A Zoroastrian Citizen and His Wife Sentenced to Imprisonment and Asset Seizure in Iran

The Human Rights Defenders Center reported that Karan Vafadari, a Zoroastrian citizen, and his wife Afrin Nissari have been sentenced to imprisonment and the seizure of all their assets. Shirin Ebadi, a lawyer and Nobel laureate, confirmed this news to Radio Farda on Monday, February 9, stating that the charges against the couple were labeled as 'acts against national security.' According to the Human Rights Defenders Center's website, following the couple's trial in Azar (December) of this year, Afrin Nissari, the director of the 'An' art gallery, was sentenced to 16 years in prison, while her husband Karan Vafadari, who holds dual Iranian-American citizenship, was sentenced to 27 years in prison and the seizure of all assets. The trial for Ms. Nissari and Mr. Vafadari took place on December 5 in Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court presided over by Judge Salavati. The Human Rights Defenders Center stated that Judge Salavati issued the ruling despite the couple denying the charges. An informed source told the Human Rights Defenders Center that the judge issued heavy sentences against Ms. Nissari and Mr. Vafadari without considering the lawyer's defense and his objections to the attribution of charges without the slightest legal documentation. According to the report, Afrin Nissari and Karan Vafadari were arrested on July 30 of last year by the Revolutionary Guards and were held for five months in solitary confinement in Ward 2-A of Evin Prison before being transferred to the general wards. The Human Rights Defenders Center noted that Mr. Vafadari is a Zoroastrian Iranian who returned to Iran after years of living in the United States and did not take his assets out of the country. Before his arrest, he had filed multiple complaints and pursued the return of part of his family's inherited properties, which were halted by his and his wife's arrest. In recent years, several dual nationals have been arrested for various reasons, and in some cases, long prison sentences have been issued against them.