Over a dozen Iranian Baha’i women were summoned to the Islamic Revolutionary Court, over arbitrary charges of propaganda against the Islamic Republic and participating in activities contrary to Islamic law.
The 15 women, who reside in Baharestan, in the central province of Isfahan, were specifically accused by the Prosecutor’s Office for “propaganda against the Islamic Republic system” and “participation in promotional and educational activities contrary to the sacred Sharia of Islam.”
According to US-based NGO, Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Iranian security agents searched the homes of some of the women.
The women were summoned for their first court appearance on May 1.
The regime in Iran has long persecuted the Baha’i community in Iran, denying them the freedom to worship.
Some of the women were reportedly targeted by the judiciary in 2021, when they were arrested and subsequently released on bail.
The event, HRANA said, illustrates the constant and systematic violation of Bahai religious freedoms by comparison with norms maintained by international human rights.
There are over 300,000 Baha’is living in Iran, making them the largest non-Muslim religious minority, systematically targeted since the 1979 revolution.
The current constitution only recognizes four religions: Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism.
