NCRI Human Rights Center Weekly Bulletin May 28, 2011 : Suppression of religious and ethnic minorities

Iran raids homes and arrests dozens of Baha’is in Iran in new crack down

Security forces and intelligence agents entered the homes of a large number of the heads of the Baha’i Free Science University (BIHE) and arrested a large number of them. These arrests are ongoing and according to informed sources, reports of the arrest of 12 people have been confirmed so far.
The names of the detainees are as follows: Vahid Mokhtari, Mahmoud Badavam, Ramin Zibayi, Amir Houshang Amir Tabar, Foad Moqadam, Shahin Negari, Soheil Qanbari, Kamran Mortezayi, Afrouz Farmanbardari, Mehran Behmardi, Amanallah Mostaqim. The arrest of Navid Assadi has still not been confirmed.
The homes of Rohollah Haq Projeh, Hassan Momtaz, Sina Rahimi and Enisa Rahimi, Houshang Meisaqian, Shahnaz Samiei, Mr. Taleie and Tolo’ Golkar were also searched.
The arrests and house searches were carried out in Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Zahedan and other cities. Notably, 12 bags full of books and personal items were confiscated from the home of Amanallah Mostaqim in Shiraz. The detainees were the heads of the Free Science University affiliated with the Baha’i society in Iran which was founded in reaction to the violation of the right to education of Baha’is in Iran. (Committee of Human Rights Reporters in Iran – May 22, 2011)

Baha’i man sentenced to 4.5 yrs. of prison

Houshang Fananian, a Baha’i resident of Amol was sentenced to four and a half years of prison on charges of being a member of anti-government groups and organizations, propagating against the government and insulting the leader.
This 48 year old resident of Amol was arrested on March 13, 2011 by agents of the Sari Intelligence Agency in his place of work and was transferred to the Sari Kachouyi Prison. He was sentenced to 3 years of prison for membership in anti-government groups and organizations, one year of prison for propagating against the government in favor of these groups and six months of prison for insulting the leader. (Student Committee in Defense of Political Prisoners – May 24, 2011)

Baha’i student expelled from university because of religion

Another Mazandaran University student was expelled from this university because of her religion.
Delara Darabi, who was in her eight semester of physics in Mazandaran University and had no political or disciplinary cases in the university in the past 4 years was summoned by the university’s Disciplinary Committee and was prevented from going to class.
A person close to this student who lives in Sari said, “Delara had written in all the university forms in the past four years that she followed the Baha’i faith but some time ago after she was questioned by university heads and she announced that she was a Baha’i, she was told that she could not go to class for now”.
“She was constantly summoned after that by the Mazandaran University Protection Department and was finally expelled from university”.
According to this report, this week the final order for her expulsion was issued but her family did not receive a written order about the university’s decision despite constantly following this case. (Committee of Human Rights Reporters in Iran – May 24, 2011)