Scapegoating: Iran's Bahais endure brutal crackdown
The Bahai faith is a monotheistic religion dating back to the early 19th century.
Peyvand Naimi was at work on January 8 when they came for him.
A member of Iran’s Bahai religious minority from Kerman in southeastern Iran, he was hauled away to prison and accused of offenses he could not have committed, according to supporters.
When allowed a brief call with his parents, he said: “’If they execute me do not be sad, my soul will be free of the cage of my body’,” a close relative based outside Iran familiar with the details of the case told AFP, asking not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.
He is among dozens of Bahais arrested since nationwide protests broke out in January, representatives say, in one of the most ferocious crackdowns against the minority since the early years of the Islamic revolution.
By far the largest non-Muslim religious minority Iran, the Bahai have suffered decades of persecution and their faith is not recognized by the Islamic republic.
They have repeatedly faced accusations of being Israeli agents, in what the community regards as groundless stigmatization during times of trouble.
A major faith center and pilgrimage site is in Haifa in northern Israel, but its establishment dates back to well before the creation of the modern State of Israel.
“This is a the type of escalation against the Bahai that we have not seen for decades,” Simin Fahandej, representative of the Bahai International Community (BIC) at the UN, told AFP. She said that since protests erupted in January, 77 Bahais have been arrested, with the trend continuing throughout the Middle East war.
Amnesty International said persecution of Bahais has intensified since the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June 2025 “including through a coordinated state campaign of incitement to hostility, violence, discrimination and disinformation falsely accusing Bahais as spies and collaborators for Israel”.
While in prison, Naimi, 30, has been subjected to torture including two mock executions, his hands and legs bound, being tied to a wall, deprived of food and also appeared in a televised “forced confession,” according to the relative, the BIC and Amnesty International.
Thirteen men have already been executed on charges linked to the January protests such as the killing of security force members, a spree activists say is aimed at instilling fear against the backdrop of the war with the US and Israel.
Based in Canada, Roya Basiri was thrown into a state of crippling uncertainty about the fate of her brother Behzad Basiri, 38, his wife Mandana Sotoudeh, also 38, and Mandana’s sister Mahsa Sotoudeh, 25 who are Bahais based in the southern city of Shiraz.
Revolutionary Guards agents on March 29 showed up at Mahsa’s family home and when they asked for a warrant, the agents said, “We are the warrant,” and continued to search the house, taking all electronic devices.
Roya’s brother Behzad and his wife Mandana were then detained in similar fashion on April 1.
Behzad has since been freed, though his wife and sister-in-law remain detained.
Three Bahai women from the southeastern town of Rafsanjan were ordered to prison on April 25 to serve existing sentences on charges of making “propaganda” against the Islamic republic, according to the BIC.
A member of Iran’s Bahai religious minority from Kerman in southeastern Iran, he was hauled away to prison and accused of offenses he could not have committed, according to supporters.
When allowed a brief call with his parents, he said: “’If they execute me do not be sad, my soul will be free of the cage of my body’,” a close relative based outside Iran familiar with the details of the case told AFP, asking not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.
He is among dozens of Bahais arrested since nationwide protests broke out in January, representatives say, in one of the most ferocious crackdowns against the minority since the early years of the Islamic revolution.
By far the largest non-Muslim religious minority Iran, the Bahai have suffered decades of persecution and their faith is not recognized by the Islamic republic.
They have repeatedly faced accusations of being Israeli agents, in what the community regards as groundless stigmatization during times of trouble.
A major faith center and pilgrimage site is in Haifa in northern Israel, but its establishment dates back to well before the creation of the modern State of Israel.
“This is a the type of escalation against the Bahai that we have not seen for decades,” Simin Fahandej, representative of the Bahai International Community (BIC) at the UN, told AFP. She said that since protests erupted in January, 77 Bahais have been arrested, with the trend continuing throughout the Middle East war.
Amnesty International said persecution of Bahais has intensified since the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June 2025 “including through a coordinated state campaign of incitement to hostility, violence, discrimination and disinformation falsely accusing Bahais as spies and collaborators for Israel”.
While in prison, Naimi, 30, has been subjected to torture including two mock executions, his hands and legs bound, being tied to a wall, deprived of food and also appeared in a televised “forced confession,” according to the relative, the BIC and Amnesty International.
Thirteen men have already been executed on charges linked to the January protests such as the killing of security force members, a spree activists say is aimed at instilling fear against the backdrop of the war with the US and Israel.
Based in Canada, Roya Basiri was thrown into a state of crippling uncertainty about the fate of her brother Behzad Basiri, 38, his wife Mandana Sotoudeh, also 38, and Mandana’s sister Mahsa Sotoudeh, 25 who are Bahais based in the southern city of Shiraz.
Revolutionary Guards agents on March 29 showed up at Mahsa’s family home and when they asked for a warrant, the agents said, “We are the warrant,” and continued to search the house, taking all electronic devices.
Roya’s brother Behzad and his wife Mandana were then detained in similar fashion on April 1.
Behzad has since been freed, though his wife and sister-in-law remain detained.
Three Bahai women from the southeastern town of Rafsanjan were ordered to prison on April 25 to serve existing sentences on charges of making “propaganda” against the Islamic republic, according to the BIC.
