16-Year Prison Sentence for Baha’i Citizen, Escalating Repression of Religious Minorities and Critics
The issuance of a heavy prison sentence for “Moein Mohammadi-Dehaj,” a Baha’i citizen residing in Yazd, has once again drawn attention to the Islamic Republic’s four-decade track record of suppressing religious minorities; a policy that has targeted Baha’is, Christians, Gonabadi Dervishes, Sunnis, journalists, and civil activists with security charges and severe sentences.
Moein Mohammadi-Dehaj, a 39-year-old Baha’i citizen residing in Yazd, has been sentenced by the first branch of the Revolutionary Court of the city to a total of 16 years, 7 months, and 18 days of imprisonment, deprivation of social rights, and permanent dismissal from state services; a verdict that has once again heightened concerns about the continuation of judicial and security pressures against religious minorities in Iran.
According to published information, if this verdict is confirmed in the appeals process and by the Supreme Court, in accordance with Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, the harsher punishment of 12 years, 6 months, and one day of imprisonment would be enforceable against him.
In the issued verdict, charges including “espionage and cooperation with the Zionist regime and hostile countries,” “deviant propagandistic activities contrary to the sacred Islamic law,” and “propaganda against the system” were leveled against this Baha’i citizen. However, his relatives and human rights activists say that some of the court’s justifications do not align with the documented realities of the case. Among other things, the court’s verdict claimed that he had encouraged people to engage in violent acts during past protests, while according to existing records, Mohammadi-Dehaj was serving his sentence and imprisoned during the nationwide protests of 2019 and 2022.
Moein Mohammadi-Dehaj was arrested on December 6, 2025, following a raid on his home by security forces, and officers confiscated his personal belongings during the search of the house. After more than two months of detention, he was temporarily released on March 17, 2026, by posting bail, but subsequently, the bail amount was increased to five billion tomans; a sum that imposed heavy financial pressure on his family.
The case of this Baha’i citizen has resulted in such a verdict at a time when human rights organizations have long warned about the Islamic Republic’s discriminatory treatment of followers of the Baha’i faith. Baha’is in Iran are deprived of the right to university education, employment in many government positions, and the full freedom to perform religious practices, and many of them face arrest, trial, and imprisonment solely because of their religious beliefs.
These pressures are not limited to the Baha’i community. Over the past four decades, Christians, particularly converts and members of house churches, have also been continuously targeted with arrest, interrogation, heavy sentences, and deprivation of civil rights.
The Islamic Republic’s security bodies have repeatedly criminalized the purely religious activities of Christians by leveling charges such as “actions against national security,” “propaganda against the system,” or “formation of an illegal group.” International organizations defending freedom of religion and belief have repeatedly emphasized that this process constitutes a flagrant violation of the right to freedom of religion and belief.
Alongside Christians, Gonabadi Dervishes, Sunnis, Yarsan followers, civil activists, journalists, writers, and independent lawyers have also repeatedly faced similar security charges in recent years. Critics of the Islamic Republic believe that the repeated use of these charges is part of the government’s long-standing policy to silence independent voices and create an atmosphere of fear and self-censorship in society.
