Systematic pressure and violations of the fundamental rights of Baha’is in Iran increased during October 2026, according to data compiled by the Statistics and Documentation Center of the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights.
During the month, Hengaw documented:
The arrest of at least two Baha’i individuals.
Prison sentences issued against six Baha’i individuals.
Raids, searches, and confiscation of personal property at six Baha’i homes and a café.
Arrest of two Baha’i women in October
At least two Baha’i women were arrested by Iranian security forces during October 2026, accounting for approximately 1.5% of all arrests recorded by Hengaw across Iran that month.
The documented cases are:
- Zhila Moughan, a Baha’i woman residing in Isfahan, was arrested on October 6, 2026.
- Forough Ram, a Baha’i woman residing in Zahedan, was arrested on October 13, 2026, to serve a prison sentence.
Six Baha’i individuals sentenced to a combined 51 years, two months, and two days in prison
At least six Baha’i individuals, including two women and four men, received prison sentences totaling 51 years, two months, and two days during October 2026, according to Hengaw’s documented records.
The sentences are as follows:
- Forough Ram, a resident of Zahedan, was sentenced to one year in prison.
- Flora Samadani, a resident of Yazd, was sentenced to three years and one day in prison.
- Ahmad Jafari, a resident of Yazd, was sentenced to six months and one day in prison.
- Artin Ghazanfari, a resident of Tehran, was sentenced to 26 years in prison.
- Peyvand Naeimi, a resident of Kerman, was sentenced to 12 years and eight months in prison.
- Borna Naeimi, a resident of Kerman, was sentenced to eight years in prison.
Raids on Baha’i homes and a café, and confiscation of personal property
During October 2026, Iranian security forces raided and searched Baha’i homes in Isfahan and Yazd, confiscating electronic devices, cash, jewelry, and other personal belongings. The documented incidents involved six homes and a separate raid on a café in Yazd, where nine Baha’i individuals were subjected to violence and had their mobile phones confiscated.
The documented incidents are detailed below.
Yazd, October 15, 2026
Intelligence Ministry agents raided the home of Soheil Rouhanifard, a Baha’i resident of Yazd, searched the property, and confiscated all electronic devices belonging to his family members.
Yazd, October 19, 2026
Security forces raided a café in Yazd and violently confronted nine Baha’i individuals, physically assaulting several of them and confiscating their mobile phones.
Those affected were Bahar Bahifar, Shahin Daneshnia, Romina Pourmoradi, Kamyab Raei, Hania Talei, Altaf Ghane, Parnia Basiri, Milad Aghdasi, and Samieh Gholinejad.
Later that day, Intelligence Ministry agents raided Bahar Bahifar’s home without presenting a warrant. They violently searched the property, scattered household belongings, and caused extensive damage to personal property.
At approximately 11:00 p.m. the same day, Intelligence Ministry agents forcibly entered the home of Baha’i couple Milad Aghdasi and Samieh Gholinejad. They searched different parts of the property until 3:00 a.m. the following morning and confiscated several personal belongings.
Isfahan, October 27, 2026
Ten security agents simultaneously raided the homes of three Baha’i individuals: Raouf Rouhani Najafabadi, his mother Ferdows Ferdousian, and his mother-in-law Forough Darab.
During the searches, agents confiscated nine mobile phones, three televisions, three laptops, a home theater system, and other electronic equipment.
They also seized more than 30 million tomans in cash and all available gold and jewelry. Agents even used pliers to cut two gold bangles from the wrists of Taraneh Khosravani, Rouhani Najafabadi’s wife, before confiscating them.
The raids took place several days after Khosravani received a summons by text message from Branch 49 of the Isfahan Court, presided over by Judge Morteza Barati.
Violations of domestic and international legal protections
The searches of Baha’i homes and confiscation of personal property without clear legal or judicial justification violate protections under Article 22 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which safeguards individuals’ homes and property against unlawful interference.
Such actions also raise serious concerns under Articles 12 and 17 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which protect against arbitrary interference with privacy and recognize the right to property, respectively, as well as Article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibits arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy, family, and home.
The coordinated raids on Baha’i households and confiscation of personal belongings and essential household items reflect the systematic targeting of this religious minority. The reported conduct also raises serious concerns regarding compliance with Iran’s Criminal Procedure Code and international human rights standards.
Expulsion of Baha’i students from Iranian universities
Hengaw recorded no cases of Baha’i students being expelled from Iranian universities on religious grounds during October 2026.