Isfahan Revolutionary Court Sentences Bahai Citizen to 10 Years in Prison, Asset Seizure, and Other Penalties

The Islamic Revolutionary Court of Isfahan sentenced a Bahai citizen named Arash Nabavi to 10 years in prison, asset seizure, monetary fines, and additional penalties. According to the report by HRANA, the news agency of human rights activists in Iran, on Sunday, June 23, the first branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court, presided over by Mohammad Reza Tavakoli, sentenced Arash Nabavi to five years in prison and a fine of 50 million tomans for the charge of 'membership in groups aimed at undermining national security.' Additionally, in another part of this ruling, Mr. Nabavi was sentenced to another five years in prison for the charge of 'propagating activities contrary to Islamic law.' According to the ruling issued by the first branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Isfahan, supplementary penalties for this Bahai citizen included asset seizure, a travel ban, and a prohibition on online activities. The seized assets included 'three mobile phones, three flash drives, two tablets, three SIM cards,' as well as 'a number of books and materials related to the Bahai faith.' Arash Nabavi, 38 years old and residing in Isfahan, was arrested in August 2023 after a search of his home and the confiscation of some personal belongings by government agents, and he was released from prison after two months on bail. Bahai citizens have faced widespread discrimination since the 1979 revolution, including dismissal from government jobs, asset seizure, business closures, denial of education, and destruction of cemeteries. According to the annual report of the International Religious Freedom Commission from last year, the repression, violence, discrimination, and social stigmatization by the Islamic Republic against Bahai 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 Islamic Republic's campaign to detain Bahais. The Isfahan Revolutionary Court sentenced two Bahai citizens to ten years in prison and monetary fines. A court session was held to address the charges against Payam Vali, a Bahai citizen, in the Revolutionary Court of Karaj. Five Bahai citizens in Kerman were sentenced to 'monetary fines and social restrictions.' The destruction of Bahai rice fields in the village of Ahmadabad, Mazandaran, was carried out by agents of the Islamic Republic. The arrest of a Bahai citizen in Ahvaz and the closure of a business belonging to another Bahai citizen in Sari.