25 Bahais sentenced to prison in Shiraz

HRANA, August 31, 2022. –

The Provincial Review Court for Shiraz has sentenced 25 Bahais there to prison terms. It handed down 5-year sentences to Yekta Fahandezh-Sa`adi (یکتا فهندژ سعدی), Laala Saalehi (لالا صالحی), Bahaareh Nowruzi (بهاره نوروزی), Rezvan Yazdani (رضوان یزدانی) and Mozhgaan Gholaampour (مژگان غلامپور).Their passports are revoked for two years — presumably after the completion of their sentences — during which time they are required to report daily to the Provincial office of the Ministry of Intelligence.

Five-year sentences and a two-year passport confiscation were also given to Nabil Tahdhib (نبیل تهذیب), Sahba Maslahi (صهبا مصلحی), Behnaam Azizpour (بهنام عزیزپور), Esma`il Rusta (اسماعیل روستا), Ramin Shirvaani (رامین شیروانی) and Sa`id Hassani (سعید حسنی). These five were also sentenced to internal exile in other provinces: Mr. Tahdhib to Izeh, in Khuzestan Province, Sahba Maslahi to Ferdows in South Khuzestan, Behnaam Azizpour to Dehdasht, Esma`il Rusta to Baft in Yazd Province, Ramin Shirvaani to Bagh-e Malek in Khuzestan, and Sa`id Hassani in Lordegan, in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, where they would be required to report daily to the Ministry of Intelligence.

Two-year sentences with two years’ passport confiscation and daily reporting for two years were given to Shadi Sadeq-Eqdam Sisan (سیسان شادی صادق اقدم), Parisa Rouhi-zaadegaan (پریسا روحی زادگان), Marjaan Gholampour (مرجان غلامپور), Ahdiyyeh Enayati (عهدیه عنایتی), Thamareh Ashnaa’i(ثمره آشنایی), Nasim Kaashaani-nezhad (نسیم کاشانی نژاد), Shamim Ekhlaqi (شمیم اخـلاقی), and Noushin Zanhari (نوشین زنهاری).

Another six Bahais were given the same two-year sentence plus internal exile. They are Mahyar Sefidi-Miandoab (مهیار سفیدی میانـدوآب), exiled to Lamerd in Fars Province; Varqa Kaviani (ورقا کاویانی), exiled to Kashmar in Khorasan; Sohba Farahbakhsh (صهبا فرحبخش), exiled to Semiram, Farzad Shaadmaan (فرزاد شادمان), exiled to Minab in Hormozgan; Farbod Shaadmaan (فربد شادمان), exiled to Firuzabad in Fars Province, and Soroush Eqaani Saghaadi (سـروش ایقانی صـغادی), exiled to Mehriz in Yazd Province.

Maryam Eslaami-Mahdiaabaadi (مریم اسلامی مهدی آبادی), mentioned in the judgement of the Revolutionary Court, does not appear in the sentence of the Review Court.

The accusations against these Bahais were along the lines of “holding meetings for preaching and education that Muslims attended, and promoting Bahai beliefs.” The ruling said that the activities of these Bahais were “entirely organizational and for the proclamation of beliefs, and in line with the goals and documents of the House of Justice based in Israel, and do not fall under the [presumably exempt] heading of the personal (practice of religion) or having Bahai parents.” The court rejected the defendants’ defenses that their activities were not political, referring to Ayatollah Khomeini’s opinion that Bahais are “members of a political party.” Sahba Maslahi presented a statement for the Bahais, detailing the forced nature of their “confessions,” and the torture and religious and sexual insults they were subjected to. Mr. Maslahi himself was tortured for 75 days. He suffered blows to his stomach, a fractured femur and a dislocated jaw.