HRANA News Agency – The IRGC Intelligence Organization in Isfahan has announced the arrest of 13 Baha’i citizens for allegedly promoting and teaching beliefs associated with the Baha’i faith.

According to HRANA, quoting ISNA, in a statement released today, the IRGC Intelligence Organization claimed that the arrests were made due to the promotion and teaching of Baha’i beliefs among children and teenagers through virtual classes. the IRGC Intelligence, without disclosing the identities or whereabouts of the detainees, alleged that these individuals engaged in actions such as “altering Islamic lifestyles through promoting promiscuity, dog walking, intermingling of girls and boys.”

It is worth noting that HRANA previously reported on the imprisonment of 10 Baha’i women in Isfahan, but it remains unclear whether the ISNA report refers to these individuals or to other Baha’i citizens recently arrested in the city.

According to the Department of Statistics and Publications of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA), between January 1, 2024, and December 20, 2024, a total of 157 reports were recorded in the category of religious and faith-based minority rights. Among these, Baha’is accounted for 67.54% of the reports, ranking as the most observed group in human rights monitoring.

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.