A group of UN Special Rapporteurs and human rights experts issued a joint statement expressing grave concern over arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, torture, and other forms of cruel treatment targeting members of Iran’s Baha’i community, warning that the physical and mental health of numerous detainees is at serious risk.
The experts highlighted alarming reports indicating that detained Baha’is had been denied all contact with the outside world while being subjected to torture and enforced disappearance, calling these acts clear violations of international law.
According to the statement, 57 Baha’is are currently being held in detention or prison, with several forced under torture to give false confessions that were broadcast on state media. The statement explicitly named Peymand Naeimi and Borna Naeimi, who endured severe physical and psychological abuse, including mock executions, to extract forced confessions.
The UN statement described the crackdown on Baha’is as part of a broader pattern of escalating repression and stigmatization. This trend coincides with a new wave of arrests across Iran following recent regional conflicts, compounding the risks faced by religious minorities.
