On Saturday, November 2, security forces arrested three Baha’i citizens—Rashid Dehghani, Pedram Dehghani, and Parsa Dehghani—in the city of Tiran, Isfahan, and transferred them to an undisclosed location, according to Radio Farda. Rashid and Pedram are residents of Tehran, while Parsa resides in Karaj.
The three had traveled to Tiran in Isfahan to attend a Baha’i religious celebration, during which security forces detained them along with eight other Baha’i attendees. While the eight others have since been released, there is still no information on the whereabouts or condition of Rashid, Pedram, and Parsa Dehghani.
Baha’is are subjected to violations of their religious rights, comprising 82% of reports on infringements against religious minorities, according to HRA’s 2023 annual report.
The Baha’i faith is not recognized as a legitimate religion by Iranian authorities, leading to systematic and longstanding violations of the rights of Baha’is in the country. This includes the denial of their fundamental right to practice their religion, which constitutes a clear breach of both Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The United Nations covenant holds that every person has the right to freedom of religion, freedom of converting religion, as well as freedom of expression, individually or collectively; openly or secretly.
