Isfahan Revolutionary Court Sentences 10 Baha'i Women to Total of 90 Years in Prison and Asset Seizures

The judiciary of the Islamic Republic has sentenced 10 Baha'i women in Isfahan to a total of 90 years in prison, along with monetary fines and other penalties, on charges including 'educational propaganda activities'. According to human rights sources on Tuesday, October 30, based on the ruling of the first branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Isfahan, the 10 Baha'i women accused of 'educational propaganda activities' have been sentenced to decades in prison and hundreds of millions of tomans in fines. In this case, Yeganeh Aghaei, Yeganeh Rouh-Bakhsh, Negin Khademi, Shana Shoghi-Far, Mojgan Shah-Razai, Parastoo Hakim, Arzoo Sobhanian, and Neda Badakhsh have each been sentenced to '10 years in prison and 100 million tomans in fines'. According to the ruling of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court, one-third of the sentences for Khademi, Aghaei, and Rouh-Bakhsh, as well as half of the sentences for Shah-Razai, Hakim, Sobhanian, Badakhsh, and Shoghi-Far, are suspended. Additionally, two other citizens named Neda Emadi and Bahareh Lotfi have each been sentenced to five years in prison and 50 million tomans in fines, with four years of their prison terms also suspended. The Islamic Republic has deprived followers of the Baha'i faith of the right to education, and judicial authorities have criminalized their educational activities aimed at Baha'i students under terms such as 'deviant' and 'contrary to Islamic principles and beliefs'. In the ruling issued by the first branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Isfahan, presided over by an individual named 'Tavakoli', 'conducting English language classes, painting, music, yoga, and nature camps for children, minors, and Iranian and Afghan youth' has been cited as practical examples of the charges against them. The ruling also states that their belongings, including mobile phones, laptops, all electronic devices, gold jewelry, and any U.S. and Australian dollars they possess, will be confiscated 'for the benefit of the Muslim Fund'. According to previous reports, these 10 Baha'i women denied the charges against them and complained about physical and verbal abuse during interrogation sessions, to which the judge expressed 'surprise and ignorance'. These 10 Iranian Baha'i women were arrested on October 23, 2023, by the forces of the Islamic Republic and were released from Isfahan's Dowlatabad Prison on different dates after posting bail over the course of two months. The Baha'i community has recently warned that the harassment and persecution of Baha'is in Iran have intensified, emphasizing that 'the Baha'i community is alarmingly aware of new ongoing government efforts to cleanse Iran of Baha'i history and identity.' According to unofficial sources, over 300,000 Baha'is live in Iran, but the Islamic Republic's constitution not only does not recognize the Baha'i faith but also discriminates against it. For decades, the judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic have deprived Baha'i citizens of their civil rights, including the right to education, and have described non-governmental education for them with terms such as 'deviant'. Human rights organizations state that the rights of Baha'is in Iran have been systematically violated over the years, and government pressures on them have increased in recent months.