Meeting with Shahnam Jazbani

"Meeting" is a brief narrative about those whose lives are confined to a four-walled space called prison. In each segment of this series, we visit one of those who are referred to as "political-prisoners" by human rights organizations. Shahnam Jazbani is a Bahá'í citizen residing in Gonbad, married, and a father of two teenage children. He was arrested at his home on June 6 to spend the upcoming months in Gonbad prison. Shahnam Jazbani was first arrested during the mass arrests in 2012 in Golestan province. These arrests occurred in three cities: Gorgan, Gonbad, and Minoodasht, leading to the detention of 24 Bahá'ís in these cities. During these arrests, Shahnam Jazbani and his wife, Shohreh Samimi, were also detained. His wife was released after a few days, while Shahnam Jazbani was freed after 45 days. At that time, reports emerged regarding the solitary confinement of Shahnam Jazbani and other detainees, along with mistreatment and abuse they faced in prison. Several of these Bahá'ís wrote a detailed letter to Iranian judicial authorities describing their torture in prison, while Iranian officials remained silent without any comments on the situation of these individuals.