Badiollah Lohrasb, Baha’i citizen of Salman Shahr, has been arrested by the Intelligence Ministry agents on February 29^th.  According to the Human Rights House of Iran, his wife has been able to talk to him over the phone twice.

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Source: http://www.rahana.org/en/?p=10357

In continuing the trend of increased persecution on Baha’is in Mazandaran, Mahin Taj Rouhani who is a Baha’i citizen in Sari city, was arrested on Saturday, January 1^st.

This arrest was done after searching her house completely by security officials in Sari city.

She had previously been summoned by a phone call to the Ministry of Intelligence on December 19^th. She had been summoned under the pretext of answering some questions at the Ministry of Intelligence for not having the documents of her mobile SIM card. She failed to show up since the authorities’ claim was false and the summons order had been unofficial and had been communicated to her orally.  She was threatened along with her husband after she failed to show up.

On December 25, 2010, Seven of the Sari city Intelligence agents stormed to her house. They had a search warrant and proceeded to search her home and also confiscated some equipments such as books and pictures related to Baha’i faith, computer case, satellite dish and receiver, cassette tapes, and family CDs.

The officers also forced her to promise that she will appear at the Ministry of intelligence on December 29^th.

Baha’i Citizen Artin Ghazanfari Began Serving Sentence

One year has passed since his initial arrest. Ghazanfari who had been transferred to the Evin Prison along with nine more Baha’i citizens on January 3, 2010, has to serve his prison sentence. Although he had to begin serving his sentence on January 3^rd, he was able to postpone it for one month since he is under treatment for acute pulmonary disease. He caught the disease during his confinement in Evin and Rajaei Shahr Prisons.

After the events of Ashura last year, Artin Ghazanfari was arrested by the security forces in Tehran and his house was searched. His wife, Jinous Sobhani was arrested along with him. His family was concerned about his condition since he was held incommunicado. He was not even allowed to be with his family during the Iranian New year. After three months In Evin and Rajaei Shahr prisons, he was released for a week on April 3, 2010. Once more, he was confined in Evin until April 18^th and was finally released on a $50,000 bail. His trial was held in April and he was sentenced to one year of imprisonment.

His lung disease which has not cured since last year is maily due to difficult and unsanitary conditions of Evin and Rajaei Shahr Prisons.

Detention of Baha’i citizen Masrour Fazli

Masrour Fazli, a Baha’i living in Urmia, has been arrested on the thirty-first of December 2010.

Moreover, Shiva Karimi, Homeira Parvizi and Navid Morghi three Bahae’i living in Urmia had been arrested after security forces raided, searched and confiscated some their personal belongings.

In recent weeks, pressure on the Baha’is in different cities of country has intensified. Since the beginning of January, Mahin Taj Rowhani, Roya Ghanbari in Sary city and Adib Hagh Pejou in Shiraz were arrested by security forces after their houses were searched. Shole Taef, a Baha’i living in Semnan was summoned for serving her one year prison sentence term.

Anisa Safaryan, a Baha’i expelled student of Elmo San’at University of Babolsar city, was also arrested when her house was searched and some of her personal belongings were confiscated by the security forces and so far she has been able to call her family only once.

Fouad Khanjani was sentenced to four years of imprisonment

Fouad Khanjani was arrested on the twenty-seventh of April, 2010 after being summoned to the office of Ministry of Intelligence. He had already been summoned to the Ministry of Intelligence on the second of March, 2010. He had also received similar orders twice.

He had already been expelled from Industrial Management of Esfahan due to his belief in the Baha’i faith.

Fouad Khanjani is the son of Ala’adin Khanjani who had previously been arrested, the brother of Lava Khanjani(Mobasher) who has been sentenced to two years of imprisonment and the grandson of Jamaloddin Khanjani , one of the seven former leaders of the Baha’i community.

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Source: http://www.rahana.org/en/?p=9128

]]> http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/7295/feed 1 http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/7182 http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/7182#comments Sun, 19 Dec 2010 08:05:37 +0000 editor http://www.iranpresswatch.org/?p=7182 (RAHANA — 22-Nov-2010) Baha’i resident of Ghaemshahr Shahnaz Ranjbar who had previously been arrested, has recently been threatened on the phone twice.

According to the RAHANA reporter, on October 30^th, the authorities requested for Ranjabr to appear at the Sari Revolutionary Court. She had stated that she would not go to court without a summons order and in the absence of her lawyer. The official on the phone had responded that a court verdict will be issued in her absence if she fails to appear.

On November 21^st, she was once again contacted and asked to refer to the Sari Revolutionary Court. She has repeated that she will not appear in court without a summons order and in the absence of her lawyer.

The official on the phone has threatened that her arrest warrant will be issued if she fails to show up. Ranjabar has not committed a crime and an arrest warrant cannot be issued legally. The person on the phone has said that “it looks like you are not aware that you have been accused of anti-regime propaganda.”

