Baháʼí Österreich

UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Nazila Ghanea, highlights how the persecution of Baha’is in Iran extends even beyond death in the context of her interim report A/81/376 on Freedom of religion or belief and funeral rights in exceptional circumstances, presented to the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, during the 25th Plenary Meeting. Bahá’ís are denied the right to bury their loved ones in accordance with their religious beliefs, while their cemeteries are confiscated, desecrated, and bulldozed, denying families the dignity of mourning their loved ones and honoring their memory. These violations are yet another manifestation of the Iranian government’s relentless efforts to persecute the Bahá’í community in every aspect of life. As a former UN Special Rapporteur observed, the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran extends “from cradle to grave.” #FoRB #HumanRights #ThirdCommittee #BahaiRights

Austrian MP @barbara_teiber calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Peyvand and Borna Naimi, alongside all unjustly imprisoned prisoners of conscience. Peyvand and Borna Naimi have been arbitrarily detained since January and March 2026, respectively. Her statement joins a growing chorus of parliamentarians and human rights advocates worldwide calling out the Iranian government's ongoing persecution and scapegoating of the Bahá'ís in Iran. #BahaiRights #PeyvandNaimi #BornaNaimi #Iran #HumanRights

Austrian MP and Member of the Austrian Parliament, Christian Oxonitsch, calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Peyvand and Borna Naimi, alongside all unjustly imprisoned prisoners of conscience. Peyvand and Borna Naimi have been arbitrarily detained since January and March 2026, respectively. His statement joins a growing chorus of parliamentarians and human rights advocates worldwide calling out the Iranian government's ongoing persecution and scapegoating of the Bahá’ís in Iran. #BahaiRights #PeyvandNaimi #BornaNaimi #Iran #HumanRights

Bahá’í Photographer Navid Zarrehbin Irani Faces First Hearing After Nearly Nine Months in Detention On 4 October 2026, Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Mashhad held the first hearing in the case of Mr. Navid Zarrehbin Irani, a well-known photographer and Bahá’í resident of Mashhad, after nearly nine months in detention. Accompanied by his attorneys, Mr. Zarrehbin Irani responded to the charges brought against him. The court postponed further consideration of the case to a subsequent session without concluding the proceedings. As of the time of writing, the date of the next hearing had not been announced. No details of the specific charges were disclosed. Following the hearing, Mr. Zarrehbin Irani was returned to Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad. Mr. Zarrehbin Irani was arrested on 15 January 2026 by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence at his home in Mashhad in the presence of his child. During the arrest, his personal belongings and professional equipment were confiscated. Following interrogations at the Ministry of Intelligence detention facility in Mashhad, he was transferred to the quarantine section of Vakilabad Prison. Since April 2026, he has been held in the prison’s security ward. On 1 July 2026, he was transferred to the Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office for his final interrogation session and to present his defense. Despite the completion of that session, authorities did not approve his release on bail. As of 2 July 2026, after 168 days in detention, he remained in custody awaiting a trial date. Mr. Zarrehbin Irani’s attorneys have formally requested his release on bail, arguing that his continued detention is unjustified in the absence of sufficient evidence. Despite repeated efforts by his family, judicial authorities have not agreed to his release on bail or temporary leave. The attorneys’ most recent request has also received no response. #Bahai #Iran #Arrests #CourtAppearances #NavidZarrehbin

Austrian MP Bernhard Herzog calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all Baha'is and other unjustly imprisoned prisoners of conscience in Iran. Peyvand and Borna Naimi have been arbitrarily detained since January and March 2026, respectively. His statement joins a growing chorus of parliamentarians and human rights advocates worldwide calling out the Iranian government's ongoing persecution and scapegoating of the Baha'is in Iran. #BahaiRights #Iran #HumanRights

Austrian MP Carina Reiter calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Peyvand and Borna Naimi, alongside all unjustly imprisoned prisoners of conscience. Peyvand and Borna Naimi have been arbitrarily detained since January and March 2026, respectively. Her statement joins a growing chorus of parliamentarians and human rights advocates worldwide calling out the Iranian government's ongoing persecution and scapegoating of the Bahá’ís in Iran. #BahaiRights #PeyvandNaimi #BornaNaimi #Iran #HumanRights

