Iran detains seven Baha'i leaders, citing 'Zionist' ties

[oberliner]

Iran has in the past two months arrested seven leaders of Baha'i religion, an offshoot of Islam, citing alleged links to "Zionist agents."

The Baha'i International Community said six of the detainees were members of a committee that tends to the needs of Baha'is in Iran. It said a seventh member, a woman, was detained in March in the eastern city of Mashhad.

A relative of 57-year-old Behrouz Tavakkoli, one of those detained, told Reuters in an e-mail that intelligence agents who came to Tavakkoli's house took Baha'i books, papers and documents, and also other items such as computers and CDs.

Subsequently, the relative said Tavakkoli's wife obtained a reference number for her husband's case from Iran's Revolutionary Court, which handles cases that include issues considered a threat to national security.

http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/985731.html

Link to more information about the Bahai persecution in Iran:

http://www.bahai.org/persecution/iran