Baha’i couple remain detained in Shiraz as health concerns grow

Hengaw – Tuesday, April 28, 2026

More than one month after the arrests of Behzad Yazdani and Romina Khazali, a Baha’i couple from Shiraz, both remain in legal limbo at Adelabad Prison. Reports from inside the prison describe poor sanitary conditions, while Khazali has been denied access to medical care and essential medication.

According to information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Khazali had undergone stomach surgery before her arrest and also suffers from severe migraines. Her family has repeatedly attempted to send her medication, but prison officials have refused to accept it. At the same time, the spread of a gastrointestinal virus in the women’s ward, combined with the absence of a doctor, has intensified concerns over her health.

Sources familiar with the case said the couple have not been interrogated at any point since their arrests, and any charges against them remain unknown. Khazali has also been denied basic prisoner rights, including access to a phone card and the ability to make purchases, and is permitted only one 30-second phone call with her family each week.

Behzad Yazdani, a translator and editor, was arrested on March 28, 2026, and his wife Romina Khazali, a painter, was arrested the following day. Both were detained at their home by agents of the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Their simultaneous arrests have placed their teenage twin children under severe emotional strain.