The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence announced the arrest of 12 citizens who adhere to the Baha’i faith, which is banned in the country, for having ties with a Baha’i Center in Israel.
Iranian state media, according to AFP, on Sunday said the arrests took place in different cities in Mazandaran province.
“The General Directorate of Intelligence in Mazandaran province has identified and arrested 12 members of the Bahai Zionist organization in different cities of the province,” Iranian media reported.
“Two of the leaders of this spy organization were trained in Bayt-al-Adl,” the Baha'is' Universal House of Justice in Haifa, said Iranian media about those arrested in the northern province.
The arrests come two days after a statement by the World Baha’i Association on Iranian authorities having arrested 14 people in the city of Qaimshahr in Mazandaran province.
According to the Association, the 14 arrested were students whom the authorities prohibited from enrolling in universities.
Human rights activist Arash Sadeghi wrote on Twitter that authorities released two of the Baha’is who were arrested on Wednesday, pointing out that their ages ranged between 17 and 20 years.
Baha’is believe their religion is independent with five million believers spread across more than 190 countries. In Iran, there are around 300,000 Baha’is.
The roots of Baha’ism date back to the nineteenth century in Iran. As a faith, Baha’ism calls for unity among all peoples and equality.
Its followers believe in the teachings of Baha’u’llah, who was born in Iran in 1817. The shrine of the founder of the Baha’i Faith, which is found near the Israeli coastal city of Acre, is considered the holiest Baha’i site.
The ruling establishment in Iran views the Baha’i faith as a “perverted branch of Islam.” Baha’i leaders in exile say thousands of Baha’i followers have been arrested and executed in Iran since the 1979 revolution.
