Current situation

Summary Fact Sheet on the Persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran 

(August 2025)

The Bahá’í community, Iran’s largest religious minority, has faced relentless state-sponsored persecution since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Denied recognition under the Iranian Constitution, Bahá’ís are systematically deprived of fundamental rights under a secret 1991 memorandum signed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. The document outlines strategies to block the progress and development of the Bahá’ís, effectively attempting to erase them from Iranian society.

Increased Persecution Linked to Israel-Iran Conflict

• Intensification of Hate Speech: Iran’s Cyber Army has spread state-sponsored disinformation portraying Baháʼís as Israeli spies, linking them to the Israel–Iran conflict to justify repression and incite violence.

• Increase in Acts of Repression: An increasing number of Baha’is have been targeted through violent home raids, invasions and forced closures of businesses, and a growing wave of arbitrary arrests, summons, and interrogations. 

Arbitrary Arrests and Legal Discrimination

• Arbitrary Arrests & Imprisonment: Tens of thousands have been arrested, imprisoned, and tortured due to their religious beliefs.

• No Legal Protection: Bahá’ís are excluded from Iran’s recognized religious minorities, leaving them unprotected under Iran’s legal system.

State-Driven Hate Speech and Anti-Baha’i Propaganda

• Baseless Accusations and Misinformation: Bahá’ís are falsely accused of espionage for Israel and foreign governments and labeled by religious leaders as “deviant,” “morally corrupt,” and “unclean.”  

• Incitement to Violence: Ongoing hate propaganda appears to be aimed at inciting public hatred and paving the way for acts of violence against the Bahá’í community.

Education & Economic Discrimination

• Banned from Higher Education: Bahá’í students are systematically denied university enrollment based on the 1991 “Bahá’í Question” memorandum. 

• Economic Discrimination: Thousands are barred from public-sector jobs, while private business licenses are routinely revoked.

Property Confiscation & Cemetery Destruction

• Seizure of Assets: Homes, businesses, and personal belongings worth billions of dollars have been confiscated.

• Cemetery Desecration: Bahá’í cemeteries are routinely destroyed and desecrated, forcing families to bury loved ones in mass graves or under humiliating conditions.

Escalating Trends in Persecution

• Targeting Young Bahá’í Families: Parents, especially mothers, are arbitrarily arrested, leaving young children without caregivers. Cases include the arrest of Mahboub Habibi and Negar Misaghian, who were separated from their two-year-old child.

• Violent Home Raids: Authorities have escalated violent raids, often using deceptive tactics, disproportionately affecting women and the elderly. In early 2024, 11 Bahá’í women were arrested without warrants.

• Intensified Persecution of Bahá’í Women: Following the 2022 women’s rights protests, Bahá’í women have been increasingly targeted, now making up two-thirds of all Bahá’í prisoners. By mid-2024, 72 of 93 Bahá’ís summoned to court or prison were women. In a disturbing case, 71-year-old Mahvash Sabet, a longtime prisoner of conscience, was forced to return to prison after major heart surgery.

• Torture & Psychological Abuse: Bahá’ís face inhumane conditions, including solitary confinement and psychological pressure. In October 2024, 10 Bahá’í women in Isfahan were sentenced to a combined 90 years in prison, enduring physical and psychological torture.

The following is a detailed overview of the key trends and patterns in the ongoing persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran since June 2024.

Overview of Trends of Persecution Against Baha'is in Iran

(June 2024 - June 2025)

Over the past year, the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran has intensified in a number of ways. The following trends have been observed from June 2024 to the present:

1. Escalating and Deliberate Use of Propaganda and Legal Machinery to Justify and Entrench the Repression of Bahá’ís Post-Conflict

There has been an intensification of coordinated hate speech and incidents of persecution targeting the Baháʼí community in Iran as a direct consequence of the recent regional tensions between Iran and Israel. Historically, the Iranian government has used times of national crisis to deflect blame and tighten control by scapegoating vulnerable communities, and the Bahá’ís, already the most severely persecuted non-Muslim minority in the country, remain a primary target.

