Iran | News Bulletin #37-26 (9–19 October 2026) PART 2 iranbahaipersecution.bic.org… #BahaiRights #Iran

Iran | News Bulletin #37-26 (9–19 October 2026) PART 1 iranbahaipersecution.bic.org… #BahaiRights #Iran

Security Agents Damage Property During Search of Bahar Behifar’s Home in Yazd On the evening of 19 October 2026, Ministry of Intelligence agents raided a café in Yazd, where a group of Bahá’ís had gathered socially. The agents confronted those present, confiscated their mobile phones, and took a young Bahá’í with them to conduct home searches. The young Bahá’í was Ms. Bahar Behifar, daughter of Mr. Hormoz Behifar. Agents escorted her to her father’s home, which they raided and searched without presenting a judicial warrant. They searched the residence and its contents, emptying drawers and cupboards and causing significant damage to personal property, including a number of household items and belongings. A short time earlier, during a search of another Bahá’í’s home in Yazd, where Ms. Behifar and several other young people were present, her mobile phone had been left inside her vehicle. Agents took her to the vehicle and confiscated the phone. The other Bahá’ís present at the gathering were Mr. Shahin Daneshnia, Ms. Romina Pourmoradi, Mr. Kamyab Raei, Ms. Hania Taleie, Mr. Altaf Ghane, Ms. Parnia Basiri, Mr. Milad Aghdasi, and Mrs. Samiyeh Gholinejad. The agents declined to present a judicial warrant during these actions. When those present requested to see legal authorization for the search and confiscations, the agents stated only that they had received “orders.” Several of those at the café were also physically assaulted during the incident. That same night, security agents also raided and searched the home of Mr. Aghdasi and Mrs. Gholinejad, a Bahá’í couple residing in Yazd. Some of their personal property was damaged during the operation. As of the time of writing, no information has been made available about the reasons for the search of Ms. Behifar’s home, any charges that may have been brought against her, or the precise extent of the damage caused during the raid. #Bahai #Iran #Arrests #HomeSearches #BaharBehifar #HormozBehifar

Security Agents Raid Milad Aghdasi and Samiyeh Gholinejad’s Home in Yazd At approximately 11:00 p.m. on 19 October 2026, security agents forcibly raided the home of Mr. Milad Aghdasi and Mrs. Samiyeh Gholinejad, a Bahá’í couple residing in Yazd. The agents searched all areas of the residence as well as the couple’s personal belongings. The search continued until around 3:00 a.m. During the raid, the agents confiscated a number of the couple’s personal items. No information was available about the reason for the operation or the security body responsible for carrying it out. Mrs. Gholinejad, 32, who lived in Qaemshahr before her marriage, had previously been arrested there by security agents in September 2022, along with several other young Bahá’ís. She was released some time later after posting bail. In connection with that case, she was sentenced to two years and one month’s imprisonment; however, Branch 9 of the Mazandaran Province Court of Appeal later commuted her sentence to a fine of 50 million tomans. Mr. Aghdasi and Mrs. Gholinejad had also previously been targeted by security agents, who raided their post-wedding gathering at the home of Mr. Mahmoud Aghdasi in Yazd and disrupted the event. Mr. Aghdasi was also summoned to the Ministry of Intelligence in May 2023. He was released after being interrogated and threatened. #Bahai #Iran #Arrests #HomeRaids #MiladAghdasi #SamiyehGholinejad

A delegation of @BahaiBIC, made up of representatives from its Geneva and Addis Ababa Offices, attended the 48th Ordinary Session of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (@acerwc), held in Maseru from 13 to 20 October. During the session, the delegation held bilateral meetings with several ACERWC members on the ongoing persecution of the Bahá'ís in Egypt and its consequences for children and families. A key moment of the session was the ACERWC's review of Egypt's implementation of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, the first such review since 2008, which was of particular significance to the BIC, given the ongoing difficulties facing Bahá'í children in #Egypt. #ACERWC #HumanRights #RightsOfTheChild #FreedomOfReligionOrBelief #ACERWC48

