The time and branch of the court to hear the charges against four Baha'i citizens have been set.
HRANA News Agency – The court hearing to investigate the charges against Shadi Shahidzadeh, Mansour Amini, Valiollah Ghadmian, and Ataollah Zafar, Baha’i citizens, will be held on Wednesday, June 1, in Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari.
According to HRANA News Agency, the news agency of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, the time and branch of the court to hear the charges against four detained Baha'i citizens have been determined.
According to a notice recently issued by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, headed by Judge Iman Afshari, and served on Shadi Shahidzadeh, Mansour Amini, Valiollah Ghadmian, and Ataollah Zafar, these Baha'i citizens have been asked to appear before this branch on Wednesday, June 10, to defend themselves against the charge of "membership in an illegal Baha'i organization."
An informed source told HRANA in this regard: “Despite repeated follow-ups and requests from the families of these individuals to set bail for the temporary release of their loved ones, judicial authorities have opposed this, and these citizens continue to be detained in Evin Prison.”
Shadi Shahidzadeh, Mansour Amini, Valiollah Ghadmian, and Ataollah Zafar were arrested by security forces on May 11 of this year and then transferred to the Ministry of Intelligence's detention center, known as Ward 209, in Evin Prison.
In late May 2023, HRANA reported on the continued detention and uncertainty of these citizens in Ward 209 of Evin Prison.
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.
According to unofficial sources, there are more than 300,000 Baha'i citizens in Iran, but the Iranian constitution only recognizes Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism, and does not recognize the Baha'i religion. For this reason, the rights of Baha'is in Iran have been systematically violated over the past years.
Source: Herna
