Six Baha'i citizens in Tabriz sentenced to a total of 36 months in prison
Six Baha'i citizens living in Tabriz who had previously been tried by Judge Rahim Hamalbar, head of the first branch of the Revolutionary Court, were sentenced to a total of 36 months in prison.
The Campaign for the Defense of Political and Civil Prisoners reported on Tuesday, June 19, that six Baha'i citizens living in Tabriz, named "Khairollah Bakhshi", "Monika Alizadeh", "Kambiz Misaghi", "Shabnam Essakhani", "Farzad Bahadori", and "Shahriar Khodapanah", who were tried on Tuesday, June 11 by Judge Rahim Hamalbar, head of the first branch of the Revolutionary Court, on charges of "membership in an illegal Baha'i organization", have each been sentenced to six months in prison.
According to this report, the verdict of these Baha'i citizens was communicated to them on Saturday, June 15, by the First Branch of the Tabriz Revolutionary Court.
According to available information, these Baha'i citizens were arrested by security forces in Tabriz in November 2018 after a thorough search of their homes and the seizure of a number of personal belongings. After completing the interrogation and completing the case file for referral to court, these individuals were released on bail pending the completion of the proceedings.
The US State Department's Special Advisor on Religious Minorities in the Middle East, South and Central Asia has criticized the continued persecution of minorities in Iran and called on the Islamic Republic to immediately release all prisoners of conscience and respect religious freedom.
Mr. Knox Timms, speaking at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) meeting in Washington on Tuesday, May 1, said: “The Iranian regime oppresses its Baha’i citizens to a degree that is unmatched by the treatment of this minority anywhere else in the world. According to statistics, as of just two months ago, seventy Baha’is were still being held in Iranian prisons simply for being Baha’is. The US State Department has been documenting these issues on a regular basis. This includes ongoing verbal attacks against Baha’is, closure of their businesses, and denial of basic services.”
Source: Voice of America
