Eight Baha'i Citizens in Iran Sentenced to a Total of 28 Years in Prison

Baha'i rights activists in Iran report the sentencing of eight Baha'i citizens in Tehran, Mashhad, and Qorveh. Helia Moshtagh, Yavar Haqiqat, Navid Aghdasi, Nova Qamsari, and Negar Bagheri Tareh were each sentenced to five years in prison by Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran, presided over by Judge Moqiseh. Simultaneously, Maria Kothari, a Baha'i citizen residing in Qorveh, was sentenced to one year in prison and two years of exile to Torbat Heydarieh, while two Baha'i citizens in Mashhad, Khashayar Tafazoli and Sina Aghdaszadeh, received a one-year suspended prison sentence. The Baha'i World Community in Geneva confirmed the news of these citizens' convictions, deeming the charges and sentences 'unjust.' The Baha'i World Community stated that most of these citizens were accused of espionage for Israel, propaganda against the regime, and promoting the Baha'i faith, which they described as 'baseless.' Kamran Shahidi, another Baha'i citizen in Tehran, was also arrested on an unspecified charge by security agents on October 25, and his business was sealed on the same day. The sealing of Baha'i businesses by the authorities in various cities in Iran has been an issue faced by many Baha'i citizens over the past four decades. Additionally, dozens of Baha'i citizens are annually denied access to university education, both at the entrance stage and thereafter. The latest cases of educational deprivation relate to the Prevention Organization's barring of over 70 Baha'i citizens from entering university following this year's entrance exam results. Asma Jahangir, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, criticized the 'harassment of Baha'is in Iran' in her recent report and deemed the arrest of Baha'is for ideological reasons and their deprivation of education as a 'violation of human rights.'