According to the Human Rights House of Iran, the security forces appeared at her house and informed her that she has been summoned to Ghaemshahr Intelligence Ministry. She was detained and transferred to the Sari Intelligence Ministry.

He house had also been searched before her arrest.

—

Source: http://www.rahana.org/en/?p=12198

Persian Article: http://www.rahana.org/archives/45724

]]> http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/8588/feed 0 http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/8570 http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/8570#comments Mon, 31 Oct 2011 21:19:23 +0000 editor http://www.iranpresswatch.org/?p=8570 [RAHANA 23 Oct. 2011] The authorities searched the residences of many Baha’i citizens, interrogated and detained several of them.

The security forces searched the homes and workplaces of many Baha’i citizens and arrested several of them.

According to the Human Rights House of Iran, the Baha’i citizens were searched and interrogated and several of them including Nadia Asadian, Shiva Kashaninejad and Sousan Badavam were detained.

—

Source: http://www.rahana.org/en/?p=12113

Persian Article: http://www.rahana.org/archives/45469

]]> http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/8570/feed 0 http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/8438 http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/8438#comments Mon, 03 Oct 2011 18:17:29 +0000 editor http://www.iranpresswatch.org/?p=8438 [1 Oct 2011] HRANA News Agency – On Thursday, September 29, 2011, twenty one Baha’i citizens were arrested in Esfahan and taken to an unknown location.  Amongst the detainees, there was a 9 year old child.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), on Thursday, Iranian security agents arrested the following Baha’i citizens in Esfahan:

1. Anisa Daneshgar
2. Arman Rahimi
3. Ataullah Daneshgar
4. Darab Yazdani
5. Dariush Dastpiesh
6. Dina Safarpour (9 years old)
7. Fardoas Niki
8. Farid Eshtiagh
9. Farzad Rohani
10. Fazel Behnam
11. Heshmatullah Niki
12. Laleh Namjoian
13. Lava Daneshgar
14. Parisa Rahmani
15. Roheia Hakimon
16. Saha Behnam
17. Samira Ghaneh
18. Shahla Sanaei
19. Sohela Davardan
20. Sohela Vahedian
21. Taj Almalok Janamian

On Saturday, October 1, 2011, Dina Safarpour, Shahla Sanaei, Fardoas Niki, Saha Behnam, Sohela Davardan, Samira Ghaneh, Sohela Vahedian and Taj Almalok Janamian were released. Thirteen other detainees still remain in custody while their whereabouts are unknown.

After these Baha’i citizens were arrested, the houses of Parisa Rahmani, Farzad Rohani and Ataullah Daneshgar were searched and Baha’i religious artifacts were confiscated.

—

Source: http://www.en-hrana.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=532:twenty-one-bahai-citizens-arrested-in-esfahan&catid=13:religious-minorities&Itemid=13

[Cairo, AHRAMONLINE, 27 Sep 2011] Members of Haifa-based sect will face trial for allegedly conspiring against Iranian national security.

Six Bahai men and one woman accused of proselytising began to appear, individually and in groups, before the Revolutionary Court in Tehran, which deals with crimes against the regime, according to a statement issued on Tuesday by the National Assembly of Bahais [it is not clear to the IPW what the National Assembly of Baha'is refers to].

The seven individuals are leaders and teachers of BIHE (Bahai Institute for Higher Education), an online university, the statement noted, adding that Iranian authorities had announced their arrest in May on charges of “proselytising.”

Iranian media did not report the opening of the trial.

The statement added that defence lawyer Abdolfattah Soltani had also been arrested on 10 September.

The arrest was first reported by Amnesty International and has since been denounced by the European Union. Soltani is a co-founder of the Centre for Human Rights in Iran, along with Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi.

The Bahais are barred from holding posts in higher education or government in staunchly Shiite-Muslim Iran, where they are widely regarded as infidels. They have been persecuted both before and after the country’s 1979 Islamic revolution.

The statement said the seven Bahais were among a group of 19 people arrested on 21 May, noting that the others had since been released.

In July, the assembly said they had been accused of “conspiracy against national security and against the Islamic Republic” for their activities on behalf of the BIHE.

