Two Baha’i sisters remain in legal limbo after 50 days in Shiraz prison

Hengaw – Thursday, May 21, 2026

Iranian authorities continue to hold Mandana Sotoudeh, 38, and her 25-year-old sister Mahsa Sotoudeh, two Baha’i residents of Shiraz, more than 50 days after their arrests without clarifying their legal status or granting them access to their basic rights.

Based on information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Mahsa Sotoudeh was arrested on March 29, 2026, while her sister Mandana Sotoudeh was detained separately on April 1, 2026, by Intelligence Organization forces affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The arrests were carried out without the presentation of any warrant.

After undergoing initial interrogations, the two sisters were transferred to the women’s ward of Shiraz Central Prison, known as Adelabad Prison, where they are currently being held separately from one another.

A source familiar with the case told Hengaw: “Despite nearly two months having passed since their arrests, the Iranian judiciary continues to refuse to clarify the status of their cases or issue bail orders for their temporary release. The Sotoudeh family visits judicial and security institutions on a daily basis in an effort to obtain information about their daughters, but these repeated follow-ups have so far yielded no results, and officials have provided no clear answers.”

Shiraz security authorities have not released any official information regarding the reasons for the arrests or the precise charges brought against the two Baha’i sisters.

The detention of Baha’i citizens in Iran has long been part of a broader pattern of systematic religious persecution and violations of the rights of religious minorities in the country.