HRANA News Agency – On Tuesday, July 1, Raquel Ataeian, a Baha’i citizen residing in Qaemshahr, was arrested at her home by security forces and taken to an undisclosed location. Agents also confiscated several personal items belonging to her and her family.
The arrest was carried out by seven IRGC Intelligence agents who presented a judicial warrant before detaining Ms. Ataeian and searching her home.
A source close to the family confirmed the incident, telling HRANA: “This morning, seven IRGC Intelligence agents arrived at Ms. Ataeian’s residence with a judicial warrant. During the search, they seized religious books, mobile phones, and laptops belonging to her and her family.”
As of the time of this report, no information has been released about the charges against Ms. Ataeian, the reasons for her arrest, or her whereabouts.
Raquel Ataeian has previously faced security-related harassment due to her Baha’i faith.
Over the past decade, the Iranian Bahá’í community has been disproportionately targeted by Iran’s security forces and judiciary—more than any other minority group. In the past three years, an average of 72 percent of the reports on religious rights violations collected by HRANA have documented the Iranian regime’s repression of the Bahá’í community.
