In the morning of Saturday the 23rd of Aban [14 Nov. 2009], some five Ministry of Intelligence agents entered the homes of Mrs. Simin Karaji and Mr. Ali Ahmadi and conducted searches of their homes and personal belongings.

The agents seized and took away personal computers, family and religious CDs; [paper] notebooks, university and religious textbooks, as well as pictures, posters and drawings from Mr. Ali Ahmadi’s home. The Ministry of Intelligence agents of Qaemshahr produced a document and an order by the Prosecutor General indicating allegations of participation in memorial services for Raghiyyih Uladi, lecturing and teaching the Baha’i Faith, and gave a subpoena to Mr. Ahmadi requiring that he present himself to the Intelligence Division of the Province of Mazandaran on the 25th of Aban [16 Nov. 2009].

Previously, in the past year, Simin Karaji had been in prison for 6 months, and Mr. Ahmadi had been incarcerated for 10 months, accused of teaching the Baha’i Faith.

Based on reports from the Committee of Human Rights in Iran, Mr. Ahmadi was interrogated for two hours on the 25th of Ababn [16 Nov. 2009] after he presented himself at the Intelligence Division of the Province of Mazandaran. According to documents and reports received from two individuals, the interrogation was ordered by means of a confidential memorandum of the Nation’s Chief Prosecutor dated the 1st of Shahrivar of the current year [23 Aug. 2009]. According to the above-mentioned memorandum, participation in any events associated with the Baha’i Faith is considered to be an act against the régime and national security, and will be prosecuted by the law. This [memorandum] is in effect, notwithstanding Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of the Human Rights, which states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.” [1] During the last 30 years the Baha’i community in Iran has been banned from observing its community life.

[1] Editor’s note: the exact wording of Article 18 is reproduced here. Link to Article 18: http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml#a18

[Source: http://www.hra-news.org/news/9203.aspx; Translated by Iran Press Watch]

[Posted on Tuesday, August 18, 2009, at BWNS.  Translation by Iran Press Watch.]

On Tuesday, April 21, 2009, a certain Mr. Ghulami of the above-mentioned Information Office summoned this Baha’i again, and from 8:30 in the morning until 12:30 in the afternoon he was questioned.  Afterwards, he was sent to court under guard, where the prosecutor issued a temporary arrest order.  He was then brought back again to the same Information Office.

When Mr. Ismaelpour’s family inquired of his whereabouts and condition, the Information Office refused to give a satisfactory response. That same afternoon, around 5 PM, he was sent to the prison facility of the Central Information Office in Sari.

According to the prosecutor in this case and contradictory statements by officials at the Information and Intelligence Office, Mr. Ismaelpour had not fully cooperated with officials in providing information about his beliefs. It was for this reason, and to complete his file, that he was sent to Sari.

• Mr. Afshin Ahsanian is arrested in Shiraz on charges of “being a Baha’i” – Read more
• Ms. Sahba Khademi, a 24-year old Baha’i is seized in Hamadan – her whereabouts remain unknown – Read more
• Imprisoned Baha’i leaders meet their families; a high-ranking official in the Prosecutor-General’s office has advised that their files will be completed by April 21; Shirin Ebadi continues to have no access to the legal case, or her incarcerated clients. – Read more
• Ms. Sorour Sorourian, a 25-year old Baha’i, is arrested in Hamadan – Read more
• Mrs. Haleh Hooshmandi presently remains in grave health conditions in prison. Her condition is “deteriorating” – Read more
• The home of Mr. Bahnam Rouhani, one of the Baha’is of Yazd, is raided by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence – Read more
• Mr. Ali Ehsani, 29-year old husband and father of two, remains incarcerated incommunicado; his bail was refused – Read more

In addition, on April 9, Khabar Navard reported that following recent harassments, attacks and arrest of the Baha’is in Semnan, the Ministry of Intelligence in this town summoned Mr. Ali Ehsani, a resident Baha’i, to their office on April 6, 2009, to answer various questions.  The report continues:

After interrogations, a bail of 40 million tumans [about $41,000] was demanded, but since it was at the end of the business day, the bail was not processed.

The following day, his family took the required bail to the court, but without any explanation, the bail was refused.  From that date, Mr. Ehsani continues to remain incarcerated in the facilities of the Intelligence Ministry.  He remains incommunicado.

Mr. Ehsani is 29 years old and is married with two children, 5 and 7 years old.

In addition to the above-named Baha’i, five other Baha’is are imprisoned in Semnan because of their religion:  Sahba Rezvani, Pouya Tabyanian, Adel Fanaian, Taher Eskandarian and Abbas Nourani.

[Source for Yazd story: http://khabarnavard.blogspot.com/2009/04/blog-post_09.html.  For Semnan: http://khabarnavard.blogspot.com/2009/04/blog-post.html. Translation by Iran Press Watch.]

Yesterday, January 26, the Iranian security forces raided Baha’is homes in Mashhad in a systematic and organized way. This took place after similar incidents in recent months in such places as Sari, Semnan, Qa’emshahr and Tehran, where Baha’i homes have been the target of such attacks.

In this most recent raid, the Intelligence forces attacked at least ten Baha’i homes – all belonging to prominent Baha’is that serve the community in Mashhad in a coordinating capacity. Among the victims of this attack were the homes of Mr. Sirous Zabihi, Mr. Soheil Nasirzadeh, Mr. Davar Nabilzadeh, where the agents confiscated personal belongings, pictures of religious figures, religious books, personal computers and even religious jewelry.

