Three young Baha'is arrested by the Islamic Republic's security forces in Shiraz more than three weeks ago were still being denied access to a lawyer and phone calls with their families as of Sunday, 4 October 2026. Iran International, citing informed sources, reported that 20-year-old Sarina Zaeri, 21-year-old Barbod Sepehri and 19-year-old Arshia Jaberi are on their 21st day in detention and have had only one very brief visit with their families since their arrest.
According to Iran International, security agents raided the homes of the three Baha'i citizens on the morning of Monday, 14 September. The search of Barbod Sepehri's home lasted from about 6 to 10 a.m., and Sarina Zaeri's home was searched at around 7 a.m. The agents confiscated their personal belongings and took all three to an unknown location. No official body has yet announced the charges against them.
Concern over Sarina Zaeri's health
According to sources close to the family, Sarina Zaeri suffers from a chronic respiratory illness, and her family has voiced concern about her physical and mental condition in detention. The place where the three young people are being held has still not been officially disclosed to their families.
More than 180 days in detention without trial
Meanwhile, Behzad Yazdani, another Baha'i citizen living in Shiraz who was arrested on 29 March this year, has been held in Shiraz's Adelabad prison for more than 180 days without a trial and without access to a lawyer, according to Iran International. He is the head of his household and the father of two teenage children. According to the report, judicial officials did not even approve a short leave for him to attend his mother-in-law's funeral and have told the family that the case is "under review".
Baha'is, Iran's largest non-Muslim religious minority, have faced arrests, confiscation of property, exclusion from university education and employment restrictions since the first years after the 1979 revolution. In recent years, Shiraz has been one of the cities with the highest number of reported arrests and summonses of Baha'i citizens. The detention of young Baha'is without charges being announced and their prolonged detention without access to a lawyer is a pattern that human rights organisations have repeatedly warned about.
Four Baha'i citizens in Shiraz, including three young people under 22, are being held by the Islamic Republic without charges being announced and without access to a lawyer.
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