HRANA News Agency – On December 29, 2014, agents from the Ministry of Intelligence arrested Farshid Rastegar and a number of Bahai students who had gathered in his home in Abadeh, a town approximately halfway between Isfahan and Shiraz.

According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), ss in other recent cases, the agents posed as postmen to gain entry to the house, and they did not have a search warrant or arrest warrants.

They searched the house, and arrested Mr. Rastegar and the others present, who were all students of the Bahai Open University (BIHE). Mr. Rastegar has been helping students in the Abadeh area who are studying at the Bahai Open University, an institution designed to offer tertiary courses in certain subject to students who are excluded from licenced universities in Iran because of their religious beliefs.

The youth who were arrested on December 29 were released next day, but Mr. Rastegar was held for two days, and was questioned mainly about the Bahai Open University.

Abadeh was the scene of large-scale raids on Bahai homes, and threats to the safety of Bahais.