Repression of religious minorities in Iran; A citizen was sentenced to 7 years in prison for being a Baha'i and sending an opinion to the Voice of America
Farid Zirgi Moghadam, a Baha'i citizen living in Birjand, has been sentenced to a total of seven years in prison in two separate cases, and it is said that one of his charges was sending his opinion regarding religious minorities in the form of an audio file to the Voice of America.
An informed source told VOA on Monday, September 25, that this Baha'i citizen living in Birjand, who was arrested by security forces in late August of last year, was sentenced to six years in prison by Branch 1 of the Birjand Revolutionary Court, headed by Judge Jafar Islamkhah, on charges such as "membership in a Baha'i organization" and "propaganda against the regime," and to one year in prison by Branch 102 of the Birjand Two-County Criminal Court on charges of "insulting sacred places."
The informed source, who asked not to be named for security reasons, told VOA that the prison sentences for Mr. Zirgi Moghadam came despite the fact that he was not allowed access to a lawyer during the trial process, and after he was granted access to a lawyer, the judge in the Birjand Revolutionary Court did not allow the Baha’i citizen’s lawyer to defend his client. It should be noted that he was also not allowed access to a lawyer during the trial process at the Birjand Criminal Court.
According to this informed source, the sentences issued against Mr. Zirgi Moghadam were due to a report by the South Khorasan Provincial Intelligence Department, which deemed him worthy of punishment due to his membership in several Baha'i and human rights channels.
According to this informed source, one of the examples of Farid Zirgi-Moghadam's accusation of propaganda against the regime was his sending an audio file of his opinion to the Voice of America online program regarding religious minorities. His interrogator at the time of his arrest considered expressing his opinion and sending it to Voice of America as an example of communication "with people outside the country and hostile media."
This claim comes at a time when the Voice of America, as a media outlet, is asking its audience in Iran to send in stories about various economic, political, and social issues for reflection to the Voice of America so that it can be broadcast to others through this medium.
According to available information, Farid Zirgi Moghadam was arrested by security forces in Birjand on August 3, 2019, and after 34 days of detention, he was temporarily released from Birjand Public Detention Center after posting a bail of 150 million Tomans until the end of the trial.
The informed person also told VOA: "Farid Zirgi Moghadam, who is now 25 years old, has been sentenced to prison while his family members are disabled due to their physical problems. He is responsible for all family affairs, and if this Baha'i citizen is to be transferred to prison to serve the sentence, the pillar of his family will be paralyzed."
This is not the first time a citizen has faced prison sentences for communicating with the Voice of America. Previously, one of the charges against Amir Salar Davoudi, a human rights lawyer who was sentenced to 30 years in prison, was “collaborating with hostile governments through interviews with the Voice of America television network.”
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.
Source: Voice of America
