Iran's communications blackout leaves family in Australia in the dark
Armin Awan in Sydney is worried about his cousin in Iran. (Supplied)
In short:
Iranian Australians with family members in Iran have told the ABC they are concerned for their loved ones, with internet and phone blackouts making it near-impossible to stay in contact.
There are also fears that if the regime survives the conflict, minority groups could face more persecution as misplaced punishment for the war.
A Baha'i spokesperson says even before the war, there had been an increase in "arbitrary arrests, imprisonments, home raids and even forced confessions" against the community.
Like most Iranian Australians, Armin Awan is not sleeping much at night.
The Sydney resident is worried for his cousin in Iran, Anisa Fanaeian, a mother-of-two who is due to serve an eight-year sentence for crimes Mr Awan said she did not commit.
She was arrested by Islamic Republic security forces in 2023 and later sentenced on national security and propaganda charges, which her family said did not align with who she is.
Mr Awan said the charges against his cousin were "unjustified" and were being made because she was a Baha'i.
The Baha'is are Iran's largest non-Muslim religious minority, and a group that has been persecuted since the 1979 revolution.
Anisa Fanaeian was charged for crimes her family says she did not commit and they fear for her safety. (Supplied)
Mr Awan said before her arrest, Ms Fanaeian had been volunteering in poor neighbourhoods of Iran, helping to teach literacy to Afghan refugees as well as driving children to school.
Afterwards, according to Mr Awan, Ms Fanaeian was arrested and accused of trying to brainwash or convert the Afghans into Baha'is.
In December 2024, she was sentenced on charges including "forming a group with the intention of disrupting national security" and "propaganda against the regime".
Last year, Ms Fanaeian was released on bail, but her family feared she could be taken back, at any point, to serve out the sentence.
"They're just using these charges as a smokescreen," Mr Awan told ABC News.
"They [the regime] are using the justice system or the judiciary system in Iran as a weapon."
Anisa Fanaeian with her family in happier times. Left to right: Anisa, Setareh (daughter), Siamak (husband), Shakib (son). (Supplied)
Minority groups fear regime
The Islamic Republic had ramped up arrests of Baha'is and subjected them to what their families said were forced confessions.
Australian Baha'i Community spokeswoman Awa Momtazian said after the widespread protests against the regime earlier this year, there had been an increase in "arbitrary arrests, imprisonments, home raids and even forced confessions" against Iran's Baha'i community.
Loading"For the past 47 years … the Baha'i community has faced severe and systematic state persecution at all levels," she told the ABC in February.
"During every period of national crisis, whether social, economic, or political, the Iranian authorities consistently and systematically scapegoat the Baha'is."
Mr Awan also worried that if the regime survived the war, it would try to punish minorities.
"Typically, what happens after a lot of these conflicts … is that usually once the dust settles, that's when they start to bring in the persecutions again," he said.
He broke down at the thought of Ms Fanaeian going to prison again.
He said he was heartbroken reading the last letter she wrote to her children.
"She wrote … 'Sorry I can't be your mummy anymore … I'm so proud of you and everything that you've done.'
"And she said, 'Promise me that when I come out, you'll still be my daughter and my son,'" he said, before breaking down in tears.
Anisa Fanaeian with her family. Left to right: Shakib (son), Siamak (husband), Anisa, Setareh (daughter). (Supplied)
A history of 'scapegoating' Baha'is
Ms Fanaeian was first arrested and imprisoned by the Islamic Republic regime 13 years ago, Mr Awan said.
The charges were unclear, but he also said she was targeted at the time because of her religion.
While Ms Fanaeian was in prison, her uncle, Atalloah Rezvani, a well-known member of the Baha'i community, was shot and killed.
An Iranian court only ruled that his killing was "intentional homicide" 11 years after his death, according to human rights organisation HRNA.
Mr Awan said the perpetrators were never found, and he did not believe regime police tried hard to find them.
"They had no leads, they had nothing," he said.
"The intelligence services, they know every single little thing that often a Baha'i is doing, but then, when it comes to a death of a Baha'i, they have nothing."
Anisa Fanaeian and husband Siamak. (Supplied)
Hope of freedom for Iran's future
Mr Awan feared if Ms Fanaeian was returned to prison, the regime could add charges that led to even more serious punishments, including the death penalty.
"There's no transparency behind how they're reaching these conclusions," he said.
"We all are so concerned [with] what are they going to come up with next."
Armin Awan says his cousin Anisa worked with Afghan children in Iran. (ABC News: Tamara Penniket)
Since the war began, Mr Awan has not been able to reach his cousin.
The regime has imposed near-total internet and phone blackouts since January, and the conflict has made it more difficult to communicate.
He did not comment on the US-Israel strikes, but was hopeful change was coming.
"That we have a situation … in Iran where people can practise their religion freely, that they can be afforded the same human rights that everyone is afforded, regardless of whether they're man or woman or what religion they belong to," he said.
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