Agah Sadeghi, a Baha’i living in Bukan, West Azerbaijan province, has been detained for over three weeks amid legal uncertainty. His family remains uninformed about his condition, heightening their worries.

A source close to Sadeghi’s family confirmed to HRANA that he was arrested by security forces in Bukan three weeks ago. Despite repeated inquiries, Sadeghi’s family has received no information regarding his whereabouts or condition, intensifying their concerns. Following his arrest, security agents also raided his home, conducting a thorough search and confiscating personal items belonging to him and his family.

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.