Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, announced in a message on X, formerly Twitter, that she and a group of UN experts had issued two separate statements regarding the situation of Baha’is and Christians in Iran. The statements warn of a sharp increase in arrests, torture, and violations of the rights of these religious minorities.
Referring to the two statements published on July 15 and July 29, Sato wrote that at least 61 Baha’i citizens and 79 Christian citizens, the majority of whom are Christian converts, are currently being held in detention centres or serving prison sentences.
According to her, reports received from Iran indicate the use of solitary confinement, enforced disappearances, torture to extract forced confessions, and the broadcasting of some of these confessions on state media outlets.
The UN Special Rapporteur specifically highlighted the names of several Baha’i citizens, including Payam Vali, Roya Sabet, Artin Ghazanfari, Shakila Ghasemi, Peyvand Naeimi, and Borna Naeimi. She noted that Peyvand Naeimi and Borna Naeimi were subjected to “mock executions” to coerce confessions and remain held under conditions that raise serious concerns regarding their health and safety.
