Two Baha'i Citizens Sentenced to Five Years in Prison Each

The spokesperson for the Bahá'í International Community at the UN office in Geneva has confirmed that a Baha'i father and daughter residing in Shiraz have each been sentenced to five years in prison. Reports about the conviction of Nematollah and Nazanin Bangaleh were published last week, stating that they were sentenced in the first branch of the Revolutionary Court in Shiraz. Simin Fahandj, a spokesperson for the Bahá'í International Community in Geneva, confirmed these convictions in an interview with Radio Farda. According to reports, Nazanin Bangaleh was arrested in September of last year and was later released on a bail of 175 million tomans. Her father, Nematollah Bangaleh, was also in detention at that time and was released on a bail of 550 million tomans in November. Official authorities have not specified the exact reason for the arrest of these two individuals, but according to the Human Rights Campaign in Iran, the Bangaleh family's home was severely searched during the arrest, causing serious damage to some household items. Other reports indicate that their belongings, including books, icons, and images related to the Bahá'í faith, as well as computer systems, were confiscated. Radio Farda is not able to independently verify these reports. Reports regarding the arrest of these two Baha'i citizens have emerged as Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif recently stated that being Baha'i is not a crime in Iran, a statement that has faced various reactions and criticisms. In February of last year, a number of lawyers and human rights advocates from different countries wrote a letter asking Iranian officials to stop denying the repression of Baha'is and to 'take action to improve the current situation.' The organization 'Freedom House' also mentioned the repression and human rights violations in Iran in its report last year, including the 'severe treatment' of Baha'is and other citizens who adhere to different beliefs, a topic that is reflected almost every year in reports by human rights defenders and international observers.