Tag: Ghaemshahr

Fourteen Bahai Citizens Sentenced to a Total of 31 Years in Prison

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Freedom of Expression, News
Afnaneh Nematian, Anis Senaei, Baha'i citizens, Basir Samimi, Bita Haghighi, Ghaemshahr, Gulben Fallah, Hengameh Alipour, Mahsa Fathi, Majir Samimi, Mani Gholinejad, Mazandaran, Nazanin Goli, Negar Darabi, Sam Samimi, Samieh Gholinejad, Sanaz Hekmat Shoar

In a concerning development, the Ghaemshahr Revolutionary Court has handed down a collective prison sentence of 31 years to 14 Bahai citizens.

The individuals affected by this ruling are Mani Gholinejad, Bita Haghighi, Sanaz Hekmat Shoar, Negar Darabi, Sam Samimi, Mahsa Fathi, Samieh Gholinejad, Majir Samimi, Anis Senaei, Afnaneh Nematian, Basir Samimi, Hengameh Alipour, Gulben Fallah, and Nazanin Goli.
Bita Haghighi and Sanaz Hekmat Shoar have received three years and paying a fine. The rest have been sentenced to two years and one month. All their confiscated belongings during the arrest have also been seized.

The charges against these Bahai individuals revolve around allegations of engaging in “educational activities and propaganda at variance and against Islamic Sharia law.”

Security forces arrested these individuals in Sari and Babolsar, located in the Mazandaran Province, on August 31, 2022. Subsequently, they were released on bail in the months following their arrest.

During the time of their apprehension, the Ministry of Intelligence issued a statement accusing these citizens of being members of an espionage organization, further claiming that two among them had received training from Zionists in Israel.

According to HRANA annual report, from the total human rights reports regarding the violation of religious minorities’ rights, 64.63% belonged to the violation of the rights of Baha’is.

The deprivation of the freedom to practice their religion is a breach of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The United Nations covenant holds that every person has the right to freedom of religion, freedom of converting religion, as well as freedom of expression, individually or collectively; openly or secretly.

 

Baha’i Citizen Sheida Taeed Arrested in Ghaemshahr

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News, Prisoners, Religious Minorities
Babol, Babol Prison, Baha'i arrest, Baha'i citizen detained, Farideh Taeed, Ghaemshahr, Mazandaran, Mazandaran province, Security forces, Sheida Taeed, Taeed

On Thursday, September 23, Sheida Taeed, a Baha’i citizen living in Ghaemshahr in Mazandaran Province, was arrested in her home by security forces.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Taeed  was taken by security forces to an unknown location following the arrest.

Security forces also raided her home and confiscated a number of her belongings, including her mobile phone, electronics, books, photographs, and manuscripts.

According to an informed source, the security forces initially put Farideh Taeed, Sheida’s elderly mother, in the car as well, and dropped her off somewhere along the road.

Ms. Taeed has a history of detention and conviction. She was arrested in the city of Noor in January of 2013 and was finally sentenced to one year in prison in 2015, which she served out in Babol Prison.

According to unofficial sources, it is estimated that more than 300,000 Baha’is live in Iran, but the Iranian constitution recognizes only Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism. Because their faith is not considered legitimate by authorities, the rights of Baha’is in Iran have been systematically violated for years.

This deprivation of the freedom to practice their religion is a breach of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The United Nations covenant holds that every person has the right to freedom of religion, freedom of converting religion, as well as freedom of expression, individually or collectively; openly or secretly.

Baha’i Citizen Ali Ahmadi Sent to Ghaemshahr Prison to Endure Sentence

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News, Prisoners, Religious Minorities
Ali Ahmadi, Baha'i arrests, Baha'i citizens, baha'i citizens arrested, baha'i in iran, Ghaemshahr, Ghaemshahr Prison, Ghaemshahr Revolutionary Court

On Thursday, August 26, Ali Ahmadi, a Baha’i citizen and native of Ghaemshahr, was arrested and transferred to prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Ahmadi was sent to Ghaemshahr Prison to endure his one-year prison sentence.

Ali Ahmadi, who suffers from the underlying conditions of diabetes and heart disease, is being forced to serve out this prison sentence during the peak of the coronavirus crisis in Iran.

Mr. Ahmadi had been detained and imprisoned before. He was arrested by security forces and transferred to the Kachuei Detention Center in Sari, in November 2018. He was released on bail in January 2019.

Ghaemshahr Revolutionary Court sentenced Mr. Ahmadi to a total of 11 years in prison on charges of “propaganda against the regime and the administration of the Baha’i organization”. This sentence was upheld by the appeal court without holding a trial. Eventually, the Supreme Court accepted the request for retrial and sent the case to the Branch 28 of the Mazandaran Court of Appeals, where Mr. Ahmadi’s sentence was reduced to 1 year in prison.

According to unofficial sources, more than 300,000 Baha’is live in Iran, but the Iranian constitution recognizes only Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism. Because their faith is not considered legitimate by authorities, the rights of Baha’is in Iran have beeen systematically violated for years.

This deprivation of the freedom to practice their religion is a violation of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The United Nations covenant holds that every person has the right to freedom of religion, freedom of converting religion, as well as freedom of expression, individually or collectively; openly or secretly.