And One Year of Forced Labor at Kahrizak Charity Center
Shahriar Bayat, a 65-year-old political prisoner and one of those arrested during Iran’s 2022 nationwide protests, has been sentenced to five years in prison and one year of unpaid forced labor at the Kahrizak care facility. This ruling was issued by Branch 13 of the Criminal Court One of Tehran Province following a retrial, after the Supreme Court overturned his previous death sentence.
Bayat, a retired civil servant residing in the city of Shahriar, was initially arrested on September 25, 2022, during the wave of protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody. Security forces apprehended him at his home. He was first transferred to the Greater Tehran Penitentiary and later moved to Ward 6 of Evin Prison.
Previously, Bayat had been sentenced to death on charges of “sabb al-nabi” (insulting the Prophet), a charge frequently criticized by international human rights organizations as a tool used by Iranian authorities to silence dissent and suppress freedom of belief. According to his lawyer, Amin Adel Ahmadian, the Supreme Court annulled the death sentence due to serious procedural ambiguities and referred the case for reconsideration by a parallel court.
In March 2023, Branch One of the Shahriar Revolutionary Court had sentenced Bayat to a total of 18 years in prison on charges including “propaganda against the regime,” “insulting Ayatollahs Khomeini and Khamenei,” “assembly and collusion against national security,” and “forming illegal groups.” This sentence was later reduced to eight years and six months on appeal.
Despite this, the Iranian judiciary opened a separate case against Bayat, again focusing on the charge of blasphemy related to content allegedly shared online. Although this specific accusation had previously been dismissed by prosecutors, the case was reactivated following an objection by the prosecutor’s office. It was subsequently transferred to the Criminal Court One of Tehran, where a death sentence was initially issued—later overturned by the Supreme Court.
Unjust and Opaque Legal Proceedings
According to Bayat’s family and legal counsel, the judicial process surrounding his case was marked by procedural violations, security pressure, and denial of fair trial rights. His daughter, Elaheh Bayat, publicly expressed concern over her father’s physical and mental health and called for the annulment of his death sentence and a fair review of his case.
In a letter from prison, Bayat wrote:
“At the age of 63, I entered such a place for the first time. Without any action on my part—solely due to some content stored in my phone that is shared on the internet daily—a case was fabricated against me.”
Bayat’s case highlights ongoing concerns among human rights advocates regarding Iran’s use of vague or politically motivated charges, especially in the wake of the 2022 protests, to suppress dissent and punish peaceful expression.