PART 3 OF 4 | HOW MAHVASH SABET’S MANUSCRIPT LEFT PRISON How was Mahvash Sabet able to write and preserve her memoir while imprisoned in Iran? Speaking to @BBC Newshour, translator Bahiyyih Nakhjavani explains how Sabet wrote on small scraps of paper, including tissue paper and newspaper margins, and concealed the pages among her belongings. With help from fellow prisoners, the writings were gradually taken out of prison over seven years. Following her release in 2017, Sabet transcribed the collected writings into the memoir Open Wide the Doors. 🎧 Listen to Part 3 of our series to hear Nakhjavani explain how the manuscript was written and brought out of prison. Source: BBC World Service | Newshour #MahvashSabet #OpenWideTheDoors #Bahai #Iran #PrisonMemoir #BBCWorldService #HumanRights

PART 2 OF 4 | MAHVASH SABET’S PRISON MEMOIR How did Mahvash Sabet document her experiences of imprisonment in Iran? In the second part of our series, Bahiyyih Nakhjavani, translator of Sabet’s memoir Open Wide the Doors, discusses the conditions described in the book and Sabet’s response to years of imprisonment. Nakhjavani highlights Sabet’s account of suffering, as well as her efforts to maintain her sense of humour, dignity and concern for others despite the conditions she faced. The discussion also introduces the concept of “constructive resilience,” which Nakhjavani describes as an approach focused on actions that benefit both individuals and the wider community. 🎧 Listen to Part 2 of the original @BBC interview. Source: BBC World Service | Newshour #MahvashSabet #OpenWideTheDoors #Bahai #Iran #PrisonMemoir #HumanRights #BBCWorldService

PART 1 OF 4 | WHY ARE BAHÁ’ÍS PERSECUTED IN IRAN? Why has Iran’s Bahá’í community faced persecution under successive governments? In an interview with @BBC Newshour presenter James Menendez, author and translator Bahiyyih Nakhjavani discusses the historical persecution of Iran’s Bahá’ís and the accusations made against them over different periods. She also explains why the Bahá’í community’s principles of gender equality, religious tolerance and democratic governance have been perceived as a threat. The conversation is part of a BBC World Service interview about Open Wide the Doors, the prison memoir of Iranian Bahá’í writer Mahvash Sabet. 🎧 Listen to Part 1 of our four-part series featuring the original BBC interview. Source: BBC World Service | Newshour #Bahai #BahaiFaith #Iran #ReligiousFreedom #HumanRights #MahvashSabet #BBCWorldService

Jila Sadeghi Held in Solitary Confinement in Dowlatabad Prison It was learned on 19 October 2026 that Mrs. Jila Sadeghi (Moghen), a Bahá’í resident of Isfahan, was arrested at her home on 6 October by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence, who also confiscated two vehicles belonging to her family. Mrs. Sadeghi was transferred to Dowlatabad Prison on the night of her arrest and is being held in a solitary cell. As of the time of this report, no information had been released regarding the reason for Mrs. Sadeghi’s arrest or any charges against her. #Bahai #Iran #Arrests #Imprisonments #JilaSadeghi

UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Nazila Ghanea, highlights how the persecution of Baha’is in Iran extends even beyond death in the context of her interim report A/81/376 on Freedom of religion or belief and funeral rights in exceptional circumstances, presented to the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, during the 25th Plenary Meeting. Bahá’ís are denied the right to bury their loved ones in accordance with their religious beliefs, while their cemeteries are confiscated, desecrated, and bulldozed, denying families the dignity of mourning their loved ones and honoring their memory. These violations are yet another manifestation of the Iranian government’s relentless efforts to persecute the Bahá’í community in every aspect of life. As a former UN Special Rapporteur observed, the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran extends “from cradle to grave.” #FoRB #HumanRights #ThirdCommittee #BahaiRights

Thank you to the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations for highlighting the continued discrimination of Bahá'ís in Iran. During the 25th Plenary Meeting of the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, Ireland condemned the persecution of Bahá'ís alongside other religious communities, in the context of the interim report A/81/376 on freedom of religion or belief and funeral rights in exceptional circumstances by the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief. In Iran, Bahá’ís are systematically denied the right to bury their loved ones according to Bahá’í burial rites, while entire Bahá’í cemeteries are confiscated, desecrated and bulldozed to the ground. The former Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief described the persecution of the Baha’is in Iran as one extending “from cradle to grave”. In #Egypt, the only Bahá’í cemetery allocated to the Bahá’í community is overcrowded, and in a country spanning over one million square kilometers, families living outside Cairo are compelled to undertake long journeys just to bury their loved ones. #FoRB #HumanRights #ThirdCommittee #BahaiRights

