The six men and women arrested are members of the national coordinating group of Baha’i in Iran. According to the Baha’i International Community (BIC), the arrests took place during a early morning raid on the residences of the persons concerned. Out of the six members, three of them have been previously arrested and were released after periods of detention ranging from five days to four months. Those arrested on 14 May 2008 are: Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm.
The seventh member of the national coordinating group, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet had been arrested in Mashhad in March 2008, after being summoned by the Ministry of Intelligence office.
The national-level coordinating group is an informal organ that was formed with the knowledge of the government to assist 300,000-member Baha’i community in Iran.
FIDH and LDDHI strongly urge the Islamic Republic of Iran to immediately release the seven members of the Baha’i community, to stop persecution of the minority communities in Iran and to respect international human rights standards, in particular the freedom of religion and belief as guaranteed by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).