Tag: Sahba Taef

Five Baha’i Citizens Arrested to Serve Prison Sentences

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News, Religious Minorities
Ali Bagherkashi, Babak Zeinali, Fouad Taefi, Ghezel Hesar prison, HRANA, Sahba Taef, Shervin Shabrokh

HRANA – On Monday, August 31, five Baha’i citizens residing in Karaj, were arrested after reporting to the Shahriar Revolutionary Court to begin serving their one-year prison sentences.

According to HRANA, on the morning of Monday, August 31, 2026, Babak Zeinali, Sahba Taef, Fouad Taefi, Shervin Shabrokh, and Ali Bagherkashi, Baha’i citizens residing in Karaj, reported to the Shahriar Revolutionary Court following a prior summons to begin serving their prison sentences and were subsequently arrested.

According to information received by HRANA, the families of these citizens were initially informed that they would be transferred to the Greater Tehran Prison. However, the five were held at a detention facility in Shahriar, and it was later announced that they were to be transferred to Ghezel Hesar Prison. As of the time of this report, no precise information regarding their transfer is available, and their final place of detention remains unknown.

These individuals had previously been arrested on November 7, 2023, at Babak Zeinali’s home in Mehrshahr, Karaj. Following interrogation and judicial proceedings, they were eventually released on bail.

As proceedings in their case continued, the five citizens were tried under Article 500 bis of the Islamic Penal Code on charges including “propaganda against the regime” and “deviant educational and proselytizing activities contrary to or disruptive of the sacred law of Islam.” Each was ultimately sentenced to one year in prison.

Babak Zeinali has also previously been arrested and convicted in cases related to his religious beliefs.

Four Baha’i Citizens Arrested in Karaj

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News, Religious Minorities
Babak Zeynali, Baha'i citizen, HRANA, Karaj, Nika Esmaeil Pour, Sahba Taef, Shervin Shabrokh

On November 7, Baha’i citizens Sahba Taef, Shervin Shabrokh, Nika Esmaeil Pour, and Babak Zeynali were apprehended by security forces in Karaj and subsequently taken to an undisclosed facility.

The arrests were brought to the attention of HRANA by a concerned Baha’i citizen. According to this source, security agents conducted a search of their residence during the operation. As of now, the reasons for their arrests and their current whereabouts remain unknown, raising significant concerns about their well-being and the circumstances surrounding their detention.

HRANA’s annual report has highlighted a concerning trend where, in 2022, 64.63% of reported human rights violations against religious minorities are directed toward the Baha’i community.

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.