Prince Muneer

[Bahá'í International Community - Human Rights @BahaiBIC_Rights]

Afshin Heiratian Sentenced to 31 Years of Imprisonment by Tehran Revolutionary Court’

It was learned on 29 July 2026 that Mr. Afshin Heiratian, a 46-year-old Baha’i children’s rights activist detained in Evin Prison, had been sentenced by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court to a total of 31 years’ imprisonment and financial penalties. Under Iran’s rules on multiple sentences, the harshest term—12 years’ imprisonment—would be enforceable if the ruling is upheld on appeal.

According to the ruling, issued by Judge Iman Afshari, Mr. Heiratian was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment on the charge of forming an illegal group; 11 years’ imprisonment on the charge of “propaganda activity deemed disruptive to Islamic law”; and six years’ imprisonment, together with a fine of 330 million tomans, on the charge of assembly and collusion. He was also sentenced to two years’ imprisonment and a fine equivalent to twice the amount received—US$2,000—on the charge of “obtaining illegitimate property” in connection with the receipt of US$1,000.

The funds in question related to a donation made approximately seven or eight years earlier for a school where Mr. Heiratian had volunteered; receipts showed that the money had been transferred to the school.

The hearing was held on 18 July 2026 before Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court. By that date, Mr. Heiratian had spent more than 250 days in detention. His relatives were not given advance notice of the court date and learned of it only after another family member, also detained in Evin Prison, informed them that he had been called to court. When his mother went to the courthouse, she was told that he had not yet arrived; shortly afterwards, however, Mr. Heiratian emerged and said that the hearing had already concluded. He stated that only the judge had been present, that he had no legal representation, and that, when the charges were announced, he declared his innocence of all of them.

Mr. Heiratian was arrested by security forces on 11 November 2025 at his mother’s home in Tehran. During the arrest, agents searched the premises and confiscated personal items belonging to him and members of his family. He was subsequently transferred to Evin Prison. Family members have continued to raise concerns about the circumstances of his detention, including difficulties in securing legal representation and the poor quality of food provided to prisoners.

Mr. Heiratian is a Baha’i from Tehran and a member of the Society for the Defence of Working and Street Children. He has previously faced arrest and judicial proceedings in connection with his activities and beliefs.

#Bahai #Iran #Arrests #CourtAppearances #AfshinHeiratian

[Bahá'í International Community - Human Rights @BahaiBIC_Rights]

Continued Detention of Saied Hasani in Solitary Confinement at Adel Abad Prison

https://t.co/E6yyp4HSrR

[Prince Muneer @PrinceMuneer5]

@Rusia_HD Yes

[Bahá'í International Community - Human Rights @BahaiBIC_Rights]

#PeyvandNaimi has now endured nearly six months of imprisonment without relief — arrested on January 8, 2026, he remains in Kerman Prison with no trial, no verdict, and no access to legal representation.

He has endured two mock hangings, ten days of continuous torture, starvation, beatings, suspension, solitary confinement, and denial of medical care — yet authorities still try to force a confession to crimes he could not have committed. His forced confession was broadcast on February 1, but no charges have been filed.

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi has called attention to the case of Peyvand Naimi, adding her voice to growing international concern over his grave situation.

#BahaiRights #ShirinEbadi #Iran

[Prince Muneer @PrinceMuneer5]

@ANI Yp

[Bahá'í International Community - Human Rights @BahaiBIC_Rights]

Boshra Mostafavi, a pregnant Bahá’í woman from Rafsanjan, southeast Iran, is among dozens of Bahá’ís detained and jailed in recent months, as the Islamic Republic pursues an escalating campaign of brutal persecution against the religious minority.

#BoshraMostafavi #ShakilaGhasemi #PeyvandNaimi and #BornaNaimi are among nearly 80 Bahá’ís who have faced detention, arrest, and imprisonment since the February outbreak of conflict, in a widening series of human rights attacks by the authorities in Iran.

More than 400 recent cases of state-sponsored human rights abuses against Bahá’ís across Iran, including arrests and detentions, violent home raids, unlawful property seizures, and obstructions to justice by judicial authorities, have been reported.

Read our full story here: https://t.co/Byf8F3cIMd

#Iran #Bahai #HumanRights #BoshraMostafavi #ShakilaGhasemi #PeyvandNaimi #BornaNaimi

[Bahá'í International Community - Human Rights @BahaiBIC_Rights]

Romina Goli Arrested and Charged in Sari

On 9 May 2026 Ms. Romina Goli, a Baha’i resident of Sari, was arrested by security forces and formally charged during an interrogation session held on 10 May.

