Iran arrests 28 over links to religious networks
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Tehran's chief prosecutor says authorities have arrested 28 Iranians for alleged links to foreign-based TV networks advocating the Baha'i religion, which is banned in the Islamic Republic.
A Tuesday report by semi-official Mehr news agency quotes Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi as saying intelligence officers arrested the members of "counterrevolutionary networks" in 10 buildings across the city of Tehran.
The detainees were in close contact with TV networks that advocate the Baha'i faith, Dowlatabadi said.
Baha'i practitioners are frequently prosecuted in Iran, prompting outcry among international human rights groups.
The Iranian government banned the Baha'i religion after 1979, when Islamic clerics came to power. It was founded in the 1860s by Baha'u'llah, a Persian nobleman considered a prophet by the Baha'is. Islam considers Muhammad the final prophet.