NEW YORK — A dramatic intensification of persecution of Baha'is in the Iranian city of Semnan has been described as "distinctive and alarming" by the Baha'i International Community.

Dozens of attacks since 2009 against a large number of Semnan's Baha'is have been carried out by officials, semi-official groups, and plainclothes agents. At least 30 Baha'is have been arrested, with several now serving long prison sentences; homes and shops have been targeted by arsonists; and numerous Baha'i-owned businesses have been shut down by authorities.

Baha'is in the city are also facing ongoing harassment, marked by the close and constant surveillance of state security agencies, hate speech from clerics, abuse directed against Baha'i children, and vandalism of the Baha'i cemetery.

"It seems that in Semnan the Iranian authorities are oppressing the Baha'is with a particular intensity by mobilizing and coordinating official and semi-official elements," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.

"These include various government offices and departments, the police, the courts, local officials, and the clergy."