Two Baha’i Women Transferred to Prison and Five More Summoned
Published by Ali on April 6, 2021
International Liberty Association: Two Baha’i women were transferred to the Prison of Bandar Abbas on Saturday, 3 April 2021, to serve their sentences.
The Revolutionary Court of Bandar Abbas sentenced Maral Rasti and Mahnaz Jan-Nesar to 2 years in prison, each, on the charge of “assembly and collusion against national security.”
The two Baha’i women had been initially arrested in spring 2017 along with six other Baha’i citizens, but were later released temporarily on bail.
Bandar Abbas is the capital of Hormozgan Province in southern Iran.
Five Baha’i women summoned to serve their year-long sentences in Mashhad. From left to right: Naghmeh Zabihian, Nika Pakzadan, Nakisa Hajipour, Farzaneh Daneshgari, and Sanaz Es’haghi.
In a similar development, the Directorate for the Implementation of Verdicts in Mashhad summoned five Baha’i women on March 27, 2021, only days after the start of the Persian New Year. The directorate instructed them to report to the agency within 10 days, otherwise, it will issue warrants for their arrest.
ILA has previously reported about the condition of the five Baha’i women who are Naghmeh Zabihian, Nakisa Hajipour, Nika Pakzadan, Faraneh Daneshgari and Sanaz Es’haghi and must report in to start serving their year-long sentence in the Central Prison of Mashhad, also known as Vakilabad Prison.
The Baha’i community is particularly under pressure of the clerical regime which subjects Baha’is to measures such as the destruction of cemeteries, arbitrary arrests, raids on homes and confiscation of property, dismissals, and denial of civil rights.
Baha’i professionals are prohibited from holding public office and discriminated against because of their beliefs when interviewed for jobs or applying for higher education.
ILA: Over the past year, at least 26 women have been sentenced to prison terms. Most of the sentences are more than 6 years.
At least 26 women were summoned to security centres or courts for being Baha’is, and 17 Baha’i women were barred from education.
