Continued repression of religious freedoms in Iran; Prison sentences for two Baha'i citizens in Birjand implemented
The prison sentences of two Baha'i citizens living in Birjand, Arezo Mohammadi and Banafsheh Mokhtari, who were served with sentences by Branch 2 of the Execution of Sentences in early October of this year, have been implemented.
An informed source, who asked not to be named for security reasons, told VOA that Arezo Mohammadi and Banafsheh Mokhtari, along with six other Baha’i citizens, were summoned to Birjand Central Prison on October 27. They were told to report to the prison in 10 days. The two Baha’i citizens were sent to prison on Monday, October 11, to serve a total of 33 months of their sentence.
According to this informed source, this prison sentence has been implemented at a time when Ms. Mokhtari suffers from cervical and lumbar disc disease and had previously submitted her medical file to the Sentence Enforcement Branch, requesting a postponement of the sentence for treatment. However, Birjand judicial authorities rejected her request.
Previously, Voice of America reported that these two Baha'i citizens, along with six other Baha'i citizens, were sentenced to a total of dozens of months in prison by Branch 4 of the South Khorasan Provincial Court of Appeal on September 8, 2019, and were summoned to Birjand Prison to serve the sentence.
The informed source further told VOA that five other Baha'i citizens, Ataullah Malaki, Saeed Malaki, Atiyeh Salehi, Roya Malaki, and Nasrin Ghadiri, have also sent a letter to the enforcement authorities requesting a delay in the execution of their prison sentences due to the spread of the coronavirus, and are currently awaiting a response to their request from the Birjand judicial authorities.
This informed source, noting that "there is no justice and no justice is served in the Islamic Republic," told VOA: "Arzoo Mohammadi and Banafsheh Mokhtari did not want to be indecisive. They believed that this was the path they should take and that it would be better to have their fate determined as soon as possible by going to prison."
Sam Brownback, the US ambassador for international religious freedom, said at a special press conference in Washington on May 15: “Baha’is in Iran, and unfortunately in some other countries around the world, are facing severe persecution.”
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom also expressed concern in its annual report in early May about the state of religious freedom in Iran; part of the report states that the Islamic Republic has increasingly targeted Muslim minorities, especially Sunnis and Dervishes, as well as followers of other religions and denominations, including Baha'is and Christians.
