Three Baha'i citizens sentenced to a total of 12 years in prison in the Court of Appeal
The Court of Appeals issued the sentences of Yalda Firouzian, Ardeshir Fanaian, and Behnam Eskandarian, Baha'i citizens residing in Semnan.
The Campaign for the Defense of Political and Civil Prisoners announced in a report on Wednesday, December 17, that the prison sentences of these three Baha'i citizens, who had previously been sentenced to a total of 20 years in prison by Branch 1 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Semnan, headed by Mohammad Ali Rostami, have been reduced to 12 years by the Semnan Court of Appeals.
According to the verdict, which was communicated to these citizens on Monday, December 15, Ardeshir Fanaian was sentenced to six years in prison, Behnam Eskandarian to three years and six months, and Yalda Firouzian to two years and six months.
Previously, an informed source told VOA that the three Baha'i citizens imprisoned in Semnan had not committed any act that violated the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran and were only detained because of their religious beliefs, and none of them were granted the basic rights of a prisoner at the time of their detention.
According to available information, the case of Ardeshir Fanaian on charges of "complicity in the formation and management of an illegal group within the country with the aim of disrupting the country's security" and "participation in actions against the Islamic Republic of Iran in favor of groups opposed to the system," and the cases of Yalda Firouzian and Behnam Eskandarian on charges of "participation in actions against the Islamic Republic of Iran in favor of groups opposed to the system" and "membership in an illegal group with the aim of disrupting internal security" have been reviewed in the court of first instance and appeals.
The Islamic Republic's treatment of Baha'i citizens has a long history, and this is not the first time that Baha'i citizens have been arrested and sentenced to long prison terms simply for their belief in the Baha'i faith.
Recently, on Friday, November 8, representatives of 33 countries, including the United States, criticized the violation of the rights of ethnic and religious minorities, including Baha'i citizens, in a periodic meeting to review the human rights situation in Iran, and called on the Iranian government to respect their rights.
International human rights organizations and the United States government have repeatedly condemned the persecution and imprisonment of followers of religious minorities in Iran.
Javed Rehman, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, also said in his second report on the human rights situation in Iran in August of this year that the Islamic Republic no longer executes Baha'is solely for their religious beliefs, but the risk of raids, arrests, and imprisonment is constant, and since August 2005, more than 1,168 Baha'is have been arrested and faced with vague and ambiguous charges.
Source: Voice of America
