Three Baha’i Citizens Sentenced to Total of 12 Years in Prison at Appeals Court

An appeals court issued rulings against Yalda Firouzian, Ardeshir Fanaiyan, and Behnam Eskandarian, Baha’i citizens residing in Semnan.

The Campaign to Defend Political and Civil Prisoners announced on Wednesday, December 17, that the prison sentences of these three Baha’i citizens, who had previously been sentenced to a total of 20 years in prison by Branch 1 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Semnan Province under the presidency of Mohammad Ali Rostami, were reduced to 12 years at the Semnan Appeals Court.

Based on the ruling issued and communicated to these citizens on Monday, December 15, Ardeshir Fanaiyan was sentenced to six years in prison, Behnam Eskandarian to three and a half years, and Yalda Firouzian to two and a half years.

Previously, an informed source told Voice of America that these three imprisoned Baha’i citizens in Semnan had not violated any laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran and were arrested solely because of their religious beliefs, and none of them were granted basic prisoners’ rights at the time of their arrest.

Based on available information, Ardeshir Fanaiyan’s case concerns charges of “organizing and managing an illegal group within the country with the aim of threatening national security” and “participation in actions against the Islamic Republic of Iran’s system in favor of opposition groups,” while the cases of Yalda Firouzian and Behnam Eskandarian each concern charges of “participation in actions against the Islamic Republic of Iran’s system in favor of opposition groups” and “membership in an illegal group aimed at threatening domestic security” at both the primary and appellate courts.

The Islamic Republic’s treatment of Baha’i citizens has a long history, and this is not the first time that Baha’i citizens have been arrested solely for believing in the Baha’i faith and sentenced to lengthy prison terms.

Recently, representatives of 33 countries, including the United States, on Friday, November 8, at the periodic review session of the human rights situation in Iran, criticized violations of the rights of ethnic and religious minorities, including Baha’i citizens in Iran, and called on the Iranian government to respect their rights.

International human rights organizations and the United States government have repeatedly condemned harassment, imprisonment, and persecution of followers of religious minorities in Iran.

Javaid Rehman, Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran for the United Nations, stated in August of this year in his second report on human rights conditions in Iran that while the Islamic Republic no longer executes Baha’is solely because of their religious beliefs, the danger of harassment, arrest, and imprisonment remains constant, and since August 2005, more than 1,168 Baha’is have been arrested and faced vague and ambiguous charges.

Source: Voice of America