Two more Baha'is sentenced to prison in Iran

News from Iran indicates that two other Baha'is have been sentenced to prison. Among the charges they face are "paying the tuition of an Afghan citizen" and writing the following sentence: "The people of this region need education."

According to the HRANA news agency, on Thursday, February 2, Sophia Mobini and Negin Tadzey were each sentenced to five years in prison by the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Mohammad Reza Amouzad, on charges of "acting against the security of the country through the administration of the Baha'i organization and the promotion of teachings."

These two Baha'is were arrested by intelligence officers on November 25, 2017, during the ceremony marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of Baha'u'llah, the prophet of the Baha'i faith, but were temporarily released after posting bail.

Sophia Mobini and Negin Tadziy were sentenced to 10 and 5 years respectively in a lower court presided over by Judge Moghiseh on charges of "membership in an illegal Baha'i group with the aim of disrupting the country's security."

The ruling issued by Judge Moqiseh listed the charges against these citizens as "paying for the tuition of an Afghan citizen's language class, providing behavioral, sexual, and economic psychological counseling, and writing in a personal notebook that "the people of this region need education."

The Islamic Republic of Iran does not recognize the Baha'i faith, and Iranian authorities have repeatedly called Baha'is "spies and enemies" and have issued death sentences, arrests, imprisonment, and deprivation of education and business opportunities against them.

Human rights defenders and international organizations consistently point to widespread arrests and heavy sentences against Baha'i citizens, calling the Iranian government's behavior a "systematic violation" of their rights and a violation of human rights.

Source: Radio Farda