Repression of Religious Minorities in Iran; Baha'i Citizen Ardeshir Fanaian Returned to Prison Just One Day After Marriage

Ardeshir Fanaian, a imprisoned Baha'i citizen, was returned to prison one day after his marriage due to failure to extend his leave.

Mr. Fanaian, who had been imprisoned for a long time, was finally released on August 13. On August 17, he married Golrokh Firouzian, a Baha’i citizen. Ms. Firouzian had also previously been sentenced to six months in prison for her belief in the Baha’i faith.

A source close to Ardeshir Fanaian told VOA that Mr. Fanaian applied for an extension of his leave on August 19, but prison authorities did not approve his leave.

Ardeshir Fanaian was arrested in Semnan on May 3, 2019, along with two other Baha’i citizens, Yalda Firouzian and Behnam Eskandarian. The three were initially sentenced to a total of 20 years in prison by Branch 1 of the Semnan Islamic Revolutionary Court, headed by Mohammad Ali Rostami, which was reduced to 12 years by the Semnan Court of Appeals.

Ardeshir Fanaian has also been sentenced to a one-year ban from being in Semnan province and a one-year exile to Khash County in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, and Yalda Firouzian and Behnam Eskandarian have also been sentenced to a two-year ban from being in Semnan province.

The source close to Mr. Fanaian, who did not want to be named due to security concerns, told VOA that Mr. Fanaian’s five-day leave was granted after a long request. He said Ardeshir Fanaian’s family had repeatedly requested his leave from judicial authorities, especially in prisons, since the outbreak of the coronavirus. Judge Mohammadi, the head of the Semnan prison’s execution, had repeatedly opposed the prisoner’s leave, saying that he “would be better and safer in prison.”

According to this informed source, the judge also once again stated that the Semnan Intelligence Department did not agree with granting Ardeshir Fanaian leave.

The source says that finally, on Thursday, August 13, it was agreed that Mr. Fanaian would be granted five days' leave.

Prison sentence for religious activities

According to the citations available in the trial and appeal courts, Mr. Fanaian has been accused of “complicity in the formation and management of an illegal group within the country with the aim of disrupting the country’s security” and “participating in actions against the Islamic Republic of Iran in favor of groups opposed to the regime.” Yalda Firouzian and Behnam Eskandarian have also been charged with “participating in actions against the Islamic Republic of Iran in favor of groups opposed to the regime” and “membership in an illegal group with the aim of disrupting internal security.” This is despite the fact that these three individuals objected to the court’s citations.

A source close to Mr. Fanaian told VOA that the court cited religious meetings, religious book reading, counseling sessions, and educational and art classes as the basis for charging the three individuals. The three individuals do not consider their actions to be criminal, and the appeals court ruling even states that the three individuals have not admitted to the charges.

The Islamic Republic of Iran does not recognize the Baha'i faith as an official religion and has had dealings with followers of this faith since the beginning of the revolution, including imprisonment, prohibition of business, and even execution.

This is not the first time that Mr. Fanaian has been arrested and sentenced to prison for his belief in the Baha’i faith. This Baha’i citizen was arrested by security forces in late 2011 and was later sentenced to eight months in prison. He was released from prison in 2013 after serving six months of his sentence.

This informed person told Mr. Fanaian to VOA: "Ardeshir was arrested and sentenced to prison while he had no activity, and his family is demanding justice. But unfortunately, the laws governing the Islamic Republic are such that even Muslims are dissatisfied with these laws and the judiciary."

It should be noted that the mother and father of this Baha'i citizen were sentenced to a total of 9 years in prison in the 1960s, both of whom served their sentences first in Semnan Central Prison and then in Evin Prison, and Ardeshir Fanaian was born in Semnan Prison in December 2018.

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.”