During the interrogations at the Sari Prosecutor’s Office, she was charged under Article 500 and Article 500 bis of the Islamic Penal Code with “propaganda against the regime” and “propaganda activity contrary to Islamic law.” Authorities subsequently issued a one-month detention order against her.

Ms. Goli was arrested from her home in Sari after agents approached her under the pretext of delivering a package. No arrest warrant was presented at the time. Family members twice requested that the officers present a judicial warrant — first by her parents and later by her brother when he arrived at the house — but the agents allegedly replied: “Even if we have a warrant, we will not show it to you”. They also stated that had the door not been opened, they would have entered by climbing over the wall.

During the operation, her mobile phone, her mother’s phone, a laptop, and several religious books were confiscated. Investigators also questioned family members about her online activity and social media posts. Following her arrest, she was taken to an undisclosed location.

As of the time of writing, no information has been released regarding her place of detention.

#Bahai #Iran #Arrests #Imprisonments #RominaGoli

[Bahá'í International Community - Human Rights @BahaiBIC_Rights]

Riaz Behrad Arrested After Appearance at Prosecutor’s Office in Karaj

On 6 May 2026, Mr. Riaz Behrad, a Baha’i resident of Karaj, was arrested after appearing at the Karaj Prosecutor’s Office, and was subsequently transferred to an undisclosed location.

The arrest of Mr. Behrad followed a search of his home by security agents on 4 May during which authorities issued summons to the Prosecutor’s Office.

As of the time of reporting, no information has been released regarding the reasons for his arrest, his whereabouts, or the nature of any charges brought against him.

#Bahai #Iran #Arrests #Imprisonments #RiazBehrad

[Bahá'í International Community - Human Rights @BahaiBIC_Rights]

In an unexpected move, over 40 percent of Qatar’s Bahá’í population faces imminent expulsion from the country...Collectively, this is an unjustified and devastating escalation of the systematic discrimination against the Bahá’í community. Read the 30 April 2026 statement here: https://t.co/T8vbyQi20n

[Bahá'í International Community - Human Rights @BahaiBIC_Rights]

Thank you @USCIRF for highlighting the persecution of the Baha'i community in Egypt in your April 2026 update. From the USCIRF report:
1. On systematic exclusion from civic life:
"Baha'is' exclusion from the existing personal status law results in their inability to legally marry, obtain residency permits and birth certificates, pursue formal education, or gather for worship."
2. On the UN's January 2026 intervention:
"In January 2026, multiple United Nations human rights experts called on the Egyptian government to address systematic discrimination against Baha'is, including confiscation of cemeteries, denial of legal recognition and identity documents, and harassment of community members."
3. On Al-Azhar's role in shaping state policy:
"Al-Azhar scholars have argued that recognizing the Baha'i faith would 'rupture the fabric of the community' and 'undermine the public order' in Egypt. This decades-long position has shaped the Egyptian government's discriminatory policies against Baha'is."
#Egypt #Bahai #HumanRights

[Bahá'í International Community - Human Rights @BahaiBIC_Rights]

On Tuesday, 7 April 2026, Ms. Faranak Zabihi, a Bahá’í resident of Qaemshahr was arrested by security agents, and taken to Tir Kola Prison in Sari.

Ms. Zabihi was detained at approximately 10 a.m. on a street in Qaemshahr after security agents presented her with an arrest warrant.

Following her arrest, officers searched her home and confiscated a number of personal belongings and electronic devices belonging to her and her son, Mani Gholinejad.

Following a period of interrogation in Tir Kola Prison, Ms. Zabihi was released on Wednesday, 8 April, after posting bail set at 1 billion tomans.

To date, no information has been made available regarding the nature of any charges against her.

#Bahai #Iran #Arrests #Imprisonments #FaranakZabihi #ManiGholinejad

[Abburi Ravi @abburiravi]

#SuperstarKrishna #SSKForever #LegacyLivesOn ❤️

[Comité de Solidaridad con los Bahá'ís @DDHHbahai]

Behzad Basiri y Mandana Sotoudeh, un matrimonio bahá'í residente en Irán y Mahsa Sotoudeh,permanecen en la incertidumbre tras tres semanas de su detención. La falta de información sobre el paradero de estas personas ha generado preocupación entre sus familias y seres queridos

[Bahá'í International Community - Human Rights @BahaiBIC_Rights]

Romina Khazali and Behzad Yazdani Remain in Legal Limbo in Shiraz Prison Amid Health Concerns

It was learned on 6 April 2026 that Mrs. Romina Khazali and her husband, Mr. Behzad Yazdani, a Baha’i couple detained in Shiraz, remain in custody at Adelabad Prison more than a week after their arrest with no official information available regarding the nature of any charges against them or their legal status.

