Continued repression of religious minorities in Iran | A Baha'i citizen was sentenced to 11 years in prison
Continuing the repression of Baha'i citizens in Iran, Ali Ahmadi, a Baha'i citizen living in Qaemshahr, was sentenced to 11 years in prison by the Revolutionary Court.
According to the Campaign for the Defense of Political and Civil Prisoners, this Baha'i citizen was sentenced to 11 years in prison by the Qaemshahr Revolutionary Court on the charge of "propaganda against the system," and the verdict was communicated to him on Monday, November 1.
According to this report, Mr. Ahmadi was arrested by security forces at his home in late November 2018 and was temporarily released on Wednesday, January 2, 2018, after posting bail of 150 million Tomans pending the completion of the proceedings.
The Islamic Republic's treatment of Baha'i citizens has a long history, and this is not the first time that a Baha'i citizen has been arrested and sentenced to judicial sentences such as long prison terms simply for believing in the Baha'i faith.
Previously, Ardeshir Fanaian, Yalda Firouzian, and Behnam Eskandarian, Baha'i citizens living in Semnan, who were arrested by security forces on Tuesday, May 1, 2019, were sentenced to a total of 20 years in prison by Branch 1 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Semnan City, headed by Mohammad Ali Rostami, about six months after their arrest.
Recently, on Friday, November 8, representatives of 33 countries, including the United States, criticized the violation of the rights of ethnic and religious minorities, including Baha'i citizens, in a periodic meeting to review the human rights situation in Iran, and called on the Iranian government to respect their rights.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said during the unveiling of the annual Religious Freedom Report that the repression of Baha'is, Christians, and other religious and religious minorities in Iran continues to be a cause for serious concern.
International human rights organizations and the United States government have repeatedly condemned the persecution and imprisonment of followers of religious minorities in Iran.
Source: Voice of America
