Tag: Arshad Afshar

Report on the Arrest of Three Members of a Baha’i Family in Isfahan

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News, Religious Minorities
Arshad Afshar, Arshia Afshar, Bahareh Afshar, Dastgerd, Dowlatabad, HRANA, Isfahan

HRANA – Arshad Afshar, Bahareh Afshar, and Arshia Afshar, three members of a Baha’i family living in Shahin Shahr, Isfahan, were arrested by security forces more than two months ago. They are currently being held in Dastgerd and Dowlatabad prisons in Isfahan.

Based on information received by HRANA, more than 65 days have passed since the arrest of Arshad Afshar, his wife Bahareh Afshar, and their son Arshia Afshar. Arshad and Arshia Afshar are currently being held in Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan, while Bahareh Afshar is being held in Dowlatabad Prison in the same county. So far, no information has been obtained regarding the reasons for their arrest or the charges brought against them.

A knowledgeable source close to the family confirmed the news to HRANA, stating:
“For follow-up on their situation, we have repeatedly referred to judicial authorities, but so far we have not received any clear response about their status. Previously, families were told that there was a possibility of their release on bail before February 11, but they were not released, and for some time now their families have had no information about their condition.”

Arshad Afshar, Bahareh Afshar, and Arshia Afshar were arrested by security forces in Shahin Shahr, Isfahan, on January 9.

It should be noted that on July 31 of this year, the home of this Baha’i family had also been searched by security forces.

Over the past decade, the Baha’i community in Iran has been targeted by security and judicial actions more than any other religious minority. A review of annual reports by the Statistics, Publication, and Works Center of the Human Rights Activists in Iran shows that over the past year, on average, 62.41% of reports concerning religious minorities were related to violations of the rights of Baha’i citizens.

Searching Houses, Confiscating Belongings, and Summoning 12 Baha’is in Isfahan

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Religious Minorities
Arshad Afshar, Aziz Afshar, Baha'i, Bahram Safaei, Mahboubeh Hosseini, Mehran Yazdani, Mesbah Karambakhsh, Mitra Tashakori, Naeem Haghiri, Naieem Haghiri, Peyman Imani, Sirous Golzar

Between 9-15 June 2019, the houses of nine Baha’i families, Arshad Afshar, Aziz Afshar, Peyman Imani, Mahboubeh Hosseini, Bahram Safaei, Mehran Yazdani, Mesbah Karambakhsh, Sirous Golzar, and Naieem Haghiri were searched by security forces with warrant in Shahin Shahr. Cell phones, laptops, tablets, satellite devices, books, photos, pictorial carpets, identification documents, and working tools were confiscated. These citizens, along three other Baha’i citizens, were summoned by the judicial authorities.

The search had been going on, on different days, from 9 am to 2 pm by a group of seven security agents. They searched 11 Baha’i citizens’ houses and confiscated about 100 million Toman [approximate 7,000 USD] worth of belongings from these citizens. The agents didn’t provide any response to these families’ queries.

These 11 Baha’i citizens were summoned to the Intelligence Office. In addition, Naeem Haghiri was fired from his job under pressure of the intelligence office while Mitra Tashakori, Baha’i resident of Shahin Shahr, was summoned and threatened. Within the last two weeks, several previously licensed Baha’i businesses were shut down.

Iranian Baha’i citizens are systematically deprived of religious freedoms, while according to Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, everyone is entitled to freedom of religion and belief, and the right to adopt and manifest the religion of their choice, be it individually, in groups, in public, or in private.

More than 300,000 Baha’is live in Iran. Iran’s constitution, however, recognizes only Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism, and does not acknowledge the Baha’i faith as an official religion. Consequently, the rights of Baha’is are systematically violated in Iran.