Arrests, searches, torture, staged executions - under the guise of war in Iran, the pressure on the followers of Baha'iism is increasing. The regime there considers them heretics and has been persecuting them for years.
”About three weeks ago, the security forces searched our apartment, confiscated our personal belongings and took my brother away”, says Atosa Najafi. The 23-year-old tries to remain calm. Three years ago, she arrived in Berlin from Iran, where she is studying dentistry. Since June 6, however, she has been constantly worried about her 20-year-old brother Parsa and his parents. “Since then, we have been living in uncertainty. We don't know anything about where they are”.
The family professes the Baha'i faith - it arose in the mid-19th century in what was then Persia and is considered a monotheistic global religion. However, Baha'iism is not recognized in Iran, and the regime of the Islamic Republic considers Baha'is heretics and has persecuted them for years.
A minority persecuted worldwide
According to "Amnesty International”, Baha'is are one of the most persecuted religious minorities in the world. Their religion is not recognized in most Muslim countries. In Iran, Baha'is are subjected to systematic repression. They are denied education and career advancement, they are arrested, their property confiscated, their cemeteries and holy sites are vandalized.
Najafi's family knows all this, but they still try not to lose hope. "My family's phones were confiscated when they searched the apartment. My parents couldn't reach me", the woman says. Now she sometimes manages to establish contact with them in Isfahan, but there is no information about her brother.
Jascha Noltenius shares Najafi's anxiety. The 35-year-old lawyer is the Baha'i community's representative for human rights and government relations in Germany. He says the number of Baha'is behind bars in Iran has increased in recent months. This is not the only thing that worries Noltenius. Community representatives report that many of the prisoners are being harassed. At least two Baha'is have been subjected to "fake" executions in prison. "What does that mean? They put them on a chair, put a noose around their necks and make them think they are going to be executed", the human rights activist explains.
"We expect the worst"
The lawyer believes that an escalation in the persecution of Baha'is can be expected. "We must expect the worst", he says. According to him, it is possible that it will even lead to executions - for the first time since the early 1990s. Noltenius is in contact with representatives of the authorities in Germany, who assure him that they will continue to advocate for the rights of Baha'is in Iran.
Thomas Rahel is the chairman of the German government's Commission for Religious Freedom. He condemns the violation of the Baha'i's right to practice their religion. "Around 300,000 Baha'is live in Iran and are systematically discriminated against, marginalized and repressed", he told DW. For years, this community has been subjected to economic, social and political discrimination. For example, Baha'is are denied the right to register their own businesses, and the same applies even to people who maintain contact with someone from the community.
The Baha'i faith is professed by about six million people worldwide and representatives of the community live in about 200 countries. However, the largest community remains in Iran. After the Islamic Revolution, the religious community was declared illegal in 1983. Currently, the religious center of the Baha'i is located in the Israeli city of Haifa. There is a large Baha'i administrative unit there, which provides up-to-date information on the situation of Baha'is in Iran and coordinates activities worldwide.
"These people must not be forgotten"
Atosha Najafi's fate is typical: many young Iranians come to Europe to study, and their families in Iran are under pressure. Najafi wants to inform people in Germany about what is happening: "Many people in Germany have no idea what is happening to the Baha'i community in Iran," she says.
"These people must not be forgotten," says Noltenius. Political support for Baha'is currently imprisoned in Iran is intended to draw attention to the problem - because many are threatened with the death penalty. The Iranian authorities' accusations are linked to protests in early 2026. However, no evidence has been presented so far.
For Atosa Najafi, this is all very real. She thinks about her brother Parsa. She doesn't know where he is, whether he is receiving medical attention, or whether he is being harassed. Any information could bring clarity or even more fear. "We just don't know what is happening to my brother," she says. "And this uncertainty is the worst."