Forough Ram Begins One-Year Prison Sentence in Zahedan On 13 October 2026, Ms. Forough Ram, a Bahá’í resident of Zahedan, was arrested after reporting to the Sentence Enforcement Office and transferred to Zahedan Prison to serve a one-year prison sentence. During the proceedings in her case, Ms. Ram’s lawyer was barred from attending the court session, and the appeal hearing was held in absentia. Ms. Ram, 30, had previously been arrested on 20 January 2026, when armed agents raided her home in Zahedan. During the operation, the personal belongings and communication devices of all members of her family were also confiscated. She was subsequently released on bail. Ms. Ram was also dismissed from her workplace on the orders of the Ministry of Intelligence. As of the time of writing, no further details had been announced concerning the charges against her or the court branch that issued the ruling. She is currently serving her sentence in Zahedan Prison. #Bahai #Iran #Arrests #Imprisonments #ForoughRam

Iman Rahmatpanah Begins Five-Year Sentence Under Electronic Monitoring with a 1,000-Metre Movement Restriction It was learned on 15 October 2026 that Mr. Iman Rahmatpanah, a Bahá’í resident of Shiraz, had begun serving a five-year imprisonment sentence outside prison under electronic monitoring. Under the ruling, he is required to remain within a 1,000-metre radius of his residence throughout this period. He has also been sentenced to six years’ deprivation of social rights and a two-year ban on leaving the country. Mr. Rahmatpanah was previously arrested by security agents in Shiraz in June 2025 and spent about two months in security detention centres and Adelabad Prison. He was temporarily released on bail in August 2025. Mr. Rahmatpanah and his family have also faced arrests and judicial pressure in previous years because of their religious beliefs. #Bahai #Iran #Arrests #Imprisonments #ImanRahmatpanah

Bahá’í Couple Elham Khollas and Navid Tashakkor Due in Court on 21 October 2026 It was learned on 15 October 2026 that Mrs. Elham Khollas Ardestani and her husband, Mr. Navid Tashakkor, both Bahá’ís and the parents of a 15-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old son, were scheduled to appear in court on 21 October 2026 for a hearing in their case. Mr. Tashakkor had previously been arrested on charges related to the manufacture of drones and was acquitted. He was arrested again on 13 December 2025. After the couple’s laptops and mobile phones were confiscated, agents examined materials concerning the Bahá’í Faith stored on the devices, prompting an investigation into the couple’s religious beliefs. Mr. Tashakkor was released on bail of one billion tomans after several weeks in temporary detention. Mrs. Khollas was arrested on 18 August 2026 after reporting to the investigator’s office headed by Mr. Sabbagh. The charges against her included keeping an article on her laptop, studying at the Bahá’í Institute for Higher Education (BIHE), and having “contact with Israel.” She was held in Dowlatabad Prison for about one month before being released on 19 September 2026 on bail of two billion tomans. being released on 19 September 2026 on bail of two billion tomans. #Bahai #Iran #Arrests #Imprisonments #ElhamKhollasArdestani #NavidTashakkor

Bahá’í Couple Sentenced in Yazd to a Combined Three Years, Six Months and Two Days in Prison On 12 October 2026, Branch 1 of the Yazd Revolutionary Court sentenced Mrs. Flora Samadani and her husband, Mr. Ahmad Jafari Naimi, both Bahá’ís residing in Yazd, to a combined total of three years, six months and two days in prison. According to the verdict, Mrs. Samadani was sentenced to three years and one day of imprisonment on the charge of “deviant propaganda activity contrary to the sacred law of Islam through the promotion of the Bahá’í Faith.” Mr. Naimi was sentenced to six months and one day of imprisonment on the charge of aiding and abetting the same activity. The sentences were issued under Article 500 bis and Articles 126 and 127 of the Islamic Penal Code. The hearing on the couple’s charges had been held before the same branch in mid-to-late September 2026. On 3 May 2026, security forces arrested Mrs. Samadani, 56, in Yazd. After about a week in a detention facility of the Yazd Intelligence Department, she was transferred to Yazd Prison and subsequently released on bail on 20 June 2026. Mr. Naimi, 59, had previously been arrested and subjected to legal proceedings because of his religious beliefs. On 13 June 2026, he was arrested after appearing before Investigation Branch 6 of the Yazd Prosecutor’s Office. He was released from Yazd Prison on 4 July 2026 on bail of one billion tomans. #Bahai #Iran #Imprisonments #FloraSamadani #AhmadJafariNaimi

