In a renewed act of unprovoked religious persecution; Iranian officials arrested six Bahá’ís and transferred them to the notorious Evin prison outside Tehran. After raiding homes of 10 Bahá’í families, confiscating personal belongings along with religious books, Ms. Zhinoos Sobhani, Mr. Shahrokh Taefi, Mr. Didar Raoufi, Mr. Payam Aghsani, Mr. Aziz Samandar and Mr. Golshan Sobhani were captivated. Mr.Sobhani, however was released again after a few hours.

Rferl.org reports that “One of the detainees, Zhinoos Sobhani, worked as an assistant with the Organization for Defending Mine Victims and the Center of Human Rights Defenders, both founded by Iran’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi.”

This is a clear example for how the Iranian government not only persecutes members of the Bahá’í Faith but also operates in an insolent disrespect for the cause of Human Rights in general.

It is, at this moment, of crucial importance to move swiftly and inform media, governments and nongovernmental organizations about these incidents, in order to strengthen the voice of those who cannot speak for themselves.

RFERL DJAVADI BWNS