Prison Sentences Issued and Executed for Three Bahá’í Female Citizens in Iran

Two Bahá’í citizens residing in Kerman, named Kiana Rezavani and Kimia Mostafavi, have been sentenced to a combined twelve years in prison by the Revolutionary Court, and Mitra Badrnezad, a Bahá’í citizen residing in Ahvaz, has been transferred to Sepiddar Prison in Ahvaz to serve her sentence.

According to the Campaign to Defend Political and Civil Prisoners, Kiana Rezavani and Kimia Mostafavi, Bahá’í citizens residing in Kerman, have each been sentenced to six years in prison by the Kerman Revolutionary Court on charges of “membership in the Bahá’í organization” and “propaganda against the system in favor of opposition groups.”

These sentences were issued while, if confirmed, based on Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code regarding the aggregation of sentences, only five years of these sentences would be enforceable for the charge of “membership in the Bahá’í organization.”

These two Bahá’í citizens were arrested by security forces in Kerman in December of the previous year and were later released from Kerman Prison on bail temporarily until the completion of legal proceedings.

On the other hand, Mitra Badrnezad, a Bahá’í citizen residing in Ahvaz, whose previous five-year prison sentence for the charge of “membership in the Bahá’í organization” had been reduced to one year by the Court of Appeals of Khuzestan Province, was transferred to Sepiddar Prison in Ahvaz on Saturday, September 30, to serve her sentence.

Mitra Badrnezad was arrested on March 3, 2018, by officials from the Information Bureau at her private residence in Ahvaz and was released on bail of 200 million tomans approximately three months later in May 2018, temporarily and until the completion of legal proceedings, from Sepiddar Prison in Ahvaz.

Mike Pompeo, former U.S. Secretary of State, recently stated during the release of the annual religious freedom report that the persecution of Bahá’ís, Christians, and other religious and sectarian minorities in Iran remains a matter of grave concern.

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

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