A revolutionary court in the city of Birjand in northeast Iran sentenced nine members of the Baha’i faith to a total of 51 years and eight months in prison.
The nine Baha’i faith members are, Rahmatullah Deimi, Atiyeh Salehi, Adaullah Melaki, Farzaneh Deimi, Nasrin Ghadiri, Banafsheh Mokhtari, Arezou Mohammadi, Saeid Melaki, and Roya Melaki.
Their trial was held on April 20, 2020.
They were convicted of “membership in an illegal organization against national security (a reference to the persecuted faith),” and “propaganda in favor of the Baha’i community as an organization opposed to the Iranian regime.”
The nine were arrested in October 2017 for attending a Baha’i ceremony in Birjand, the capital city of South Khorasan province.
The agents raided their homes and confiscated several personal belongings after inspecting.
In 2019, they were summoned and questioned twice. After the April 20, 2020 trial, they were sentenced to a total of 51 years and 8 months in prison.
In June 2019, the Birjand Revolutionary Court sentenced nine other Baha’i citizens to a total of 54 years in prison.
The Iranian regime is among the top violators of the rights of religious minorities. Members of religious minorities have experienced decades of discrimination in Iran.
Followers of the Baha’i faith are systematically harassed and persecuted. They are denied equitable access to employment, education, and political office. In addition, they are not allowed to exercise any economic, social, or cultural rights.