In July 2025, Swiss newspaper @LeTemps published an article by @lemondefr journalist Ghazal Golshiri examining the intensified repression in Iran following the June 2025 conflict with Israel. The report highlighted the targeting of Bahá’ís alongside other vulnerable communities and included a harrowing account from Fariba Kamalabadi, a Bahá’í prisoner transferred from Evin Prison to Qarchak Prison following an Israeli airstrike. Kamalabadi described severe overcrowding, inadequate medical care, and deeply troubling sanitary conditions. Her testimony offered a powerful glimpse into the experiences of Bahá’í prisoners amid the wider crackdown. Her account underscores the importance of documenting the experiences of Bahá’ís in Iran and drawing international attention to the protection of their fundamental rights, dignity, and safety. Read the article: letemps.ch/monde/le-regime-i… #Bahai #FaribaKamalabadi #HumanRights #ReligiousFreedom

@hrw and the Bahá’í International Community documented an intensifying wave of persecution against Bahá’ís in Iran, including more than 750 acts of persecution between June and November 2025. These included arbitrary arrests, lengthy prison sentences, home raids, and property confiscations. Their joint statement, published on 10 December 2025, highlights the Iranian judiciary’s role in systematically targeting Bahá’ís because of their religious beliefs, raising serious concerns about religious freedom, human rights violations, and the urgent need for international accountability. Read the full statement: hrw.org/news/2025/12/10/iran… #HumanRights #BahaiRights #Iran #ReligiousFreedom

In June 2025, Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies held a public hearing at the National Congress addressing the gender-based persecution of Bahá’í women in Iran. The hearing brought together representatives from Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Human Rights, Human Rights Watch, UN Special Rapporteur Nazila Ghanea, journalists, parliamentarians, and members of civil society. Discussions highlighted the discrimination, arbitrary imprisonment, and restrictions on fundamental rights faced by Bahá’í women in Iran, while emphasizing the importance of international attention and accountability. A moving moment during the hearing featured Brazilian actress Débora Duboc reading letters from imprisoned Bahá’í woman Anisa Fanaian, accompanied by images of Iranian Bahá’í women. The gathering demonstrated the growing international attention to the experiences of Bahá’í women and the importance of protecting freedom of religion or belief. Watch the full hearing: youtube.com/live/lu8REu0HvPU #HumanRights #ReligiousFreedom #Iran #Bahai

تداوم بازداشت بهزاد یزدانی بدون برگزاری دادگاه پس از گذشت بیش از شش ماه تداوم بازداشت پارسا نجفی پس از گذشت بیش از ۱۲۰ روز، بدون تفهیم اتهام و برگزاری دادگاه مخالفت با اعطای مرخصی به رویا ثابت برای ملاقات با مادر بیمار و سپس شرکت در مراسم خاکسپاری او

Bahá’í Couple Sentenced in Yazd to a Combined Three Years, Six Months and Two Days in Prison On 12 October 2026, Branch 1 of the Yazd Revolutionary Court sentenced Mrs. Flora Samadani and her husband, Mr. Ahmad Jafari Naimi, both Bahá’ís residing in Yazd, to a combined total of three years, six months and two days in prison. According to the verdict, Mrs. Samadani was sentenced to three years and one day of imprisonment on the charge of “deviant propaganda activity contrary to the sacred law of Islam through the promotion of the Bahá’í Faith.” Mr. Naimi was sentenced to six months and one day of imprisonment on the charge of aiding and abetting the same activity. The sentences were issued under Article 500 bis and Articles 126 and 127 of the Islamic Penal Code. The hearing on the couple’s charges had been held before the same branch in mid-to-late September 2026. On 3 May 2026, security forces arrested Mrs. Samadani, 56, in Yazd. After about a week in a detention facility of the Yazd Intelligence Department, she was transferred to Yazd Prison and subsequently released on bail on 20 June 2026. Mr. Naimi, 59, had previously been arrested and subjected to legal proceedings because of his religious beliefs. On 13 June 2026, he was arrested after appearing before Investigation Branch 6 of the Yazd Prosecutor’s Office. He was released from Yazd Prison on 4 July 2026 on bail of one billion tomans. iranbahaipersecution.bic.org… #Bahai #Iran #Imprisonments #FloraSamadani #AhmadJafariNaimi