Iran: Persecution of religious minorities
Published by Ali on June 3, 2021
International Liberty Association: In May 2021, the persecution of Iran’s religious minorities continued; Members of religious minorities were sentenced to long prison terms on trumped-up charges and in some cases were summoned and detained.
Iran has particularly stepped-up pressure on the Baha’i community in Iran, making many arrests, handing down heavy sentences, and imprisoning others.
Fourteen Baha’i citizens were sentenced to a total of 104 years and 3 months in prison.
At least 20 Baha’i citizens were arrested in various cities, including Mashhad, Shiraz and Isfahan.
ILA has reported on 30 may that, a Court of Appeals upheld the verdict of 12 years in prison for four Iranian Baha’is solely for being members of their religious community. The Branch 36 of the Tehran Provincial Court of Appeals upheld the convictions of the Baha’i citizens Mona Mehrabi, Elham Karampisheh, Afsaneh Yadegar Ardestani, and Ehsanullah Yadegar Ardestani.
Also, according to the reports, nine Baha’i citizens sentenced to a total of nine years in prison for being members of their religious minority by an appeals court in Iran.
According to the verdict issued by the Branch 36 of Tehran’s Appeals Court presided over by Judge Seyed Ahmad Zargar, these 9 Baha’i citizens were each sentenced to one year in prison for “propaganda against the state through proselytizing Baha’ism.”
It should be mentioned that, the citizens had been innitialy sentenced to one year in prison on this charge, by the Branch 2 of Shahriar Revolutionary Court presided over by Judge Panahi, and the appeal court upheld the verdit.
ILA: Baha’i citizens in Iran are deprived of the freedoms associated with their religious beliefs, a systematic deprivation that, according to Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, everyone has the right to freedom of religion and belief; Express it individually or collectively and in public or in private.