Security Agents Damage Property During Search of Bahar Behifar’s Home in Yazd On the evening of 19 October 2026, Ministry of Intelligence agents raided a café in Yazd, where a group of Bahá’ís had gathered socially. The agents confronted those present, confiscated their mobile phones, and took a young Bahá’í with them to conduct home searches. The young Bahá’í was Ms. Bahar Behifar, daughter of Mr. Hormoz Behifar. Agents escorted her to her father’s home, which they raided and searched without presenting a judicial warrant. They searched the residence and its contents, emptying drawers and cupboards and causing significant damage to personal property, including a number of household items and belongings. A short time earlier, during a search of another Bahá’í’s home in Yazd, where Ms. Behifar and several other young people were present, her mobile phone had been left inside her vehicle. Agents took her to the vehicle and confiscated the phone. The other Bahá’ís present at the gathering were Mr. Shahin Daneshnia, Ms. Romina Pourmoradi, Mr. Kamyab Raei, Ms. Hania Taleie, Mr. Altaf Ghane, Ms. Parnia Basiri, Mr. Milad Aghdasi, and Mrs. Samiyeh Gholinejad. The agents declined to present a judicial warrant during these actions. When those present requested to see legal authorization for the search and confiscations, the agents stated only that they had received “orders.” Several of those at the café were also physically assaulted during the incident. That same night, security agents also raided and searched the home of Mr. Aghdasi and Mrs. Gholinejad, a Bahá’í couple residing in Yazd. Some of their personal property was damaged during the operation. As of the time of writing, no information has been made available about the reasons for the search of Ms. Behifar’s home, any charges that may have been brought against her, or the precise extent of the damage caused during the raid. #Bahai #Iran #Arrests #HomeSearches #BaharBehifar #HormozBehifar

Iran | News Bulletin #37-26 (9–19 October 2026) PART 2 iranbahaipersecution.bic.org… #BahaiRights #Iran

In October 2026, @Independent published an opinion article by Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi recounting her experience sharing a prison cell with Bahá’í poet Mahvash Sabet in Tehran’s Evin Prison in 2009. Reflecting on Sabet’s newly published memoir, Open Wide the Doors, Saberi described discovering the extent of the physical torture Sabet had endured while imprisoned, experiences she had never disclosed during their time together. Despite her own suffering, Sabet had offered comfort and encouragement to Saberi. The article traced Sabet’s imprisonment as one of seven former representatives of Iran’s Bahá’í community, whose efforts to support the community’s educational and social needs were treated as political activities by Iranian authorities. Saberi recalled Sabet’s resilience during interrogations, her commitment to compassion and nonviolence, and the strength she drew from her faith. The article also revisited Sabet’s release in 2017, her rearrest in July 2022, and the serious health challenges she subsequently experienced. Published amid renewed international attention to human rights violations in Iran, the article connected Sabet’s personal experiences with broader concerns over arbitrary detention, torture, coerced confessions, and restrictions on fundamental freedoms. Through the perspective of a former fellow prisoner, Saberi highlighted the importance of international solidarity and the experiences of Iran’s Bahá’í community, raising wider questions about religious persecution, human dignity, and accountability. Read the full article: independent.co.uk/independen… #Bahai #MahvashSabet #Iran #ReligiousFreedom #HumanRights

How does a prisoner write a memoir when even access to pen and paper is uncertain? In the final part of her interview with Iran International's Negar Mojtahedi, Bahiyyih Nakhjavani reveals how Mahvash Sabet secretly wrote and preserved fragments of her experiences during years of imprisonment, with the encouragement and help of fellow prisoners. Nakhjavani also reflects on the message at the heart of Open Wide the Doors: Sabet’s hope for a future Iran built on unity, where people of all backgrounds and communities are recognized and able to work together. Watch the final part of the interview. #MahvashSabet #BahaiRights #Iran #ReligiousFreedom

Thank you to the government of #Austria for highlighting that Bahá’ís in Iran “face long-standing discrimination, compounded by arbitrary detention, ill-treatment and repression” during the interactive dialogue at the 63rd Session of the @UN_HRC. At #HRC63, several governments raised concerns about the persecution of the Bahá’í community in Iran, drawing attention to long-standing discrimination, arbitrary detention, growing repression and violence, and the disproportionate impact of broader crackdowns on the community. These statements help keep the persecution of the Bahá’í community firmly on the international human rights agenda and reinforce calls to protect freedom of religion or belief and the fundamental rights of all people in Iran. #Iran #BahaiRights #HRC63 #HumanRights #FoRB

