reported that the Passport Office in Karaj (in the province of Tehran) has asked Baha’i applicants to complete a special form, which has written at the top, “Biography of a member of the wayward Baha’i sect”.  In this form, applicants are asked to fill in such information as their name, occupation, education, address and phone number.  In the same form, a section is devoted to the primary and secondary relatives of the applicant, which include the same type of information in addition to the birth certificate number and birth date.