Conviction of a Bahai Citizen Residing in Babol to One Year Imprisonment
The defense lawyer of Shiva Khalili, a Bahai citizen in Iran, announced the conviction of her client to imprisonment through a post on Twitter.
Mohammad Hadi Erfaniyan Kasb, the defense lawyer of this Bahai citizen, posted on his Twitter account on Saturday, December 17th, stating that Shiva Khalili has been convicted by the First Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Babol on charges of “propaganda against the system” to one year imprisonment and confiscation of her mobile phone as “instruments of crime.”
He further stated that the issued verdict is not final and he will file an appeal within the legal timeframe.
موکلم خانم شیوا خلیلی توسط شعبه اول دادگاه انقلاب شهرستان بابل به اتهام تبلیغ علیه نظام و به استناد ماده ۵۰۰ قانون مجازات به یکسال حبس و ضبط تلفن همراه بعنوان آلات جرم محکوم گردیدند که در مهلت مقرر قانونی نسبت به آن درخواست تجدیدنظر خواهد شد
According to reports from some human rights media outlets, Shiva Khalili was arrested on Tuesday, November 16th following a phone summons to the First Branch of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecution Office of this city, and was temporarily released the next day after posting bail, pending the completion of legal proceedings.
Earlier, Farhad Sabetan, spokesperson for the Bahai World Community, told Voice of America that the Islamic Republic has not provided any specific reason for the suppression and harassment of Bahai citizens in Iran to date.
He emphasized: “The accusations that are always leveled against Bahai citizens are baseless accusations rejected by the Bahai community, such as accusations of national security breaches, espionage, or unlawful gatherings.”
