Prison Sentences of Two More Christian Believers in Iran Carried Out

Human rights groups reported on Wednesday that with the rejection of a retrial request, the prison sentences of two Christian believers in Iran—issued solely on the basis of their religious beliefs—have been carried out.

According to the Hrana news agency, Hadi Rahimi has been sentenced to four years in prison and Sakineh Bahjati to two years in prison. Of these, Mr. Rahimi has been serving his sentence in Evin Prison since last month.

The report states that Ms. Bahjati was summoned to serve her two-year sentence following a decision by Branch 9 of the Supreme Court to reject her retrial request.

These two Christian believers were sentenced in August 2020 by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court on charges including “membership in a group or organization with the aim of undermining national security.”

The issue of continued harassment of religious communities in Iran, including the Christian community, has been extensively reflected in reports by Javaid Rehman, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran.

Recently, an annual report on the status of the Christian community in Iran was released, indicating the continuation of “widespread violations” of their rights in the country despite “denial” by Islamic Republic authorities.

Source: Radio Farda