On May 21, 2011, in the cities of Tehran, Karaj, Isfahan, and Shiraz, a series of coordinated police raids targeted the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education, leading to the arrest of 30 Baha’is. The institute is a community-led organization founded in 1987 as a nonviolent response to Iran’s “Moral Selection Regulations for University Entrance Applicants,” which state that matriculating university students must profess faith in “Islam or other recognized religions (that is, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism).” Baha’i is regarded by the Iranian government as an illegal cult. The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has condemned the arrests as a blatant suppression of the Baha’i community by blocking its access to sufficient education.

At a trial in October 2011, seven people connected to the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education were sentenced with prison time following the coordinated attacks on the institute. Those sentenced include Kamran Mortezaie and Vahid Mahmoudi, who each were sentenced to five years, and Ramin Zibaie, Mahmoud Badavam, Farhad Sedghi, Riaz Sobhani, and Noushin Khadem, who each received four years. Their connections to the institute range from serving as administrators and faculty to providing financial assistance.

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