Many Arrested; Bahai affiliates and Dervish members

14 January 2009, in a coordinated operation, ten families affiliated with the Bahai faith were harassed by Iranian regime security agents, their belongings searched, confiscated and their members arrested and taken away to Evin prison.

According to reports released by Bahai students; Jinus Sobhani, Shahrokh Taeff, Azizollah Samandari, Payam Aghsani, Didar Raoof, Nima Haghar have been arrested.

Junis Sobahani had been secretary of the society of "Defenders of Human Rights" until it was banned in December 2008. She was also a member in the "Society of participating mine detectors".

A spokesman from the Society of Defenders of Human Rights said Sobhani was arrested at 6.30 in the morning of the day her house was searched, along with her husband. She had recently written legal articles on Human Rights in local media.

Iranian officials have not yet clarified the reason for their arrest. Dian Alaei, representative of the Bahai Community in the UN has declared the arrest to be related with their affiliation to the Bahai faith.

Other members of the Bahai faith, arrested previously on 14 May 2008 are still in detention without legal clarifications.


Gonabad Dervishes

Six members of the Dervish community of Gonabad, have been arrested in an attack by security agents in Kish (Island in the South of Iran)

According to these reports, Mohammad Jafar Entezami, Abdolreza Goodarzi, Ahmad Goodarzi, Amin Goodarzi, Omid Hassan Zadeh, Mehran Assadpoor,TOoraj Yeganeh have been among those arrested.

These people have been arrested during a violent attack on Mr. Jafarpoor's house by intelligence agents. Their location at the moment is reported to be in the Security Detention centre of Kish.
This attack follows the forced closure of the "Hosseinieh" (prayers sanctuary) of the Gonabad Dervishes in Kish.

They have been arrested for their religious beliefs.