Sakineh Behjati, a Christian believer, summoned to serve her prison sentence
Sakineh Behjati, a Christian believer, was summoned to Branch 1 of the Criminal Sentences Enforcement Unit of the General and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office, District 33, Tehran, by a notice to execute her prison sentence. Ms. Behjati was sentenced to two years of penal servitude by the court in August 2020.
According to HRANA News Agency, the news agency of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, Sakineh Behjati, a Christian believer, was summoned to the Sentence Execution Unit of the Tehran Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office through a notification to execute the sentence.
Based on this notice, which was issued on February 10 by Branch 1 of the Criminal Sentence Enforcement Unit of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office of District 33 of Tehran, Ms. Behjati has been asked to appear at this branch within 30 days of the date of notification of the verdict.
According to Iman Soleimani, Ms. Behjati's defense lawyer, the Christian believer was summoned to serve her two-year prison sentence on charges of "acting against national security by forming a house church and propagating against the system by preaching evangelical Christianity."
Sakineh Behjati was previously interrogated along with three other Christian believers in February 2019, following the presence of security agents at her home on charges of "propaganda against the system and society and collusion against national security." After her personal belongings and documents were confiscated, she was told that she would soon be summoned to court.
Ms. Behjati was summoned to Branch 10 of the Rasht Revolutionary Court by phone in May 2020 and, after being informed of the charges, was granted bail of 500 million Tomans. On May 15, due to her financial inability to post bail, she was transferred to Lakan Prison in Rasht and on May 21, her bail was reduced to 200 million Tomans and she was temporarily released from prison until the end of the proceedings.
Sakineh Behjati was finally sentenced to 2 years in prison by the court in August 2020.
It is worth noting that despite the fact that Christians are recognized as a religious minority by law, the security services follow the issue of Muslims converting to Christianity with particular sensitivity and deal with activists in this field with force.
The treatment of Christian believers in Iran is taking place despite the fact that, according to Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, everyone has the right to freedom of religion and to change their religion with conviction, as well as the freedom to manifest it, individually or in community with others and in public or in private.
Source: HRANA
