Shahdokht Khajani, a Baha'i citizen, sentenced in absentia to 16 years in prison

The Revolutionary Court of Semnan sentenced Shahdokht Khajani, a Baha'i citizen, in absentia to sixteen years in prison, seventeen years of deprivation of social rights, and a fine of five hundred million rials along with supplementary punishments. According to documents obtained by Voice of America, the charges against this Baha'i citizen include 'propaganda against the regime' and 'forming or managing a group or association with the intent to disrupt national security.' Branch One of the Revolutionary Court of Semnan, based on a report from the Information Office and Shahdokht Khajani's activities on social media, accused her of propaganda 'against the entirety of the Islamic Republic.' Accordingly, this Baha'i citizen was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the charge of 'forming a group with the intent to disrupt national security,' 5 years in prison and a fine of 500 million rials for 'propaganda for Baha'ism,' and an additional year in prison for 'propaganda activities against the regime.' The supplementary punishments for Shahdokht Khajani also include a two-year ban on activities in cyberspace and membership in political and social parties and groups. The Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, based in the U.S., quoted a relative of Shahdokht Khajani as saying that the date for appealing the issued verdict is September 10. Shahdokht Khajani, a mother of two, was arrested at her home in Semnan on May 29 of this year and was released on bail after 10 days. Baha'i citizens in Iran have systematically faced execution, widespread social and political discrimination, and illegal actions including arbitrary arrests and desecration of their cemeteries since the 1979 revolution. According to last year's annual report by 'International Religious Freedom,' the repression, violence, discrimination, and social stigmatization by the Islamic Republic against Baha'i citizens have intensified. A poem by Qurrat al-Ayn was recited by Kamyar Habibi, a imprisoned Baha'i musician, in memory of a Baha'i prisoner; 'You are my friend, my refuge.' The Mashhad prosecutor summoned nine Baha'i women, arresting one of them. The Chairman of the International Religious Freedom Commission stated that the West must reconsider its policy towards Iran. Five Baha'i citizens were arrested in Kerman.