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Source: http://www.rahana.org/en/?p=8090

]]> http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/7182/feed 0 http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/7127 http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/7127#comments Sat, 11 Dec 2010 04:23:12 +0000 editor http://www.iranpresswatch.org/?p=7127

HARANA News, Thursday 20th Aban 1389 [11 Nov 2010] - In a letter written to [Ayatollah Ahmad] Jannati, Secretary General of the Guardian Council, by ten Muslim residents of Ivel village, reference is made to the 100 year residence in Ivel of Baha’is, who own more than 30 hectares of land and many homes, requesting that a price be set and ownership of the properties be transferred to Muslims. Mr. Jannati, in consultation with Mr. ['Ali] Larijani, head of the judiciary, agreed that the properties belong to Ayatollah Khamanei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, and that the transfer of ownership would require that the Article 8 Foundation* of the Imam come on the scene. That letter is among the attachments.

As indicated by HARANA Reporters, following this development the Islamic Council of Ivel wrote a letter to neighbouring villages in which they ask these villages not to provide tractors to Baha’is, nor to help with the fall planting of the land, something that these Baha’is have done every year, inasmuch as the land supposedly “belongs to” the Supreme Leader and comes under the control of the Article 8 Foundation of the Imam. A copy of this letter is also attached.

Ivel village Baha’is, whose homes were destroyed this past summer, as they were carrying out their 27 year practice of planting their land, went to the Kiasar [a nearby village] court judge Nasseri and submitted to him a letter (dated 18/7/’89 [10 Oct 2010]) to this effect. The judge issued an order allowing them to plant, in coordination with, and with the personal attendance of,the Talma Darreh [a nearby village] military unit. The judge’s first letter was approved, and an order was issued to the military unit on 22/7/’89 [14 Oct 2010]. However, planting did not proceed, due to the lack of rain, and was delayed until a rainfall, following which the farmers went to Talma Darreh to obtain tractors. At that point they were faced by the letter from Ivel Council mentioned earlier. Therefore, they wrote a second letter to the Court, and the judge sent another order to allow them to plant dated 15/8/’89 [6 Nov 2010]. On that basis,Mr Fegh’hi provided two tractors to the Baha’is of Ivel, to enable them to do their planting. (both letters are attached [scans of the original letters in Persian see below])

Ivel Baha’i farmers, accompanied by Talma Darreh officials and two tractors, headed for Ivel village and their farms. They planted the land and the tractors began ploughing the fields, whereupon an Ivel Muslim named Hossein-gholi Ghaffari came to them, and stated that the land belonged to the Imam, and that no one had the right to plant it. He ordered the two tractor drivers to stop. The Military official asked him for an official letter to this effect, which he could not produce; therefore the officer ordered that the work continue. The man retorted that in another hour people would arrive from town and prevent the work, which is exactly what happened.

SafarAli Isma’ili, along with Feyzollah Isma’ili, Sayyid Javad Darakhshan, Mansoor Liali, NadAli Fallahpour, HosseinAli Rajabi and others came into the field; SafaAli in an angry tone dictatorially ordered that the tractors be turned off and that planting cease. The officer, Sgt KheshtZar, tried to persuade him to desist but it had no effect — he kept repeating that the land belonged to the Supreme Leader’s office, and that no one was allowed to plant in it. In the video clip, he is sitting on top of the tractor, talking. Due to the distance and the dangers involved in filming the event, his voice is not recorded, but he is insulting, belittling and cursing the Baha’i farmers who are around him, watching his ignorance, law-breaking and mischievous actions. As the possibility of violence existed, the Baha’is did not argue with him. At this point, officer KheshtZar left for his office so that he could relay the matter to his commander and the judge. Upon his return he ordered that the planting continue; the tractors drivers turned on their engines, but SafaAli, Feyzollah and Sayyid Javad stepped forward and prevented the work from proceeding. They sat on the tractors and in front of them, preventing the tractors from moving. This situation lasted for some time; as the work could not continue, KheshtZar told the Baha’is that he would stay there, but to avoid a confrontation, they should go to the officials and obtain a court order. So the Baha’is left and he prepared his report, dated 16/8/’89 [7 Nov], attached.

The next day, his report along with another letter were submitted to the Kiasar judge, informing him of what had transpired. The judge again approved the earlier order for planting. This letter dated 17/8/’89 [8 Nov], which is attached, was given to the military office, but as the commander was not available and no manpower was at hand, nothing happened. What did transpire was that, as with the destruction of the homes, most of the land was planted by these individuals in the dark of night. This had been anticipated; as had been observed the day before, they had been working on the property of the Baha’is. The matter had been reported again to the military officers who had verified this illegal activity in their night tour, but there was no action taken to prevent the criminal activity, so it was easily accomplished.

