Four-Year Prison Sentence for Four Bahai Citizens Upheld by Appeals Court
According to the Iran Human Rights website and available information, the one-year prison sentence for each of these four Bahai citizens, which was previously issued by Branch 1 of the Alborz Revolutionary Court on charges of “propagandistic activity against the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran and in favor of Bahaism,” has been upheld by the Alborz Provincial Court of Appeals.
It is worth noting that the issued sentence was announced to these Bahai citizens in the appeals court on Tuesday, the 9th of Ordibehesht, in their presence.
Previously, Voice of America reported that Rouhollah Zibaii and Abolfazal Ansari, two Bahai citizens residing in Karaj, were arrested by security forces in their private residences on Saturday, the 12th of Mordad.
On the other hand, Rovin Kahnsaal was also arrested in mid-Mordad in his private residence and transferred to Rajaei Shahr Prison in Karaj. On the 12th of Shahrivar, he was temporarily released from prison upon posting bail until the completion of legal proceedings.
The treatment of Bahai citizens by the Islamic Republic has a long history, and this is not the first time that Bahai citizens have been arrested solely because of their beliefs or sentenced to judicial rulings. However, these prison sentences for these citizens are being issued and upheld at a time when the coronavirus has spread in Iran’s prisons and the Iranian government authorities have prevented the release or granting of leave to some political and civil prisoners.
Previously, Javaid Rahman, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, had asked Tehran to temporarily release all prisoners. He had previously stated that continuing to hold political prisoners amid the spread of coronavirus is “regrettable and concerning.”
International human rights organizations and the United States government have repeatedly condemned the harassment and imprisonment of followers of religious minorities in Iran.
Source: Voice of America
