Iran said it had arrested 13 adherents of the banned Baha’i faith accusing them of proselytising to children and adolescents, local media reported, drawing condemnation from an international organization representing Baha'is.
A statement on Saturday by the Revolutionary Guards' intelligence unit, carried by state media, said the arrests were made in the central city of Isfahan, Reuters reported.
It said the 13 arrested “were acting illegally and were indirectly promoting their ideological deviation by exploiting children and adolescents.” It did not elaborate.
The Baha'i International Community, which represents the faith worldwide, said in a statement that the arrested women "were facilitating simple children’s classes – arresting them is the equivalent of arresting people for teaching Sunday school."
Simin Fahandej, Representative of the Baha’i International Community to the UN in Geneva, described the arrests as a senseless act against innocent women.
Last month a group of UN special rapporteurs expressed serious concern at what they described as a rise in systematic targeting of Baha'i women in Iran, including through arrests, interrogation and enforced disappearances. The Iranian government responded that Baha'i women faced no restrictions.
