United Nations human rights experts have expressed grave concern over allegations of arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, torture and other forms of ill-treatment targeting members of Iran’s Bahá’í religious minority, warning that several detainees may face serious risks to their physical and mental health as well as their personal integrity.
In a statement issued yesterday, the experts said they were “profoundly troubled” by reports that Bahá’í individuals had been subjected to incommunicado detention, torture and enforced disappearance, describing the alleged abuses as clear violations of international law.
The concerns come amid what the experts described as an escalating pattern of repression against the Bahá’í community, including a reported increase in arrests and a broader campaign of stigmatisation. According to the information cited by the experts, 57 members of the Bahá’í community are currently detained or imprisoned.
The experts also highlighted allegations that some detainees had been compelled to make confessions under torture, with some of those confessions reportedly broadcast on State media. They said such practices violate the absolute prohibition of torture and undermine the fundamental right to a fair trial.
Particular concern was raised over the reported arbitrary detention of several Bahá’í individuals, including Payam Vali, Roya Sabet, Artin Ghazanfari and Shakila Ghasemi. The experts also referred to the cases of Peyvand Naimi and Borna Naimi, who have reportedly been subjected to severe physical and psychological abuse while in detention.
According to the allegations presented by the experts, the two men endured mock executions in an effort to extract false confessions. Both remain in pre-trial detention under conditions that, the experts warned, give rise to serious fears regarding their health and safety.
The reported detention of Bahá’í individuals is taking place against the backdrop of a broader wave of intensified arrests across Iran since the outbreak of the war. The experts said this wider context has heightened concerns about the increased risks facing religious minorities, who may be particularly vulnerable during periods of intensified security measures.
“The targeting of religious minority communities through alleged arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and coercion constitutes a flagrant violation of the right to freedom of religion or belief,” the experts said, stressing that such actions are incompatible with international human rights standards.
The experts recalled that Iran, as a State party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, is legally bound to uphold freedom of religion or belief, prohibit torture and enforced disappearance, ensure due process protections and safeguard the rights of minority communities.
They called on the Iranian authorities to take immediate steps to guarantee detainees access to legal counsel and appropriate medical care. They also urged the Government to conduct prompt and effective investigations into all allegations of arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture and other forms of ill-treatment, with a view to ensuring accountability for any violations.
Warning of the potential consequences if the reported abuses continue, the experts said urgent action was needed to prevent further harm to those in custody and to address what they described as a continuing pattern of persecution against the Bahá’í minority.
“Urgent measures are required to prevent irreparable harm and end the reported pattern of persecution against the Bahá’í minority,” they said.
The experts confirmed that they have formally raised their concerns with the Iranian Government.
