April 30, 2010
HRA News Agency – In the city of Birjand Mr. Siavash Deimi lost his business permit on Monday 26 April when the government agents closed his appliance repair shop.
Mr. Deimi had run his business for several years but this year the authorities did not renew his permit for several months. He made several trips to the government offices to renew his permit with no success. The government agents openly identified his belief in the Baha’i faith as the reason for their inaction.
HRANA News Agency – On the evening of June 20, 2011, six citizens from the city of Esfahan were arrested.
According to the Committee of Human Rights Reporters, a few hours ago, six individuals including three Baha’i citizens were arrested in Esfahan.The Baha’i citizens have been identified to be Katie Nik-a’in, Thamin Emani and Zhayna Enayati.
It has also been reported that Thamin Emani is only sixteen years old.Security forces raided Thamin Emani’s house without showing a warrant and begin to beat and insult the residents when they demanded to see a court order.Thamin Emani was handcuffed after this violent confrontation.The charges or the whereabouts of those arrested are still unknown.
On June 20, 2011, another Baha’i citizen, Dari Amri, was also arrested in the city of Mashhad.Security forces raided Dari Amri’s house and seized her computer and camera.Additionally, two cell phones were also confiscated.One of the mobiles belonged to a guest who was present in the house during the raid.The security forces also searched the house of Dari Amri’s father-in-law.
On June 1, 2011, Anisa Dehghani, a Baha’i citizen, was arrested when she traveled from Esfahan to Mashhad.
During the winter of 2011, fifteen Baha’i citizens were arrested in Tehran, Esfahan, Mashhad, Kerman and Samnan.These individuals are all children’s rights activists and the members of a charity organization dedicated to helping children orphaned after the 2003 earthquake in Bam. During one of the arrests which took place in Kerman, three Muslim citizens who also helped this charity organization were detained.
In the last few weeks, fifteen other individuals were arrested in relation to a provisional university established for Baha’i citizens who are denied the opportunity to study at Iran’s higher education institutes.Farhad Amir, Dari Amri’s brother, and Zohreh Nik-a’in, Katie Nik-a’in’s sister, were amongst those detained for a few months and then released.
HRANA News Agency – Riyaz Sobhani, a Baha’i citizen residing in Tehran, was arrested this morning in his house.
According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), security forces entered Riyaz Sobhani’s house on June 15, 2011 at 6:30am without a warrant and arrested him without showing cause.
Riyaz Sobhani is the father of Jinoos Sobhani who was the former secretary at the Defenders of Human Rights Center.She was arrested once in 2008 and then again in 2009.
Artin Ghazanfari is Jinoos Sobhani’s husband who is currently locked up in Evin Prison, serving his one year sentence.After the events following Ashura protests which occurred on December 27, 2009, Artin Ghazanfari together with his wife and other Baha’i citizens were arrested in the same month.
May 4, 2010
HRA News Agency –Calendar of Human Rights Abuse of Baha’is, March and April 2010
Continue reading “Calendar of Human Rights Abuses Against Baha’is, March and April 2010”
HRANA News Agency – On Saturday and Sunday nights, June 4-5, 2011, security forces were dispatched to the houses of three Baha’i citizens in Babol and Babolsar, [Gilan Province], and arrested five individuals.
According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), equipped with guns and batons, intelligence agents accompanied by the police raided a Baha’i citizen’s house in Babolsar at 10:30pm while a special religious ceremony was being observed.Baha’i books and pictures were confiscated during this raid, and Misagh Laghai (76) and his daughter, Mahvand Laghai, were arrested.Additionally, using weapons such as batons and guns, security officers intimidated those attending this religious ceremony in order to force them to sign a commitment not to attend this Baha’i ritual again.
Furthermore, intelligence agents raided another Baha’i citizen’s house in Babolsar and after seizing religious books, pictures and a computer, arrested Nadia Farhadi (Imanian) and took her to an unknown location.Nadia Farhadi has been in charge of the provisional university for Baha’i citizens in Babolsar.
Similar to the above arrests, intelligence agents raided and searched another Baha’i citizen’s home on Sunday, June 5, 2011, and arrested the homeowners, Pejman Nikonajad and his wife, Sharareh Nikonajad.During this raid, the guests attending this Baha’i religious ceremony were beaten and forced to sign commitments not to attend such services again.
HRANA News Agency – On Tuesday, May 31, 2011, security forces raided Behnam Irani’s house in Karaj and arrested him.Behnam Irani is a Christian priest.
During the arrest, security forces assaulted and insulted Behnam Irani in front of his wife and two young children and placed him in handcuffs before taking him away.Previously, Behnam Irani had been summoned to report to Rajai-Shahr Prison in Karaj within twenty days in order to begin serving his one year sentence.It is not clear why this Christian priest was beaten and arrested before his deadline was reached.
According to a report by Rahsa News, judicial authorities have informed Behnam Irani that after he spends one year in prison, his five year suspended sentence will begin.
Behnam Irani is a Christian priest who was initially arrested in 2006 and sentenced to a five-year suspended prison term.Four years later, in 2010, he was detained again and released after posting a bail approximately equivalent to $9,500.Subsequently, Behnam Irani was sentenced to a year in prison, but this sentence was reduced by two months as a result of an objection filed by his attorney.
May 5, 2010
HRA News Agency – A report received recently from Iran provides details on a few cases of economic pressure put on the Bahá’ís. It is necessary to note that there are undoubtedly many more such incidents that have gone unreported. According to HRANA,The business license of Mr. Manouchehr Ighanian of Tehran, who owns an optical shop, has not been renewed and he has been sent a warning letter by the Opticians’ Trade Union to close up his shop. Mr. Ighanian has submitted an objection letter to the Trade Union along with appropriate documents. No information bearing on the outcome of his legal action is available at this time.
Continue reading “Report Compiled on Economic Pressures on Baha’is”
HRANA News Agency – This morning, with search and arrest warrants, Iran’s Intelligence Agency raided the houses of at least fifteen Baha’i citizens, detained some of them, and seized their personal properties.
According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), the majority of those detained are students attending a provisional university established for Baha’i citizens who are denied the opportunity to study at Iran’s higher education institutes.
The names of nine detainees are as follows:
Additionally, Mehran Behmradi and Aghae Talei have been summoned to report to the Intelligence Agency in Shiraz by Tuesday, May 24, 2011.
May 5, 2010
HRA News Agency –Mr.FariborzMiraki of Tehran, pre-university preparatory year:following the religious studies teacher’s insultingandridiculing the Faith and Bahá’ís, students became curious and asked questions fromMr. Miraki to which he provided answers.
HRANA News Agency – On Wednesday, May 12, 2011, after being summoned and arraigned by Karaj’s Revolutionary Court, Ruhollah Zibahi, a Baha’i citizen from Karaj, was transferred to Ghezel Hesar Prison.
According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), in December 2010, Ruhollah Zibahi’s house was searched, and he was told not to leave town until his arraignment. He has been charged acting against national security.
Although Ruhollah Zibahi’s family has posted his bail in the amount of approximately $50,000, he hasn’t been released so far.
