Yazd Revolutionary Court Trials Eight Baha'i Citizens on Charges of 'Propaganda Against the Regime' and 'Deviationary Activities Against Islamic Law'

Eight Baha'i citizens in Yazd were tried on charges of 'propaganda against the Islamic Republic' and 'deviationary propaganda activities against the sacred law of Islam'. According to HRANA, the news agency of human rights activists in Iran, the Yazd Revolutionary Court held the trial on Wednesday, March 14. The defendants include Ahmad Naeimi, Jamal Qadirzadeh, Iman Rashidi, Vida Ahrari, Mojgan Basiri, Shokufe Basiri, Kamyab Raei, and Aref Naeimi. HRANA reports that Aref Naeimi was released on bail after the court session, but it is unclear whether a verdict has been issued for the other defendants. The eight Baha'i citizens were arrested by government forces in Yazd last autumn. Baha'is, who are among the largest non-Muslim religious minorities in Iran, have been systematically persecuted since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. The Islamic Republic has intensified its crackdown on Baha'is in recent years. Arrests, imprisonment, property destruction, bans from social services, confiscation of property, and destruction of graves are part of the systematic behavior against this religious minority in Iran. Accordingly, about 150 political and civil activists condemned the wave of arrests against Baha'is in Iran and their 'deprivation of basic human and civil rights' by the Islamic Republic in a statement on January 1, calling for an end to 'this historical shame'. The signatories of the statement declared their common demand for 'the end of religious rule and the separation of religion and state' and considered the establishment of 'a democratic and secular government' as a prerequisite for 'comprehensive development of Iran and the realization of freedom, justice, democracy, and the elimination of all forms of discrimination in society'. Anisa Fanaiyan, a Baha'i citizen, was sentenced to 16 years in prison. A human rights organization reported that Iran ranks first in the world for the execution of women. Hengaw: Last year, at least 22 women were executed in Iran, and 325 female activists were arrested. The global Baha'i community called on the Islamic Republic to stop the cultural cleansing of the Baha'i community. Exclusive: Yekta Fahendaj Saadi is in limbo in Adelabad Prison in Shiraz.