Baha’is Face New Prison Terms Across Iran
By IranWire
October 2, 2026
As of 2 October 2026, the BIC has verified that 64 Baha’is, including 33 women and 31 men, are currently detained or imprisoned across Iran. At least 19 others are serving sentences outside prison under electronic monitoring or are temporarily on leave. Detainees are being held in prisons, intelligence detention centres, Revolutionary Guard facilities and, in some cases, undisclosed locations.
On 27 September 2026, Parisa Eslami, a Baha’i resident of Karaj, was taken into custody and transferred to Kachouei Prison to begin serving a previously imposed prison sentence. She had been convicted by a branch of the Revolutionary Court in Karaj on the charge of “educational activity and deviant propaganda contrary to the sacred law of Islam.” Her trial was held in October 2023, with the sentence now being implemented following the conclusion of judicial proceedings.
It was learned on 27 September that the detention of Sarir Moghen, a Baha’i resident of Isfahan, had been extended for another month as she remained in solitary confinement at Dowlatabad Prison. As of 2 October, she had spent 38 days in detention and continued to undergo interrogation despite a gastrointestinal condition requiring medical attention. She has been denied telephone communication and permitted only one brief family visit, while authorities have disclosed neither the reasons for her arrest nor any charges against her.
Three Baha’is in Tehran, Hengameh Sharifinia, Foad Abdolghaffari and Fahim Agahi, have been sentenced to a combined 35 years in prison, along with supplementary penalties and the confiscation of property. Sharifinia received a total of 15 years in prison and ten years of deprivation of social rights, while Abdolghaffari and Agahi each received ten years in prison and an 80 million toman fine. All three were also barred for two years from travelling and participating in groups and associations, and no information has been made available regarding appeals against the verdicts.
As of 2 October, 20 year old Sarina Zaeri had been held for 18 days following her arrest in Shiraz, with her family receiving no information about her whereabouts or condition. She has had no telephone contact or visits since her arrest, raising additional concern because she has a respiratory condition. Barbod Sepehri, 21, and Arshia Jaberi, 19, were arrested separately on the same day and also taken to undisclosed locations, with authorities providing no information about the whereabouts, legal status or charges against any of the three.
These updates cover 25 September - 2 October 2026 and are drawn from bulletins provided by the Bahá'í International Community.
© IranWire 2026
