Baha’i adherent Vafa Kashefi detained in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad

Hengaw – Thursday, April 30, 2026

Vafa Kashefi, a Baha’i resident of Mashhad who had previously been arrested during the January 2026 protests, has been re-detained.

According to information obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Kashefi was arrested on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, after being summoned to a court in Mashhad and was transferred to Vakilabad Prison to serve a period of pretrial detention.

Ten days later, he remains in legal limbo.

A source close to Kashefi’s family told Hengaw that a temporary detention order had been issued and that family efforts to secure his release have so far been unsuccessful.

Kashefi had previously been arrested on Jan. 10, 2026, during a broader wave of detentions, when Iranian authorities detained him at his home.

He was released one week later on bail pending further proceedings.