No Charges, No Trial: Parsa Najafi Detained for More Than 120 Days It was learned on 5 October 2026 that, more than 120 days after his arrest, Mr. Parsa Najafi, a 20-year-old Bahá’í resident of Isfahan, remained in Dastgerd Prison without resolution of his case. His detention order had again been extended. As of 9 October 2026, Mr. Najafi had been held in custody for approximately 126 days, yet judicial proceedings in his case had not commenced and no formal charges had been announced. After nearly three months without access to telephone calls or family visits, Mr. Najafi’s parents were recently permitted to meet with him. The visits were conducted separately and under supervision, and his parents were prohibited from discussing his case, detention conditions, or experiences in custody. Concerns had previously been raised about Mr. Najafi’s access to legal representation because his lawyer had not been permitted to review the case file. Mr. Najafi was arrested by agents of the Isfahan Intelligence Department on 6 June 2026. At the same time, security agents raided his family home and confiscated personal items belonging to him and his family. Following his arrest, Mr. Najafi was subjected to pressure and threats aimed at obtaining televised confessions. Security agents had also previously searched his family home on 22 December 2024. #Bahai #Iran #Arrests #Imprisonments #ParsaNajafi

Bahá'ís have been part of #Qatar since before the modern state was founded, But after years of discrimination, that community now faces erasure: over the past 15 years, more than 20 Bahá'í families, about 100 people, have been forced to leave. And recently, two more Bahá'ís were deported, and two others face imminent deportation. Learn more: bic.org/news/qatar-deports-f…

Twenty-Six Bahá’ís Summoned for Ninth Court Hearing in Shiraz On 27 September 2026, several Bahá’ís in Shiraz received summonses in connection with the case commonly known as the “Shiraz 26 Bahá’ís case.” They were instructed to appear for the ninth hearing before Branch 1 of the Shiraz Revolutionary Court. One of the summonses specifies that the defendants must appear before the court at 9:00 a.m. on 11 October 2026. The 26 Bahá’ís named in the case are Mr. Esmail Rousta, Ms. Bahareh Nowrouzi, Mr. Behnam Azizpour, Ms. Parisa Rouhizadegan, Ms. Samareh Ashnaie, Mr. Farbod Shadman, Mr. Farzad Shadman, Ms. Lala Salehi, Ms. Maryam Eslami Mehdiabadi, Ms. Marjan Gholampour, Mr. Mahyar Sefidi Miandoab, Ms. Mojgan Gholampour, Mr. Nabil Tahzib, Ms. Nasim Kashaninejad, Ms. Noushin Zenhari, Mr. Vargha Kaviani, Ms. Yekta Fahandej Saadi, Mr. Ramin Shirvani, Ms. Rezvan Yazdani, Mr. Saied Hasani, Mr. Soroush Ighani Soghadi, Ms. Shadi Sadegh Aghdam, Ms. Shamim Akhlaghi, Ms. Sahba Farahbakhsh, Mr. Sahba Moslehi, and Ms. Ahdieh Enayati. The summonses state that the appearance is for judicial review of the case and require those summoned to attend at the appointed time and location with identification documents and any supporting evidence. The case began in 2016 with the arrest of the 26 individuals, who were released on bail after a period of detention pending further proceedings. Their charges were heard over three court sessions between June 2020 and May 2022 by Branch 1 of the Shiraz Revolutionary Court, presided over by Mr. Mahmoud Sadati. A preliminary verdict was issued in June 2022. The charges included, among others, “propaganda against the regime in favor of groups opposed to the Islamic Republic,” “managing anti-state groups,” and “membership in such groups.” The court of first instance sentenced the 26 Bahá’ís collectively to 85 years’ imprisonment, 24 years of internal exile, and 52 years of travel bans. The ruling was upheld on appeal, but the Supreme Court later overturned it and referred the case to a parallel judicial branch in Fars Province for retrial. #Bahai #Iran #Shiraz #Arrests #CourtProceedings #Shiraz26Bahais

Thank you, @Reuters, for this important coverage of the lived reality of #Egypt’s Bahá’í community, whose members continue to be systematically denied some of the most basic human rights. “I am not asking anyone to accept my religion. I am asking them to accept me as a person in this country.” #egyptianbahairights Read more: reuters.com/world/africa/egy…