Mrs. Khazali, an artist, and Mr. Yazdani, a translator and editor, were arrested at their home in Shiraz by intelligence agents on 28 and 29 March this year.

Mrs. Khazali is in poor health. She had recently undergone stomach surgery prior to her arrest and suffers from severe migraines, eye pressure, and chronic back pain. Over the past week, she has been permitted only a single brief phone call with her family. Authorities have denied further contact and visits, while also withholding information about her current condition, heightening concerns for her welfare among her family.

Mrs. Khazali was also the primary caregiver for her elderly parents, whose physical and emotional condition has deteriorated since her detention. The couple’s two teenage children are experiencing significant distress in the absence of their parents. In addition, the confiscation of the family’s electronic devices at the time of arrest has severely disrupted the children’s online education, which they had been pursuing under wartime conditions.

The closure of the Revolutionary Court in Shiraz has prevented the family from pursuing legal follow-up or obtaining updates on the case.

#BahaiRights #Iran #RominaKhazali #BehzadYazdani

[Bahá'í International Community - Human Rights @BahaiBIC_Rights]

Thank you @MaryamMoqaddam and @VOAfarsi for covering this important ongoing story. Borna Naimi, a 29-year-old Baha’i in Iran, and father of a three-year-old, has endured at least two mock executions, electric shocks causing severe burns to his feet, and other forms of torture, since his arrest in Kerman on 1 March. His treatment—and that of another young Baha’i who faced similar treatment—are raising concerns regarding the intensification of the persecution against the #Bahai community in #Iran, the country’s largest non-Muslim religious minority. #HumanRights
Our full story: https://t.co/PMmORC2jYl

[خبرگزاری هرانا @hra_news]

گزارشی از بازداشت و آزادی فرانک ذبیحی، شهروند بهائی ساکن قائم‌شهر

خبرگزاری هرانا – #فرانک_ذبیحی، شهروند بهائی ساکن قائ��‌شهر، سه‌شنبه ۱۸ فروردین‌ماه توسط نیروهای امنیتی بازداشت و پس از یک روز، با تودیع وثیقه از زندان تیرکلا ساری آزاد شد. ١/٣

ادامه مطلب
https://t.co/ju0wGRumOZ

[Iran Press Watch @iranpresswatch]

Baha’i Citizen Sara Sepehri Arrested in Shiraz

Yesterday, Sara Sepehri, a Baha’i resident of Shiraz, was arrested by security forces and taken to an undisclosed location. At the same time, both her residence and her mother’s home were searched, during which a number of her personal and digital belongings were confiscated.

A source close to the family confirmed the news to HRANA, stating: “Ms. Sepehri was arrested yesterday by security agents at her residence. Simultaneously, both her home and her mother’s home were searched. During the search, all of her electronic devices, as well as personal and work-related items, were seized.”The source further added:

“The agents broke down the front door in order to enter Ms. Sepehri’s home. Her mother also lives with a disability and requires continuous care. In addition, Sara Sepehri is under medical supervision, and the stress caused by the situation, combined with concern for her mother, could put her health at risk.”

As of the time of this report, no information has been obtained regarding the reasons for her arrest, her place of detention, or the charges brought against this Baha’i citizen.

Over the past decade, the Baha’i community in Iran has been subjected to more security and judicial pressure than any other religious minority. According HRA’s annual reports, an average of 62.41% of all reported violations concerning religious minorities over the past year involved violations of the rights of Baha’i citizens.

#Bahai #Shiraz
https://t.co/DzeMDzaRxw

[Nilakshi Rajkhowa @nilakshi19]

#Bahai #Iran #HumanRights

[Bahá'í International Community - Human Rights @BahaiBIC_Rights]

Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies @paulgalles condemns reports of torture, mock executions, and fabricated charges against #PeyvandNaeimi and #BornaNaeimi.

The statement raises growing concern over the targeting of Bahá’ís in Iran, warning against the scapegoating of religious minorities in times of national crisis.

#BahaiRights #HumanRights #Iran #ReligiousFreedom #BornaNaeimi #PeyvandNaeimi

[Bahá'í International Community - Human Rights @BahaiBIC_Rights]

Borna Naimi, a 29-year-old Baha'i in Iran and father of a three-year-old, has endured at least two mock executions, electric shocks causing severe burns to his feet, and other forms of torture since his arrest in Kerman on 1 March.

His treatment, and that of another young Baha'i who faced similar treatment, Peyvand Naimi, are raising concerns regarding the intensification of the persecution against the Baha'is in Iran, the country's largest non-Muslim religious minority.

Read our full news story here: https://t.co/PMmORC2jYl

#BahaiRights #PeyvandNaimi #BornaNaimi #Iran