During these incidents, at least two members of the Baha’i community, Ms. Sima Eshraghi and Mr. Jalayer Vahdat, were arrested and transferred to an undisclosed location. There is no further information available regarding the two aforementioned individuals.

[Source: http://news.gooya.com/politics/archives/2009/01/082971.php.]

In an organized and systematic manner, the Iranian Security Forces, after attacking homes in Sari, Semnan, Ghaemhashr and Tehran over the past few months, attacked the Bahai homes in Mashhad yesterday, January 26th (7th of Bahman).

The Intelligence forces attacked at least ten Bahai homes, namely those who serve the Bahai community in some official capacity in the city of Mashhad. Among those attacked were homes of Mr. Sirous Zabihi, Mr. Soheil Nasirzadeh, Mr. Davar Nabilzadeh, where the forces confiscated personal belongings, pictures of religious figures, religious texts, computers and even religious jewelry.

During these confrontations at least two members of the Bahai community, Ms. Sima Eshraghi and Mr. Jalayer Vahdat, were arrested and transferred to an undisclosed location. There is no further information available regarding the two aforementioned individuals.

This news was confirmed on the January 27, 2009 at approximately 2:00 PM with the following correction: Rozita Vaseghy was not arrested.

[Source: Human Rights Activists in Iran at http://hrairan.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=405:145&catid=66:304&Itemid=293]

According to reports received from Iran, the six were arrested after government security agents raided the homes of at least 11 Baha’is. During the raids, they also confiscated Baha’i books and other items, such as computers and photographs.

Among those arrested was Jinous Sobhani, who worked as an assistant for the Organization for Defending Mine Victims and also for the Defenders of Human Rights Center. Both were founded by Mrs. Ebadi.

In an interview with CNN, Mrs. Ebadi said today that Ms. Sobhani had been laid off from both organizations after government agents raided Mrs. Ebadi’s offices and shut them down in December.

While some reports indicate that more than six Baha’is were arrested yesterday in Tehran, those confirmed so far include Ms. Sobhani, Mr. Shahrokh Taefi, Mr. Didar Raoufi, Mr. Payam Aghsani and Mr. Aziz Samandari. Mr. Golshan Sobhani was also arrested but was released a few hours later. It is unclear whether he is related to Ms. Sobhani.

“The arrest of these individuals reflects not only the grave situation facing Baha’is in Iran but also the overall human rights situation there,” said Diane Ala’i, a representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva.

“As far as we know, all of these people were arrested primarily because they are Baha’is,” said Ms. Ala’i.

But she confirmed the fact that Ms. Sobhani worked for the two organizations founded by Mrs. Ebadi.

“The connection of Ms. Sobhani to the work of Mrs. Ebadi’s organizations points to the gravity of the situation in Iran, where the government seems intent on stifling any expression of the importance of human rights or religious freedom,” said Ms. Ala’i.

In December, the Baha’i International Community condemned the closing of Mrs. Ebadi’s Defenders of Human Rights Center in Tehran and called for its reopening.

[Original Story at Baha'i World News Service - http://news.bahai.org/story/688]

Editor’s Note:  CNN is reporting the arrest of Jinous Sobhani, a Baha’i in Tehran.  She is the daughter of Riaz Sobhani whose home was raided yesterday, Wednesday, 14 Jan, by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence.

TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) — Iranian authorities arrested a woman Wednesday who
worked as a secretary for two human rights groups funded by Nobel peace
laureate Shirin Ebadi.

Speaking to CNN, Ebadi said it was unclear why Jinous Sobhani was
arrested, noting that she had recently been laid off from the non-governmental
organizations after they were shut down by Iranian authorities last month.

“Why should a woman who used to work for our NGOs be arrested?” the
Nobel laureate asked. “I think this may be an effort to exert pressure on the
Defenders of Human Rights and the Organization for Defending Mine Victims.”

Ebadi said her organizations are working to secure a lawyer to represent
Sobhani. The woman’s husband told Ebadi that Iranian judiciary security
personnel had an arrest warrant for Sobhani and seized her early Wednesday at
her Tehran home. In addition to taking her into custody, they also confiscated
her computer case, her mobile phone, and her address book, Ebadi said.

In late December, government agents raided Ebadi’s law office — which is
in the same building as her apartment — seizing two computers and dozens of
files and documents on her clients, who are mostly political activists.

Source: http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2009/01/14/iranian-authorities-arrest-nobel-laureates-secretary/

The agents of the Ministry of Intelligence went to the residence of three Baha’i families in the town of Qa’emshahr, and conducted a search of homes and summoned everyone to the office of the Ministry [for further questioning].

On 24 December 2008, security agents arrived at the homes of three Baha’i families in Qa’emshahr and searched throughout the homes and confiscated such personal items as family books, papers and computers.

The Agents also asked Mr. Bijan Naw’khah, Mr. Sohrab Loghmani, Mrs. Fanaian, Miss Emilia Fanaian and Miss Anisa Fanaian to present themselves to the office of the Intelligence Ministry.

No further detail about these incidents is available at this time.

[Source: http://hrairan.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=237:78-98&catid=84:502&Itemid=219. Translated by Iran Press Watch: The Baha’is.]