11 years in prison and confiscation of personal property, court sentences Baha'i citizen
The sister of Yekta Fahandjsaadi says that Judge Mohammad Mojtaba Rudijani sentenced her to 11 years in prison and also to confiscate her personal assets in favor of the government.
Yekta Fahandjsaadi, a Baha'i citizen living in Shiraz, first spent 82 days in the Shiraz Ministry of Intelligence detention center in 2011 on charges of propaganda against the regime and acting against national security, and was acquitted of the charges in court.
In 2013, he was detained for 52 days on the same charges and was sentenced to five years in prison by the first-instance court, which was reduced to two years of penal servitude and three years of suspended sentence by the appeals court.
After serving 74 days of his sentence in Adelabad Prison, he was temporarily released after the Supreme Court overturned the sentence and reexamined the case. In a court ruling by Judge Mohammad Mojtaba Rudijani, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison and the confiscation of his personal property in favor of the government.
"Mena Fahandjsaadi," the sister of "Yekta Fahandjsaadi," said in an interview with Voice of America on Wednesday, December 19: "She was arrested again by the intelligence ministry's agents in July 2016 on the same charges and subjected to severe mental torture for 81 days. This case is currently being reviewed by the Shiraz Revolutionary Court."
On October 19, 2017, officers raided the private home of Yekta Fahandej Saadi, searched her home, and confiscated all of her personal belongings.
According to "Mena Fahandjsaadi," the 11-year prison sentence was issued while Ms. Fahandjsaadi and her lawyers were unaware of the trial and were not present at the court session. The sentence has not yet been implemented and they can appeal it within 20 days.
Ms. Fahandej says it is not fair to serve even one day of this sentence.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has considered religious freedom to be one of the pillars of democratic societies and has called Iran an example of violating the rights of religious minorities.
Source: Voice of America
