In homes and community centers around the country, Baha’is are holding memorials for Iranian Baha'i Dhabihu'llah Mahrami, 59, who died Dec. 15 in a prison cell in Yazd, Iran, where he had been held for 10 years solely for his religious beliefs.

Mr. Mahrami, who died of causes that are not clear, was designated a martyr by the Universal House of Justice, the international governing body of the Baha'i Faith, because he suffered years of imprisonment and hard labor for refusing to renounce his religion.

Dhabihu'llah MahramiSince 1978, more than 200 Iranian Baha'is have been killed, hundreds more have been imprisoned and thousands have been deprived of jobs, pensions and education as part of the systemic religious persecution by the Iranian government.

A national memorial service held Jan. 5 at the North American Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette, Ill., was attended by more than 200 Baha’is from the Chicago area.

Glen Fullmer, a Bahá'í spokesman, reflected on the history and significance of the persecution of the Baha’is in Iran and the station of martyrdom in the Baha'i Faith.

“By all accounts, Mr. Mahrami, a person of a simple and humble disposition, accepted his lot with unflinching steadfastness,” Mr. Fullmer said, “although he was repeatedly offered his freedom if only he would sign a document stating that he was a Muslim.”

Marjan Davoudi, an Iranian Baha'i now living in the United States, told those gathered that martyrs such as her father, who disappeared in Iran and is presumed dead, serve the main principle of the Baha'i Faith: love for humanity.

Mahrami's wrongful imprisonment and death has produced a global outcry. The U.S. government has issued a formal statement protesting the Iranian government's treatment of Mahrami.

Amnesty International has written to the head of Iran’s Judiciary to express concern at continuing abuses committed against the country’s Baha’i community and has called for a thorough and impartial investigation into the cause and circumstances of his death.

Mr. Mahrami’s death comes amid ominous signs that a fresh wave of persecution against the Baha’is in Iran has begun. In 2005, nearly 60 Baha’is were arrested, detained or imprisoned, a sharp increase from recent years.

In the last year, several significant Baha’i holy places have been razed, and an apparent opening on the part of the authorities to allow Baha'i students to take the university entrance examinations was revealed to be a cynical ploy to entice young Baha’is to deny their faith in exchange for access to higher education.