Iranian Bahais are routinely persecuted. In late 2010, seven Bahai community leaders were sentenced to 20 years in prison.

There are more than seven million Bahais worldwide, including 300,000 in Iran, where the religion was founded, community leaders say.

The European Union and the United States have repeatedly expressed their concern about the plight of Bahais in Iran.

Followers of the Bahai faith consider Bahaullah, born in 1817, to be the last prophet sent to earth by God and believe in the spiritual unity of all religions and all mankind.

The faith is officially banned in Iran, where Bahais are regarded as heretics and “spies” linked to Israel, since the sect’s global headquarters are located in Haifa, Israel.

—

Source: http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/22679.aspx

Abdolfattah Soltani has been arrested on a number of occasions in the past

[Amnesty International, 12 Sep.2011] The Iranian authorities must immediately release one of Iran’s most prominent human rights lawyers, Abdolfattah Soltani, who was arrested on Saturday, Amnesty International said today.

Soltani, a co-founder of the Centre for Human Rights Defenders along with Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi and others, was arrested at a Prosecutor’s Office in Tehran. His wife told the media that four security officials then escorted him to his home, where they confiscated computers and documents before taking him away.

“Abdolfattah Soltani is one of the bravest human rights defenders in Iran. He has represented defendants in some of the most controversial human rights cases for over a decade, refusing to bow to pressure from the Iranian authorities,” said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Director.  “Now he is again paying the price for that commitment”.

Soltani has been arrested on a number of occasions in the past. In 2005, he spent seven months behind bars, but was eventually acquitted of all charges. He also spent two months in detention in 2009. Amnesty International has previously recognised him as a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for his work as a lawyer and defending human rights.

Abroad, his work has won him international recognition. In 2008 the German city of Nuremberg gave him a prestigious human rights award. But a travel ban imposed by the Iranian authorities prevented him from travelling there to receive it.

However, in Iran, he and fellow members of the Centre for Human Rights Defenders have been penalized by the authorities who forcibly closed their organisation in 2008 and carried out a string of arrests. This clampdown intensified after disputed presidential elections in 2009. Mohammad Seyfzadeh, a co-founder of the Centre, is currently serving a two-year prison term for his role in founding it.

Other human rights organisations whose members have been targeted include the Committee for the Defence of Political Prisoners in Iran, Human Rights Activists in Iran and the Committee of Human Rights Reporters.

Another prominent human rights lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh, was sentenced to 11 years in prison earlier this year. Arrested on 4 September 2010, the charges against her included “acting against national security, including membership of the Centre for Human Rights Defenders” – although she denied ever having been a member of the Centre.

She and a number of other imprisoned human rights lawyers, including Mohammad Seyfzadeh, Javid Houtan Kiyan and Mostafa Daneshju, are recognised by Amnesty International as prisoners of conscience.

“The continuing harassment and arrest of Iranian defence lawyers is completely unacceptable.” said Malcolm Smart. “Such actions not only directly violate their rights, but those of their clients, who are finding it increasingly difficult to find legal representation because of the deterrent effect of such arrests.”

—

Source: http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/iran-must-free-detained-human-rights-lawyer-2011-09-12

]]> http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/8393/feed 0 http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/8389 http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/8389#comments Sat, 24 Sep 2011 08:50:40 +0000 editor http://www.iranpresswatch.org/?p=8389 [bahai.us, 16, Sep 2011] The lawyer preparing to defend Baha’is facing trial in Iran’s Revolutionary Court has been detained again.

Mr. Abdolfattah Soltani was a senior member of the legal team representing the prisoners who face vague charges of threatening national security for teaching biology, engineering, architecture and other academic disciplines to young Baha’is denied university education because of their religion.

Soltani is a co-founder of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, along with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi and others. The Tehran-based Center was shut down in a police raid in December 2008.

Mr. Soltani was also imprisoned for two months in 2009 during the time he represented Iran’s seven Baha’i leaders who are currently serving harsh 20-year sentences for tending to the basic needs of the community, such as births, marriages and burials. Read more.

