GENEVA—25 May 2026—Boshra Mostafavi, a pregnant Bahá’í woman from Rafsanjan, southeast Iran, is among dozens of Bahá’ís detained and jailed in recent months, as the Islamic Republic pursues an escalating campaign of brutal persecution against the religious minority.
Boshra is one of almost 80 Bahá’ís who have faced detention, arrest, and imprisonment since the February outbreak of conflict, in a widening series of human rights attacks by the authorities in Iran. More than 400 recent cases of state-sponsored human rights abuses against Bahá’ís across Iran, including arrests and detentions, violent home raids, unlawful property seizures, and obstructions to justice by judicial authorities, have been reported.
The Bahá’í International Community (BIC) has also reported in recent weeks on the serious and concerning cases of Peyvand Naimi and Borna Naimi, two cousins in Kerman, who have faced brutal forms of torture, mock executions and forced confessions over alleged crimes they did not commit.
“It is almost beyond comprehension that, as Iran confronts mounting crises on every front, its government has chosen to turn its attention not toward the needs of its citizens, but toward the further persecution of an innocent community whose innocence the world has unequivocally recognized,” said Simin Fahandej, the Bahá’í International Community’s Representative to the United Nations in Geneva.
“Leadership is measured not by the power a government holds over its citizens, but by how it uses its resources to empower its people,” Ms. Fahandej added. “Leadership should not be used to oppress people for their beliefs, their ethnicity, or their gender, or to use the fog of war as cover for grave human rights abuses.”
First arrested several years ago, Boshra Mostafavi was acquitted due to insufficient evidence, but prosecutors appealed the ruling and had it overturned on 25 April 2026. She now faces four months in Kerman prison while carrying her baby to term.
In an absolutely clear demonstration that religious prejudice is the only motivation for the persecution of the Baha’is, a judge in the prosecutor’s appeal against the acquittal is reported to have said that “You are Bahá’í, and in an Islamic country, you must pay the price for being Bahá’í.” Two other Bahá’í women, Didar Ahmadi and Nahid Naimi, who were arrested, acquitted and then detained again with Boshra, also began their sentences on 25 April.
Boshra’s requests for prison leave, including for medical appointments and an essential medical test regarding her pregnancy, have been denied. The Iranian government should, at a minimum, allow Boshra to attend a 30 May medical test regarding her pregnancy.
Shakila Ghasemi, a 26-year-old woman from Kerman, detained for over 100 days and held in solitary confinement for at least 10 weeks, is also among the dozens who have been jailed in recent months. Shakila has had little to no contact with her family since her 2 February arrest, after her home was raided by plainclothes agents and her belongings seized.
When Shakila’s family requested a furlough for her from Kerman Prison, after the 28 February outbreak of the latest conflict, the authorities said “No Bahá’í prisoner will be released.” Dozens of other prisoners of conscience and convicted criminals were granted leave during this period.
Individual Bahá’ís are suffering medical emergencies resulting from prolonged solitary confinement and denial of medical care, as well as extreme stress at being held without access to their families, legal counsel, or due process.
Two of the most egregious of these cases concern Peyvand Naimi, a swimming athlete, who was arrested on 8 January on false charges of instigating unrest and was held in an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps facility before his transfer to prison. Peyvand was tortured for at least 10 consecutive days. He was bound hand and foot for 48 hours, denied food and water, and endured two mock executions. He remains in Kerman Prison and is being held without due process.
Peyvand’s cousin, Borna, a karate champion and father of a three-year-old child, was detained on 1 March. The Revolutionary Guards agents interrogating him subjected him to electric shocks, causing severe burns to his feet and legs, as well as two mock executions.
Mock executions are severe forms of mental torture and are banned under international law.
“It is deeply cruel to lock an innocent pregnant woman behind bars—punishing not only her, but the unborn life she carries,” said Ms. Fahandej.
“Iran’s leaders must finally face the truth: every one of the 90 million people within their borders is entitled to full and equal human rights, and every one of them is their responsibility. Parading Iran’s diversity in global settings means little if, behind closed doors, that same diversity is met with imprisonment, harassment, and discrimination. Iran’s extraordinary tapestry of cultures, identities, and beliefs should be a source of genuine national pride, reflected not only in words, but in deeds,” Ms. Fahandej said.
“We call on the Iranian government to unconditionally release Boshra before her next medical appointment on 30 May,” Ms. Fahandej added, “and to release all the Bahá’ís who have been jailed in recent weeks and as a result of the Iranian authorities cruelly seeking to use them as scapegoats during a crisis.”
Author: Sanjeevni Today
Reporter
