The Judiciary of the Islamic Republic Sentences Four Baha'i Women to Approximately 15 Years in Prison

Judicial authorities in the Islamic Republic have sentenced four Baha'i citizens in Mashhad to imprisonment. According to the ruling of the Court of Appeals, these individuals have been sentenced to a total of approximately 15 years in prison. According to the report by HRANA, the news agency of human rights activists in Iran, on Sunday, January 1, the 35th branch of the Appeals Court of Razavi Khorasan province confirmed a sentence of "three years and eight months of imprisonment" for the four Baha'i women named Nasim Sabati, Azita Foroughi, Roya Ghanai Azabadi, and Soheila Ahmadi. According to the ruling communicated to the lawyer of these citizens, they have been sentenced to prison on charges of "membership in a group with the intention of disrupting national security." HRANA has reported that the Appeals Court for these four Baha'i citizens was held "without their knowledge and that of their defense lawyer." The legal case for these four Baha'i citizens was initiated in July of this year, and they were summoned to Branch 903 of the District Prosecutor's Office 9 in Mashhad. The Islamic Revolutionary Court of Mashhad, as the primary court, had sentenced Nasim Sabati, Azita Foroughi, Roya Ghanai Azabadi, and Soheila Ahmadi each to three years and eight months in prison, which the Appeals Court has confirmed. Baha'i citizens in Iran have systematically faced execution, widespread social and political discrimination, and illegal actions including arrests and desecration of their cemeteries since the 1979 revolution. Farhad Sabetan, spokesperson for the worldwide Baha'i community, previously told Voice of America that Baha'i citizens have done nothing but goodwill and service to Iran to deserve imprisonment. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has previously expressed concern over the increased pressure on religious minorities in Iran and the Islamic Republic's campaign to arrest Baha'is. According to this commission's report, at least about 200 people are imprisoned in the Islamic Republic for religious or ideological reasons. One Baha'i citizen was transferred to prison to serve their sentence, and another Baha'i was sentenced to imprisonment.