Amnesty International called on Iran to release Mr. Soltani immediately and commended the courageous lawyer for “refusing to bow to pressure from the Iranian authorities,” adding that, “Now he is again paying the price for that commitment.” Read full statement.

“We are deeply concerned at the detention of Mr. Soltani,” said Diane Ala’i, theBaha’i International Community‘s representative to the United Nations in Geneva. “What precisely are the motives of the Iranian authorities for this arrest, just before his clients are expected to face trial?” Read more.

In 2009, Mr. Soltani was interviewed by the Committee of Human Rights Reporters on the trial of the seven Baha’i leaders in Iran. Read the translation.

—

Source: http://iran.bahai.us/2011/09/16/iranian-attorney-abdolfattah-soltani-arrested-ahead-of-trial-of-bahai-educators/

Shakib Nasrollah, Keyvon Rahimian, Kamran Rahimian and Faran Hesami were the psychology instructors at the Distant Education  University who had previously been summoned, interrogated and threatened several times.

According o the Human Rights House of Iran, they had discontinued working with the Therapy Center after being threatened to be dismissed from their job two weeks ago.

Shakib Nasrollah, Faran Hesami, Kamran Rahimian had received their degrees from Canadian universities and had returned to Iran afterwards. Keyvon Rahimian had received his degree from the Baha’i Distant Education University.

—

Source: http://www.rahana.org/en/?p=11869

Persian Article: http://www.rahana.org/archives/44363

]]> http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/8373/feed 0 http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/8312 http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/8312#comments Mon, 05 Sep 2011 04:17:51 +0000 editor http://www.iranpresswatch.org/?p=8312 [RAHANA 29 Aug. 2011] Masoud Mahmoudi, a Baha’i citizen, has been detained in Northern Khorasan.

The security forces have arrested Masoud Mahmoudi and have transferred him to an unknown location.

According to the Human Rights House of Iran, there are no reports as to the reason for his arrest or his whereabouts.

Currently, several Baha’i citizens are serving their prison sentences in the Province of Khorasan.

—

Source: http://www.rahana.org/en/?p=11792

Persian Article: http://www.rahana.org/archives/43732

]]> http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/8312/feed 0 http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/8309 http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/8309#comments Mon, 05 Sep 2011 04:13:22 +0000 editor http://www.iranpresswatch.org/?p=8309 Vajih Nasheri, Baha’i citizen and wife of Vajihollah Mirza-golpour who had been led around the city with shackles, has been arrested.

Baha’i resident of Sari Vajih Nasheri has been arrested by three Intelligence Ministry agents.

During the arrest, her husband Golpour who had previously been arrested, interrogated and led around the city with shackles, asked to accompany his sick wife but his request was denied.

Mrs. Golpour is 60 and is suffering from diseases such as stomach ache. Even though 8 days have passed since her arrest, her husband has been unable to transfer her medications to her.

He had been told that he has to wait a week for the indictment while according to law a prisoner must be indicted within 24 hours.

It looks like a case has been filed against her following the letter she wrote describing what her husband went through during his arrest.

—

Source: http://www.rahana.org/en/?p=11788

Persian Article: http://www.rahana.org/archives/43678

]]> http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/8309/feed 1 http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/8300 http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/8300#comments Mon, 05 Sep 2011 04:01:58 +0000 editor http://www.iranpresswatch.org/?p=8300 HRANA News Agency – Afshin Hyratian, a Baha’i citizen and children’s rights activist, was arrested on Saturday, August 20, 2011.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Afshin Hyratian was detained while he was leaving his house.Following his family’s inquires, it has been reported that Afshin Hyratian is currently locked up in Evin Prison, Ward 350.

Afshin Hyratian was arrested on June 3, 2010 in a park in front of the Iranian Artists’ Forum in Tehran and spent two months in temporary custody. He was then freed on bail. Afshin Hyratian has been sentenced to 4 years in prison, but his case is being reviewed by the Appeals Court.

While he was behind bars in Evin Prison, Ward 209, this Baha’i citizen was severely tortured in order to obtain televised confessions from him.

—

Source: http://www.en-hrana.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=488:childrens-rights-activist-afshin-hyratian-arrested&catid=13:religious-minorities&Itemid=13