IranWire

A Baha’i woman was arrested on Wednesday by intelligence forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, just days before her planned wedding.

Armaghan Yazdani was detained and taken to an undisclosed location while leaving her home with her mother and sister to make wedding arrangements, according to IranWire sources.

Agents in an unmarked vehicle intercepted the family and forced them to return home.

Eight men and one woman then searched the house, seizing personal items including mobile phones, laptops, tablets, identification documents, photographs, books, and religious materials belonging to family members.

Yazdani's fiancé, Vahid Masoumi, was recently arrested and later released on bail.

Authorities have not disclosed Yazdani's whereabouts or the charges she may be facing.

Baha’is in Iran face systematic persecution, including restrictions on education, employment, and religious freedom. They are frequently accused of espionage or acting against the government.

However, the Baha’i International Community asserts that no evidence has ever been presented to support these claims.

Over the past two years, the Iranian government has intensified its crackdown on members of the Baha’i faith, imprisoning dozens on spurious charges, denying them access to higher education and employment, and confiscating or destroying their properties.

In its latest annual report, Human Rights Watch described the systematic suppression and denial of basic rights to Baha’is in Iran as a crime against humanity.