More than 20 members of Iran’s Baha’i minority in the central city of Isfahan have had their homes, assets and vehicles confiscated in recent weeks, in some cases being informed only by text message, the Baha’i International Community (BIC) said on Wednesday.
The Geneva-based group said the seizures were carried out under Article 49 of Iran’s constitution, which allows authorities to confiscate wealth obtained through illegal means. The BIC accused authorities of misusing the law “without any evidence, legal process, or transparency” to target citizens solely for their religious beliefs.
“Article 49 was designed to return stolen property to its rightful owners, not to plunder the possessions of citizens and deprive families of their homes and livelihoods,” said Simin Fahandej, the BIC’s representative in Geneva.
“What we are witnessing is effectively state-organized theft – confiscation by text message. This action is discriminatory, completely illegal, and aimed at impoverishing a religious minority simply because of their belief.”
The BIC said affected families have faced blocked bank accounts, frozen business transactions, and restrictions on selling or transferring property. In some cases, it said, court files were not recorded in Iran’s official judicial notification system, preventing defendants and their lawyers from reviewing them.
The confiscations were ordered by special courts operating under Article 49, which the BIC said are a branch of the Revolutionary Court overseen by the Executive Headquarters of Imam’s Directive (Setad), a state-controlled conglomerate under the authority of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The BIC said the measures in Isfahan follow a long-running pattern of property seizures against Baha’is since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, alongside other restrictions including denial of access to higher education, bans on certain jobs, and interference with religious burial sites.
According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), the Baha’i community in Iran has faced systematic repression over the past five years, including the arrest of at least 284 people and more than 1,495 years in combined prison sentences.
HRANA said Baha’is account for an average of 72% of all recorded violations against religious minorities in Iran over the past three years.
Iran’s constitution recognizes Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism as official religions, but not the Baha’i faith, which emerged in 19th century Iran. Islamic Republic authorities consider it a “cult” and have accused its followers of links to foreign powers, charges the Baha’is deny.