Amid recent tensions in Iran, there is growing evidence that Iranian authorities are increasingly using state resources to step up the ongoing persecution of minorities in Iran, including the Bahá’í community. We have observed various indicators of escalating persecution that have so far unfolded—beginning with incitement and hateful propaganda through diverse media; continuing with widespread acts of repression including home raids, detentions, interrogations, and arrests; and in the latest development, a change in legislation that strengthens the legal basis for criminalising anyone at the government’s discretion. The very vague provisions of the legislation, such as criminalizing individuals who disseminate “information—including images and videos—if judged to weaken public morale”, allow the government to single out virtually anyone in Iran, using them as scapegoats during a national crisis.

Since the eruption of the conflict, an intensifying coordinated hate campaign against the Baháʼís in Iran has heightened further, fuelled by the widespread dissemination of disinformation by Iran’s Cyber Army—primarily through state-sponsored social media platforms. This campaign relies on the deliberate repetition of false narratives portraying the Baháʼí community as spies and collaborators of Israel, now extending these accusations to the Israel–Iran conflict. This hate propaganda not only justifies further repression by the state’s machinery but serves to justify further repression by government authorities. It also incites mob violence and crimes against Baháʼís. 

Alongside a sharp and seemingly coordinated surge in hate speech, there has also been a series of concrete incidents of persecution. Verified reports indicate a marked intensification of state-led persecution against the Bahá’í community, marked by violent home raids, invasion of businesses, their forced closure, and a growing wave of arbitrary arrests, summons, and interrogations. More than 200 Bahá’ís—men and women of all ages, including the elderly—have been affected by these repressive actions, with countless more family members suffering the consequences.

2. Rise in Attacks against Bahá’í Women

In the past year, there has been an intensification of attacks against Bahá’í women seeing a significant increase in arrests and summonses, with dozens of women facing baseless criminal charges and prison sentences. These women have been traumatically separated from their families, some with young children, and have been exposed to the cruelty and violence of the Iranian judicial system. By mid-2024, 72 of the 93 Bahá’ís summoned to court or prison had been women, accounting for more than three-quarters of those persecuted.

In January this year, 11 Bahá’í women were detained for their faith in a series of early morning home raids carried out without arrest warrants or prior notification. Furthermore, in October 2024, 10 Bahá’í women in Isfahan received a combined 90-year prison sentence and endured inhumane detention, including denial of medical care, physical abuse, and due process violations. In December 2024, Mahvash Sabet, a prominent 71-year-old prisoner of conscience, underwent open-heart surgery after more than 13 years of imprisonment and was requested by the Iranian government to return to prison to serve the remainder of her second 10-year sentence. More recently in March 2025, Anisa Fanaian, a Bahá’í mother from Senman, was sentenced to 7 years in prison for teaching literacy to Afghan refugee children.

As both women and members of the Bahá’í Faith, systematically persecuted since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, they face intersectional oppression. This includes lifelong restrictions such as denial of higher education and public employment, affecting them intellectually, socially, and economically solely because of their faith.

3. Waves of Violent Home Raids 

There has been a stark increase in violent home raids and searches carried out by security forces and intelligence agents. These operations are often conducted without prior notice or legal warrants, and in some cases, agents have been reported coercing neighbors to file complaints against Bahá’ís. Bahá’ís are frequently detained and interrogated under harsh conditions, with no access to due process. These arrests are especially egregious given that raids often occur in the early hours of the morning or late at night, deliberately timed to catch individuals in disoriented states.

Reports indicate that security agents have weaponized tactics such as verbal insults, physical and psychological abuse, threats, and armed intimidation. The use of force during unlawful entries poses a serious threat to the safety and well-being of all occupants, including minors and the elderly, and has resulted in substantial property damage and enduring psychological trauma. These actions are not incidental but are part of a broader strategy to instill fear among the Bahá’í community members.