Today, 18/8/’89 [9 Nov], all that had happened was submitted in written form to judge Nasseri. As was expected, he issued an order that the land be planted under the supervision of the military office. The commander of the office, who had initially said that the judge’s order must be carried out and that it did not matter whether the farmer was Baha’i or Muslim or Jew, this time did not follow through. All the orders were just on paper. The law, the enforcer, the judge and his judgement, were all — as in the incident of the destruction of Baha’i homes — of no value or effect. But the actions of SafarAli, a retired enforcer who spent 30 years at the Justice Ministry, and his side-kick Rahim Liali at the Supreme Leader’s office and elsewhere, are the law, the enforcer, the judge, and the true legal force in the land. He entered the scene in the presence of representatives of the law and declared, as had happened before with the houses, that their war with Baha’i farmers of Ivel was like the Battle of Khaybar [a battle between Muhammad and a Jewish group -- see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Khaybar. The defeated Jews were forced to contribute tribute; later their land was confiscated.], removing Baha’is from the scene and clearing the space, destroying their homes and now taking over their land — and that the Supreme leader and his Foundation was the best vehicle for all this.

What happened during the summer, the destruction of more than 50 homes and animal barns and straw and feed containers of Baha’i farmers of Ivel, and now the confiscation of their land, part of which had been confiscated in 1362 [1983-4] after the expulsion of Baha’is in the name of the Prince of Martyrs [Imam Husayn], and now the remaining part being taken away and confiscated in the name of the Supreme Leader, are all evidence of the government-in-the-shadows acting against religious minorities and other groups, much more forcefully and colorfully than the seeming government.
Aban 1389 [Nov 2010].

* Article 8 of the Iranian Constitution reads: “In the Islamic Republic of Iran, al-’amr bilma’ruf wa al-nahy ‘an al-munkar is a universal and reciprocal duty that must be fulfilled by the people with respect to one another, by the government with respect to the people, and by the people with respect to the government. The conditions, limits, and nature of this duty will be specified by law. (This is in accordance with the Qur’anic verse; “The believers, men and women, are guardians of one another; they enjoin the good and forbid the evil” [9:71]).

See a related video here: https://hra-news.org/Video/eyval002.mp4

Documents obtained in this respect:

—
Translation by Iran Press Watch
Source: http://www.iranpresswatch.org/fa/post/1615, http://www.hra-news.org/1389-01-27-05-24-07/5093-1.html

Based on information from HARANA reporters, a Baha’i student named Sahar Sabetian, who was enrolled at Alzahra High School in Sari, has been dismissed from school since the 9th of Aban [31 Oct], and has been deprived of her right to an education. It should be noted that the reason for her dismissal was that she responded to the religious teacher’s calumnies against her religious beliefs.

In a letter addressed to the Head of Education for Mazandaran Province, the father of this student has objected to the expulsion, and has called the loss of her right to education contrary to civil rights.

In his letter he writes: “On Saturday the 8th of Aban 1389 [30 Oct 2010] during the Religion and Life hour the teacher insulted my daughter’s religious beliefs. My daughter, with the teacher’s permission and very respectfully, responded to the teacher’s questions and did not do anything contrary to school rules. The next day, on Sunday, she was called from statistics class to the school office; we were told in a telephone call: “Come and get your daughter and her file. She has been expelled from school.”

Full text of the letter to the Ministry of Education in Mazandaran.

—

Translation by Iran Press Watch
source: http://www.iranpresswatch.org/fa/post/1598, http://www.hra-news.org/1389-01-27-05-24-07/5037-1.html

According to HRA reporters, in recent days the verdict of the court that had convicted a Baha’i living in Qaemshahr named Masoud Ataiyan [see http://www.iranpresswatch.org/?s=ataiyan] to 10 months imprisonment  was approved by the appeals court of Mazandaran province; the result was announced to his lawyer.

It should be mentioned that this person was kept in solitary confinement for more than 3 months in early 1388 A.H. (2009 A.D.).

In addition, at the moment another Baha’i named Simin Gorji [news of her arrest was reported here http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/237] is spending her term in Qaemshahr prison.

—

Translation by Iran Press Watch

Source: http://www.hra-news.org/1389-01-27-05-24-07/4688-1.html

RAHANA: Vahid Salim-Ighani and Mr. Ghaderi were detained in the morning by the Tonekabon Intelligence Ministry authorities. They were transferred to the Prosecutor’s Office and interrogated by the security officials.

They were transferred to the Sari Prison after the interrogations and there has been no news as to their condition since then.

The two citizens have not been indicted and nothing has been announced to their families in regards to the charges.

They are currently held in the Sari Prison and there has been no information as to the reason for their arrest.

