Shahryar Bayat's Daughter to VOA: Appeal for Justice Remains Unanswered

The daughter of Shahryar Bayat, a political prisoner sentenced to death, told VOA that despite nearly a year passing since their appeal, the judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic have still left his case unresolved. Elahe Bayat, the daughter of Shahryar Bayat, who has been sentenced to death on charges of 'insulting the Prophet' and is currently in Evin prison, emphasized that her father is suffering from multiple illnesses and that his appeal has gone unanswered by the judicial authorities. Ms. Bayat explained: 'It has been almost a year since the ruling was issued for my father, Shahryar Bayat, a political prisoner in Evin, and despite the appeal and protest that the family has made to the Supreme Court, no response has been announced regarding the lack of review of the case.' She stated that Shahryar Bayat is facing two cases in the courts of Tehran and Shahryar, and the death sentence was issued based on the charge of 'insulting the Prophet' by the Revolutionary Court of Shahryar for this political prisoner who was arrested during the suppression of the nationwide protests in 2021. According to Elahe Bayat, 'The issuance of the sentence occurred in a very ambiguous process,' and her father faced the death sentence after being granted leave from prison twice. The daughter of Shahryar Bayat pointed out that this political prisoner has chosen 'religious names' for his three children, asking: 'How is it possible for someone who has chosen religious names for his children to be accused of insulting the Prophet?' Shahryar Bayat was arrested during the suppression of the nationwide protests in 2021. This 64-year-old political prisoner has been in jail for over two years, and according to his daughter, 'his health condition is not suitable at all.' Elahe Bayat mentioned some of her father's illnesses, including severe gum infection, stomach pain, prostate issues, and severe headaches, revealing: 'In the intense interrogations that my father has faced, they have beaten the files over his head, and the headaches and the sounds he hears in his head stem from that.' She also emphasized that her family members, along with lawyers, are continuously following up on the matter and are not receiving any proper responses, and the status of the case is completely unclear. According to Ms. Bayat, judicial authorities 'give hope to the family and talk to them in a way that it seems the problem will be solved this week,' yet Shahryar Bayat has 'been in prison for two and a half years,' and while 'about a year has passed since the issuance of the death sentence for him,' his case remains dormant, and officials still say 'it is in line.' The daughter of Shahryar Bayat also called on 'everyone who can' to help revoke the death sentence of this political prisoner, saying: 'I request help so that my father can return to the embrace of his family.'