4. Attacks on Cemeteries and Violation of Burial Rights 

The Iranian government continues to vandalize, destroy, and seize Bahá’í cemeteries across the country. Over the past year, Bahá’í burial rights have been increasingly eroded, with many facing forced burials, denied access to cemeteries, and excessive burial fees. These actions are part of a deliberate campaign to deny the Bahá’í community the right to mourn and honour their dead, while severing their connection to Iran’s social and historical fabric.

In Rafsanjan, authorities dug a 2-metre trench around existing graves in May 2025, restricting future burials and forcing families to use narrow spaces between graves. Similar patterns have emerged elsewhere: the Bahá’í cemetery in Yazd remains difficult to access due to its remote location, while the Bojnourd cemetery faces property seizures and mounting restrictions. In one case, a woman with intellectual disabilities was buried 120 km from her hometown in Kerman after its Bahá’í cemetery was forcibly closed; her family was charged a steep and unjust fee to proceed with the burial.

5. Economic Pressures 

The closure of Bahá’í-owned shops by Iranian authorities typically occurs under the pretext of violating commercial regulations. However, in practice, these forced closures function as a means of monitoring and penalizing shop owners for observing Bahá’í Holy Days, during which their businesses are closed in accordance with their faith.

As of June 2025, a growing number of Bahá’í shop owners in Shiraz reported having received official summonses and interrogations, followed by the progressive sealing of their businesses. Authorities framed these closures as a promotion of the Bahá’í Faith and propaganda against the regime. These incidents highlight mounting due process violations and economic pressure targeting Bahá’í owned businesses.

6. Denial of Higher Education

Bahá’ís across Iran continue to face systematic exclusion from higher education as a result of official state policies that explicitly bar them from university enrollment. This discriminatory practice not only denies Bahá’í youth access to academic advancement but also severely restricts their future employment opportunities and intellectual development, perpetuating socioeconomic marginalisation.

Over the past year, this policy of exclusion has been strictly enforced, with the government intensifying efforts to prevent Bahá’í students from pursuing higher education even within the privacy of their own homes. 

Bahá’í educators are also targeted, particularly women. In May, Anisa Fanaian was sentenced to seven years in prison for hosting classes for underprivileged Afghan refugee children, accused of “forming a group with the intent of disrupting national security.” Similarly, Maryam Zabihi was sentenced for hosting exams at her home for Bahá’í youth barred from university education, charged with “educational activities contrary to Islamic Sharia.”

7. Heightened Surveillance 

There are increasing indications that members of the Bahá’í community in Iran are being subjected to increasingly invasive surveillance, with personal electronic devices routinely confiscated and digital activity closely monitored. These actions suggest the tracking religious activity, extracting personal data, and exerting control over individuals and communities.

Surveillance of Bahá’ís in Iran is increasingly enabled through travel restrictions and physical monitoring as part of broader state control. Passports are often confiscated, and plainclothes agents are frequently reported near Bahá’í cemeteries. In one case, two Bahá’í women returning from Turkey were interrogated in Hamadan, had their passports seized, and were questioned about Bahá’í community members and the Golestan Javid cemetery.

8. Confiscation of Personal Belongings 

Another disturbing trend has been the nature of items being confiscated from Bahá’í homes. Whereas previous confiscations often focused on Bahá’í books, documents and photographs as well as mobile electronic devices and computer equipment, searches and confiscations within the last year have included cash, gold and jewelry, property deeds, identity documents and passports as well as home-based tools and equipment used for generating livelihoods for those who have previously faced forced business and shop closures. 

The confiscated items of value and cash equivalent in value to tens of millions of tomans are rarely returned to the owners, and the confiscation of work-related tools and property deeds are clearly aimed at further impoverishing and demoralizing the Bahá’í community within what is already a dire economic situation for most citizens across the country.