HRANA – Flora Samadani and Ahmad Jafari Naeimi, a Baha’i couple residing in Yazd, have been sentenced by Branch 1 of the Yazd Revolutionary Court to a combined total of three years, six months, and two days in prison.
According to HRANA, Flora Samadani and Ahmad Jafari Naeimi, two Baha’i citizens residing in Yazd, have been sentenced to prison by Branch 1 of the city’s Revolutionary Court.
According to a verdict issued on October 12, 2026, by Branch 1 of the Yazd Revolutionary Court, Flora Samadani was sentenced to three years and one day of discretionary imprisonment on charges of “deviant propaganda activities contrary to the sacred law of Islam through the promotion of the Baha’i Faith.”
Her husband, Ahmad Jafari Naeimi, was also sentenced to six months and one day of discretionary imprisonment on charges of aiding and abetting “deviant propaganda activities contrary to the sacred law of Islam through the promotion of the Baha’i Faith.”
The sentences were issued under Article 500 bis and Articles 126 and 127 of the Islamic Penal Code.
Flora Samadani, aged approximately 57, was arrested by security forces in Yazd on May 3, 2026. After being held for approximately one week at one of the Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facilities in Yazd, she was transferred to Yazd Prison. She was eventually released on bail on June 20, 2026.
Mr. Naeimi, Ms. Samadani’s husband, was arrested on June 13, 2026, after appearing before Branch 6 of the Investigation Office of the Yazd Prosecutor’s Office. He was eventually released from Yazd Prison on July 4, 2026, after posting bail of one billion tomans.
Ahmad Naeimi, aged approximately 59, has previously faced arrest and judicial proceedings due to his religious beliefs and convictions.
Over the past decade, the Baha’i community in Iran has been subjected to more security and judicial actions than any other religious minority. An examination of annual reports published by HRA’s Department of Statistics and Publications indicates that, during the past calendar year, an average of 62.41% of reports concerning religious minorities involved violations of the civil rights of Baha’is.
