Ruhollah Zibiyeh, a Baha'i citizen, was arrested and sentenced to prison.

Ruhollah Zibiyeh, a Baha'i citizen, was arrested this morning, Tuesday, December 1, by security agents at his home in Baghestan, Karaj, and transferred to prison to serve his sentence. Mr. Zabiyeh was sentenced to 1 year of imprisonment by Branch 1 of the Karaj Revolutionary Court in December 2019, and this sentence was confirmed in full during the appeal stage. Mr. Zabiyeh is being detained to serve his sentence in a situation where he must be under constant medical treatment and supervision due to the presence of shrapnel from the Iran-Iraq War in his body, the amputation of one of his legs, the loss of one kidney, the loss of one eardrum, severe pulmonary embolism, and blockage of two coronary arteries. On the other hand, if he contracts COVID-19 in prison, his life will be at risk.

According to HRANA News Agency, the news agency of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, at 7:30 am today, Tuesday, December 1, 2020, Ruhollah Zibiyeh, a Baha'i citizen, was arrested at his home in Baghestan, Karaj, to serve his sentence.

Mr. Zabiyeh's detention to serve his sentence is in a situation where he is in an inadequate physical condition due to the presence of shrapnel from the Iran-Iraq war in his body, the amputation of one of his legs, the loss of a kidney, the loss of an eardrum, severe pulmonary embolism, and blockage of two heart arteries. He must be under constant medical treatment and care due to the open wound on his lost leg. On the other hand, if he contracts COVID-19 in prison, his life will be at risk.

On August 3, 2019, security forces arrested Ruhollah Zabiyeh at his home in Baghestan, Karaj, and transferred him to a solitary confinement cell in Ward 8 of Rajai Shahr Prison, Karaj, known as the IRGC Intelligence Detention Center. After the arrest, the officers searched his home and confiscated his cell phone and personal computer, taking them away. He was finally released on bail in September 2019, after the interrogation process was completed.

The trial of Mr. Zabiyeh and his three co-defendants was held on January 18, 2019, without the presence of their chosen lawyers, in Branch 1 of the Karaj Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Asef Al-Husseini. Mr. Zabiyeh was sentenced to one year in prison in this case on charges of “propaganda against the regime in favor of the errant Baha’i sect.” This sentence was ultimately confirmed by the Alborz Provincial Court of Appeal in May of this year.

A source familiar with the condition of this Baha'i citizen previously told HRANA about the condition of Ruhollah Zibaei: "Mr. Zibaei has 381 stitches in his body, is missing his left leg below the knee, is missing a kidney, and has a broken shoulder blade that is damaged and has weakened nerves and is practically useless. His right leg has no skin. As a result of injuries sustained in the accident, blood clots entered his lungs and he developed pulmonary embolism; and he has difficulty breathing. He is under medical care. He spent 16 months of his service on the southern front during the Iran-Iraq war, where he was wounded three times in Dehlaviyeh, Susangerd, and Ahvaz, and lost one of his eardrums due to an explosion. However, because he is a Baha'i, he was not covered by the Martyrs and Veterans Foundation." "With this physical condition and disability, he was only active on WhatsApp and Telegram networks among his Baha'i friends and was detained in solitary confinement for a month on charges of propaganda against the regime. During this time, he was deprived of lunch and dinner due to the poor quality of the prison food. Now he has been sentenced to one year in prison. He is the father of two daughters, Roya and Rooha, who were arrested by security agents in 2011 for holding a religious prayer meeting in their home. They were released some time later and were eventually forced to leave the country due to losing their jobs (as a plumber at work) and security concerns."

This summer, Mr. Zibiyeh faced a new case in the Second Branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Karaj.

It is worth noting that Ruhollah Ziba's home was previously searched and his personal belongings confiscated by security forces in January 2020, and he himself was also summoned.

Baha'i citizens in Iran are deprived of freedoms related to religious beliefs. This systematic deprivation occurs despite the fact that, according to Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, everyone has the right to freedom of religion and to change their religion with conviction, as well as the freedom to manifest it, either individually or in community with others and in public or in private.

Source: HRANA