A group of United Nations Special Rapporteurs and human rights experts have issued a joint statement expressing grave concern over arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, torture and other ill-treatment inflicted on members of Iran's Bahá'í community, warning that a number of detainees face serious risks to their physical and mental health.

The statement, issued by five UN Special Rapporteurs and members of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, highlights a pattern of serious human rights violations against Bahá'ís in Iran amid a sharp escalation in arrests targeting the community since the outbreak of the country's recent crisis.

The experts said they were "profoundly troubled by reports that Bahá'í individuals are being subjected to incommunicado detention, torture and enforced disappearance," and stated that the pattern of abuse "is a clear violation of international law." They noted that 57 Bahá'ís are currently reported to be detained or imprisoned, and that some have reportedly been forced under torture to give false confessions later broadcast on State media.

Among the cases highlighted by name are Peyvand Naimi and Borna Naimi, whom the experts said have "endured severe physical and psychological abuse, including mock executions to extract false confessions." The UN Special Rapporteurs and experts also drew attention to the detention of other Bahá'ís, including Payam Vali, Roya Sabet, Artin Ghazanfari and Shakila Ghasemi.

The statement described the treatment of Bahá'ís as part of a broader pattern of "escalating repression" and stigmatisation, occurring alongside a wider wave of arrests across Iran since the recent outbreak of conflict, compounding the risks faced by religious minorities. "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," they said.

The experts also highlighted 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, guarantee due process, and protect the rights of minorities. They called on the Iranian authorities to ensure immediate access to legal counsel and medical care for those detained and to conduct independent investigations into all allegations of torture, enforced disappearance and ill-treatment.

"Urgent measures are required to prevent irreparable harm," the experts said.

The UN Special Rapporteurs and experts issuing the statement

• Nicolas Levrat, Special Rapporteur on minority issues

• Nazila Ghanea, Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief

• Mai Sato, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran

• Alice Jill Edwards, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment

• Gabriella Citroni (Chair-Rapporteur),

•  Grażyna Baranowska (Vice-Chair)

• Aua Baldé

• Ana Lorena Delgadillo Pérez, Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances

For more information, please contact

• Simin Fahandej, Representative to the United Nations, Geneva, [email protected], +41788800759 (English & Persian)

• Rachel Bayani, Principal Representative to the United Nations, New York, [email protected], +19297870437 (English, French, German)