—
Source: http://www.rahana.org/en/?p=7630 , http://www.iranpresswatch.org/fa/post/1472

Also see Iran Press Watch: http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/2363

Ferdosieh Nikoumanesh

(9 Sep 2010 – Radio Free Europe) Ferdosieh Nikoumanesh remembers a time when she and her family couldlive in peace as practicing Baha’is in the Iranian city of Ivel, where more than 50 Baha’i homes were demolished in June. Her childhood home, her grandparents’ home, and her grandfather’s store were among the many properties burned to the ground. Nikoumanesh and her husband now live in a suburb of Washington, D.C.

Nikoumanesh spent many of her childhood summers in Ivel, northeast of Tehran in Mazandaran Province, visiting her grandparents, who lived in the village until 1983.

She left Ivel when she was a little girl but still holds many memories of living alongside practicing

Ivel, Mazandaran, Iran

Muslims. Baha’is have resided in Ivel for more than 160 years and once made up more than half of the population — building schools, a hospital, and stores.

While her family’s homes and shop were destroyed this summer, her memories remain alive.

“The best part of the summer was with my grandparents. The feelings I have toward the land [in Ivel] are because of how my grandparents took us there and showed us how to experience its generosity,” she said.

She recalled raising livestock, picking flowers in the rich landscape, and having candlelit dinners over storytelling.

The current Iranian government made no apparent efforts to prevent the destruction of the Baha’i homes last June, nor has an investigation been launched into who orchestrated the demolition, despite efforts by the Baha’i community to seek justice.

On August 12, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton issued her strongest statement yet in support of the Baha’i community and in opposition to Iran’s repression of religious minorities. “The United States is deeply concerned with the Iranian government’s continued persecution of Baha’is and other religious minority communities in Iran,” Clinton said in a statement. “The United States is committed to defending religious freedom around the world, and we have not forgotten the Baha’i community in Iran.”

While the United States may have stepped up its criticism, the people of Ivel have yet to find justice for the loss of their homes.

The home, since destroyed, of the grandparents of Ferdosieh Nikoumanesh. "The best part of the summer was with my grandparents," says Ferdosieh Nikoumanesh.

“Two Baha’i men from Ivel — Faramarz Rohani and Mahmood Piri — sent letters and complained to the courts in Saari, Kia Sar, and Telma Dare. None of them gave the right response,” said Nikoumanesh. “They even said since this order was from the higher courts, nothing could be done.”

While the international community has spread awareness of the issue and many Muslims in the country oppose the destruction of Baha’i property, the government has done little to respond.

“Recently, there have been many attacks on Baha’i homes, cemeteries dug up, and sites of worship destroyed,” said Shastri Purushotma, the human rights representative for the U.S. Baha’i community. “But how can 50 houses be demolished without some prior arrangement to do that level of demolition? We don’t have documents showing the government was behind it, but all of these things need planning, heavy equipment, and government support.”

Nikoumanesh hopes to one day return to Ivel but knows the dangers she would face if she visited anytime soon. She and many members of the Iranian Baha’i diaspora continue to push for accountability in acts of vandalism toward Baha’is.

“My grandparents have passed, but we children still have faith in being able to return to Ivel and re-experience good moments of our childhood we had there,” she says.

She then recited a poem written by Ali Ahmadi on the destruction of homes in Ivel:

“Oh, home, you
are still alive
even if it’s not
within your walls
within our hearts you are.”

– Ladan Nekoomaram & Sarvazad Katouzian

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/Bahais_In_Iran_Await_Justice_for_Demolished_Homes_Graves/2153322.html

Yesterday some seemingly anonymous individuals wrote insulting slogans on the store front of Bahá’í citizen Soroosh Garshasbi in Tankabon.

According to RAHANA reporter, these slogans included such verbiage as “Death to the Israeli Bahai”. It is noteworthy that Soroosh Garshasbi has already spend some time in prison.

This incident takes place whilst in the last few months pressure has been mounting upon Bahá’í citizens and the security condition of Bahá’í citizens of Mazandaran deteriorates daily.

Pictures from this slogans [are shown here].

Source: http://www.rahana.org/en/?p=6831

Babol (بابل) is a city in the Iranian province of Mazandaran,located in the Caspian littoral and north-east of Tehran.

Monday 18 Mordad 1389 at 17:23

HRANA News – In a continuation of the repression of religious minorities, a Baha’i is sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment by the Babol Revolutionary Court.

As noted by HRANA reporters, Moshtagh Samandari, a Baha’i resident of Babol [see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babol], has been charged with insulting Islam and sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment by the Revolutionary Court of Babol. It is worth noting that he was arrested by security forces toward the end of Khordad of last year [mid-June 2009], and the sentence is based on that file.

Translation by Iran Press Watch
Source: http://www.hra-news.org/1389-01-27-05-24-07/3258-1.html