Arrest and Transfer of 10 Baha'i Women in Isfahan to Prison

Ten Baha'i women residing in Isfahan were arrested by government forces on Wednesday, January 23, and transferred to the Dowlatabad Prison in Isfahan to serve their sentences. According to the Harana news agency, the names of these ten Baha'i women are Nasrin Khademi Qahgharhi, Roya Azadkhush, Sara Shakib, Bashari Motahar, Mojgan Pourshafieh Ardestani, Maryam Khorsandi, Shourangiz Bahamin, Sanaz Rasteh, Firouzeh Rastinajad, and Azita Rezvani-Khah. The report states that government forces entered the homes of these citizens, creating terror and panic, and proceeded to arrest them. These Baha'i citizens had previously been arrested on April 24, 2021, along with several other Baha'i women residing in Baharestan, Isfahan, and were released on bail on May 17 of the same year. After their trial by the First Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Isfahan, initial sentences were issued, including imprisonment, fines, deprivation of social services, and travel bans. Their case was sent back to the Revolutionary Court for reconsideration, and after a retrial, the 'Branch 37 of the Isfahan Court of Appeals' issued the final ruling. According to this ruling, each of these ten women was sentenced to five years in prison, a fine of 50 million tomans, five years of deprivation from social services, and a two-year travel ban. Reports indicate that these sentences have now been executed, and the detainees have been transferred to prison to serve their sentences. Baha'i citizens have faced widespread discrimination since the 1979 revolution, including dismissal from government jobs, confiscation of property, closure of businesses, deprivation of education, and destruction of cemeteries. According to the annual report of the 'International Religious Freedom Commission' last year, the repression, violence, discrimination, and social stigmatization by the government against Baha'i citizens have intensified. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has also expressed concern over the increased pressure on religious minorities in Iran and the campaign by the Islamic Republic to arrest Baha'is. The Baha'i World Community reported on November 12 that since the formation of the Baha'i Faith, Iranian Shia clerics have labeled Baha'is as 'impure' in an effort to 'justify their discrimination and oppression,' resulting in the historical suppression of Baha'is in Iran. Reports indicate that in some cities, their properties and documents have been seized and confiscated. The daughter of Mahvash Sabat, a Baha'i prisoner, reports on her mother's deteriorating health condition following surgery. The Baha'i World Community has called for an investigation into the violations of Baha'i rights in Iran at the United Nations. The British Pen Association has called for the immediate and unconditional release of Mahvash Sabat. The Baha'i community in France has also called for the immediate release of Mahvash Sabat.