Five Baha'i Citizen Arrested in Northern Iran

HRANA News Agency – On Saturday and Sunday nights, June 4-5, 2011, security forces were dispatched to the houses of three Baha'i citizens in Babol and Babolsar, [Gilan Province], and arrested five individuals.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), equipped with guns and batons, intelligence agents accompanied by the police raided a Baha'i citizen’s house in Babolsar at 10:30pm while a special religious ceremony was being observed. Baha'i books and pictures were confiscated during this raid, and Misagh Laghai (76) and his daughter, Mahvand Laghai, were arrested. Additionally, using weapons such as batons and guns, security officers intimidated those attending this religious ceremony in order to force them to sign a commitment not to attend this Baha'i ritual again.

Furthermore, intelligence agents raided another Baha'i citizen’s house in Babolsar and after seizing religious books, pictures and a computer, arrested Nadia Farhadi (Imanian) and took her to an unknown location. Nadia Farhadi has been in charge of the provisional university for Baha'i citizens in Babolsar.

Similar to the above arrests, intelligence agents raided and searched another Baha'i citizen’s home on Sunday, June 5, 2011, and arrested the homeowners, Pejman Nikonajad and his wife, Sharareh Nikonajad. During this raid, the guests attending this Baha'i religious ceremony were beaten and forced to sign commitments not to attend such services again.