UN Experts Alarmed by Alleged Torture and Persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran
UN rights experts warn of arbitrary arrests, forced confessions and worsening repression against Iran’s Bahá’í minority.
Founder & Chief Editor · 29 July 2026 · 2 min read
By Osmara Digital Media | 29 July 2026
UN human rights experts have expressed grave concern over allegations of arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, torture and other forms of ill-treatment targeting members of the Bahá’í religious minority in Iran.
The experts said several detained Bahá’í individuals may face serious risks to their physical and mental health, as well as threats to their personal integrity, amid what they described as an escalating campaign of repression.
“We are profoundly troubled by reports that Bahá’í individuals are being subjected to incommunicado detention, torture and enforced disappearance. This is a clear violation of international law,” the experts said.
According to the experts, at least 57 members of the Bahá’í community are reportedly detained or imprisoned in Iran as part of a wider pattern of arrests and stigmatisation.
They alleged that some detainees have been forced to make confessions under torture, including statements later broadcast on State media, warning that such practices violate the international prohibition against torture and undermine the right to a fair trial.
The experts highlighted concerns over the detention of several Bahá’í individuals, including Payam Vali, Roya Sabet, Artin Ghazanfari, Shakila Ghasemi, Peyvand Naimi and Borna Naimi.
They said Peyvand Naimi and Borna Naimi have reportedly suffered severe physical and psychological abuse, including alleged mock executions aimed at forcing false confessions. The two men remain in pre-trial detention under conditions that have raised fears for their safety and wellbeing.
The UN experts said the reported persecution is taking place amid a broader increase in arrests across Iran since the outbreak of war, creating additional risks for religious minority communities.
“The targeting of religious minority communities through alleged arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and coercion constitutes a flagrant violation of the right to freedom of religion or belief,” they said.
They reminded Iran of its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, including respecting freedom of religion, preventing torture, ensuring due process and protecting minority rights.
The experts called on Iranian authorities to immediately provide detainees with access to legal representation and medical care, while investigating allegations of torture, enforced disappearance and ill-treatment.
“Urgent measures are required to prevent irreparable harm and end the reported pattern of persecution against the Bahá’í minority,” the experts said.
Source: United Nations human rights experts (UN Geneva), 29 July 2026.
Founder & Chief Editor
Founder and Chief Editor of Osmara Digital Media. Journalist and historian telling Africa's stories through an African lens, from West Nile to the continent.
