Hengaw’s August 2026 report on rights violations against Baha’is in Iran

Hengaw – Friday, September 11, 2026

Organized pressure and violations of the fundamental rights of Baha’is in Iran increased significantly in August 2026, according to data compiled by the Statistics and Documents Center of Hengaw Organization for Human Rights.

During the month, Hengaw documented:

The arrest of at least 14 Baha’is

Prison sentences and social-rights restrictions imposed on 14 others

Searches of at least five homes of Baha’is and the seizure of personal property

The expulsion of one Baha’i student from university

At least 14 Baha’is arrested in August

Iranian security forces arrested at least 14 Baha’is across Iran in August 2026, accounting for approximately 12% of all arrests documented across the country that month.

Those arrested included seven women and seven men:

1. Soraya Manouchehrzadeh, a Baha’i resident of Sari, was arrested on August 22.

2. Arsalan Yazdani, a Baha’i resident of Tehran, was arrested on August 22.

3. Maral Roshani, a Baha’i resident of Sari, was arrested on August 22.

4. Negar Badiei, a Baha’i resident of Sari, was arrested on August 22.

5. Shima Sanaei, a Baha’i resident of Sari, was arrested on August 22.

6. Fakhereh Zahedi, a Baha’i resident of Sari, was arrested on August 22.

7. Iman Rashidi, a Baha’i resident of Yazd, was arrested on August 23.

8. Sarir Moghen, a Baha’i resident of Isfahan, was arrested on August 25.

9. Elham Khalas, a Baha’i resident of Isfahan, was arrested on August 25.

10. Babak Zeinali, a Baha’i resident of Shahriar, was arrested on August 31.

11. Sahba Taef, a Baha’i resident of Shahriar, was arrested on August 31.

12. Fouad Taefi, a Baha’i resident of Shahriar, was arrested on August 31.

13. Shervin Shabrokh, a Baha’i resident of Shahriar, was arrested on August 31.

14. Ali Bagherkashi, a Baha’i resident of Shahriar, was arrested on August 31.

Fourteen Baha’is sentenced to more than 34 years in prison

Iranian courts sentenced at least 14 Baha’is to a combined 34 years, five months, and 15 days in prison in August 2026.

Raquel Ataian was additionally sentenced to 10 years of deprivation of social rights, while 11 co-defendants in the same case each received six-year restrictions on their social rights.

The 14 individuals sentenced to prison included seven women and seven men:

1. Faranak Zabihi, a Baha’i resident of Qaem Shahr, was sentenced to two years in prison.

2. Raquel Ataian, a Baha’i resident of Sari, was sentenced to four years.

3. Keyumars Akbari, a Baha’i resident of Sari, was sentenced to two years and 15 days.

4. Sohrab Laghaei, a Baha’i resident of Sari, was sentenced to two years and 15 days.

5. Zahra Golabian, a Baha’i resident of Sari, was sentenced to two years and 15 days.

6. Banafsheh Asadian Arabi, a Baha’i resident of Sari, was sentenced to two years and 15 days.

7. Fouad Laghaei, a Baha’i resident of Sari, was sentenced to two years and 15 days.

8. Anahita Koushkbaghi, a Baha’i resident of Sari, was sentenced to two years and 15 days.

9. Nasim Samimi, a Baha’i resident of Sari, was sentenced to two years and 15 days.

10. Hossein Fanaian, a Baha’i resident of Sari, was sentenced to two years and 15 days.

11. Emilia Fanaian, a Baha’i resident of Sari, was sentenced to two years and 15 days.

12. Melody Samimi, a Baha’i resident of Sari, was sentenced to two years and 15 days.

13. Soheil Haghdoost, a Baha’i resident of Sari, was sentenced to two years and 15 days.

14. Vafa Kashefi, a Baha’i resident of Mashhad, was sentenced to six years.

At least five homes of Baha’is searched and property seized

Government forces searched at least five homes of Baha’is in Isfahan and Qaem Shahr in August 2026 and seized personal property. The homes belonged to Keyhan and Fereshteh Atefi; Amin Tabianifard; Baharieh Askarinasab; Nima Tabianifard; and Parisa Naseri.

The searches took place in three operations:

Isfahan – August 24, 2026

Intelligence Department forces raided and searched the home of Keyhan and Fereshteh Atefi, seizing a vehicle, gold, communication devices, household appliances, and even a toy belonging to their grandchild.

Security forces had previously searched the home in January 2026.

Isfahan – August 24, 2026

More than 20 plainclothes forces simultaneously raided the separate homes of Amin Tabianifard, Baharieh Askarinasab, and Nima Tabianifard, as well as their musical instrument workshop.

They seized personal belongings, foreign currency, gold, and various musical instruments, sealed a shop belonging to the family, and issued summonses requiring them to appear before the Intelligence Department and a court based at Dastgerd Prison.

Qaem Shahr – August 31, 2026

Security forces entered and searched Parisa Naseri’s home and questioned her, seizing books, religious images, her mobile phone, tablet, and other personal belongings.

The searches and seizure of Baha’is’ property without transparent legal or judicial documentation violate Article 22 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which protects homes and property from arbitrary interference. They also contravene Articles 12 and 17 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which protect against arbitrary interference with privacy and the home.

The coordinated raids and seizure of personal belongings, household property, and even children’s possessions reflect the systematic targeting of this religious minority and practices that fall outside protections established under Iran’s Code of Criminal Procedure.

Baha’i student expelled from university

Kamyar Malaki, a 38-year-old Baha’i resident of Birjand and second-semester undergraduate architecture student at Islamic Azad University’s Birjand branch, was expelled in August 2026 and barred from continuing his studies because of his Baha’i faith.

The university’s security office summoned Malaki and informed him of a confidential letter sent from Tehran ordering his expulsion and barring him from further study on the grounds of “failure to meet general eligibility requirements.”

His academic record subsequently listed his status as “permanent withdrawal from education and prohibition from studying due to failure to meet general eligibility requirements.”