Sakina Behjati, Christian Believer, Summoned for Execution of Prison Sentence
Sakina Behjati, a Christian believer, has been summoned through a notification to Branch 1 of the Criminal Sentence Enforcement Unit of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office in District 33 of Tehran for the execution of a prison sentence. Ms. Behjati was sentenced to two years imprisonment by the court in Mordad 1399 (August 2020).
According to Hrana news agency, the news organ of the Human Rights Activists Network in Iran, Sakina Behjati, a Christian believer, has been summoned through a notification to the Criminal Sentence Enforcement Unit of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office of Tehran for the execution of her sentence.
Based on this notification, which was issued on 10 Bahman (December 30, 2020) by Branch 1 of the Criminal Sentence Enforcement Unit of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office in District 33 of Tehran, Ms. Behjati has been requested to appear at this branch within 30 days from the date of notification.
According to Iman Soleimani, Ms. Behjati’s defense lawyer, the summoning of this Christian believer for the execution of her two-year prison sentence is based on charges of “actions against national security through establishing a house church and propaganda against the system through evangelical Christian preaching.”
Sakina Behjati was previously, along with three other Christian believers in Bahman 1397 (November-December 2018), interrogated following the presence of security agents at her residence on charges of “propaganda against the system and society and conspiracy against national security.” After confiscating her personal belongings and documents, she was told that she would be summoned to court soon.
Ms. Behjati was summoned in Ordibehesht 1399 (April-May 2020) through a telephone call to Branch 10 of the Revolutionary Court in Rasht, and after the charges were read to her, a bail of 500 million tomans was set. On 25 Ordibehesht (May 15, 2020), due to financial inability to pay the bail, she was transferred to Lakan Prison in Rasht and on 31 Ordibehesht (May 21, 2020), with the bail reduced to 200 million tomans, she was temporarily released from prison pending the completion of legal proceedings.
Sakina Behjati was finally sentenced in Mordad 1399 (August 2020) by the court to two years imprisonment.
It should be noted that although Christians are officially recognized as a religious minority under law, security agencies treat the conversion of Muslims to Christianity with particular sensitivity and conduct coercive measures against activists in this field.
The treatment of Christian believers in Iran occurs while according to Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and to change religion or belief, as well as the freedom to manifest that opinion individually or collectively, publicly or privately.
Source: Hrana
