26 Bahais from Shiraz sentenced to prison and exile

HRANA, June 12, 2022. –

A Revolutionary Court in Shiraz has sentenced 26 Bahais to prison terms of up to 5 years, as well as internal exile, a ban on leaving Iran, and requirements to report daily to the Ministry of Intelligence. The trial, by the notorious Judge Sayyid Mahmud Saadaati (قاضی محمود ساداتی) was held on May 17, and the verdict issued on May 29.

Five-year sentences were given 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 — and 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 Tadhhib (نبیل تذهیب , but previously reported as 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. Tadhhib to Izeh, in Khuzestan Province, Sahba Maslahi to Ferdows in South Khuzestan, Behnaam Azizpour to Behdasht in Kohgiluyeh, 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 passport confiscation and daily reporting for two years were given to Maryam Eslaami-Mahdiaabaadi (مریم اسلامی مهدی آبادی), Parisa Rouhi-zaadegaan (پریسا روحی زادگان), Marjaan Gholampour (مرجان غلامپور), Shadi Sadeq-Eqdam (شادی صادق اقدم), Ahdiyyeh Enayati (عهدیه عنایتی), Thamareh Ashnaa’i(ثمره آشنایی), Nasim Kaashaani-nezhad (نسیم کاشانی نژاد), Sahba Farahbakhsh (صهبا فرحبخش), and Noushin Zanhari (نوشین زنهاری).

Another six Bahais were given the same two-year sentence plus internal exile. They are Mahyar Sefidi (مهیار سفیدی), exiled to Lamerd in Fars Province; Varqa Kaviani (ورقا کاویانی), exiled to Kashmar in Khorasan; Shamim Ekhlaqi (شمیم اخلاقی), exiled to Semirom in Isfahan Province; Farzad Shaadmaan (فرزاد شادمان), exiled to Minab in Hormozgan; Farbod Shaadmaan (فربد شادمان), previously named as Farid Shaadmaan (فرید شادمان), who is exiled to Firuzabad in Fars Province, and Soroush Eqaani (سروش ایقانی), exiled to Mehriz in Yazd Province. Shiraz itself is the capital of Fars Province, so all but two of these Bahais would be exiled to distant places, if the judgement is upheld.

The Provincial Review Court will review the sentences of the Revolutionary Court, and has in the past reduced the sentences given by Judge Mahmud Saadaati. That Judge is subject to US sanctions for his human rights abuses. He has specialized in sentencing Bahais to prison and internal exile for their Bahai beliefs, usually under the guise of “propaganda against the regime,” “membership of an illegal organisation,” or, as in this case, “collusion undermining state security” by going to city slums “under the pretext of investigating the water crisis and social ills and advocating for the environment,” and also “colluding to create intellectual and doctrinal insecurity through their deviant and dangerous thinking, particularly that Islam is superseded etc etc.. ”

A previous report on this blog gives more details of the arrest of these Bahais in 2016 and their previous trials.

Older items can be found in the archive, here. Even older news is here.

Bahai Cemetery in Tehran fenced off by authorities

HRANA, June 6, 2022. –

Authorities have installed a new wall and gate around the Bahai cemetery in Tehran that adjoins the Khavaran cemetery, where executed prisoners of conscience were buried following the 1979 Revolution. The gate is locked. This appears to relate to recent earthworks to create a new cemetery of Muslims on an adjoining site, and relocating the entrance to the Khavaran cemetery. Last year, the Bahais were informed that new burials would have to be made among the mass graves in the Khavaran cemetery.

Older items can be found in the archive, here. Even older news is here.

Sa`ideh Khasousi free on bail in Tehran

HRANA, May 24, 2022. –

Mrs. Sa`ideh Khasousi (سعیده خضوعی) was released from Evin Prison on bail of 2 billion tumans (44,000 euros ; $US 47,000) on May 24. She was arrested on April 11.

Older items can be found in the archive, here. Even older news is here.

Amin Dhulfaqaari begins 8-month sentence in Yazd

HRANA, May 24, 2022. –

Amin Dhulfaqaari (امین ذوالفقاری) began his prison sentence in Yazd on May 24. Amin Dhulfaqaari (امین ذوالفقاری) was arrested by agents from the Ministry of Intelligence on May 21, 2021 [but the HRANA report says 2020], and released on bail on June 23. He was accused of teaching the Bahai Faith. In July 2021 the Revolutionary Court in Yazd, presided over by Judge Reza Javad Musavi (قاضی رضا جواد موسوی) sentenced him, and three other Bahais, to two years and eight months in prison for membership of anti-regime groups, and to eight months in prison for propaganda against the regime. The Review Court rejected the charge of membership of anti-regime groups and reduced these sentences to eight months.

Older items can be found in the archive, here. Even older news is here.

Sa`ideh Khasousi’s interrogation ends after 40 days

HRANA, May 22, 2022. –

After over 40 days’ detention by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Mrs. Sa`ideh Khasousi (سعیده خضوعی) has been transferred to Tehran’s Evin Prison. Her son Arsalaan Yazdaani (ارسلان یزدانی) reports that she will be released on bail. She was arrested on April 11 after responding to a summons to the court at Evin Prison in Tehran. On May 19 she was allowed a telephone call and told her family she was being (or had been?) transferred to the Revolutionary Guards’ interrogation centre “A1”. Her son Arsalaan was arrested on September 1, in a raid on the family home, and taken to Evin Prison. The agents also seized some personal effects. In another raid on September 30, agents seized more personal belongings, including Mrs. Khasousi’s new mobile phone. Arsalaan was released on bail on October 16 after 45 days in detention, however Mrs. Khasousi was summoned to Evin prison in late March, only to be told she should return on April 11, which she did.

Sahba Farnoush begins 2-year sentence (reduced from 6 years)

HRANA, May 11, 2022. –

Sahba Farnoush (صهبا فرنوش) began serving his two-year sentence in Tehran’s Evin Prison on May 11. He was initially sentenced to 16 years, which was reduced to six years by the Review court for Tehran Province. This was appealed to the Supreme Court, which reduced the sentence to two years. His crime was celebrating the birthday of Baha’u’llah. Mr. Farnoush was arrested by agents from the Ministry of Intelligence on November 15, 2015. He was one of 20 Bahais arrested in Tehran, Isfahan and Mashhad on that day. Agents from the Ministry of Intelligence also closed down Bahai-run businesses in the Province of Mazandaran. It appears that the Ministry of Intelligence actions all related to Bahais commemorating the birth of Baha’u’llah.

Older items can be found in the archive, here. Even older news is here.

Bahai cemetery vandalized in Hamadan

HRANA, April 27, 2022. –

In April, the building used for washing the bodies of the dead, at the Bahai Cemetery of Hamadan, was partly destroyed. The report does not indicate whether this was done by a government body or by anti-Bahai activists.

Older items can be found in the archive, here. Even older news is here.

Sa`ideh Khasousi arrested in Tehran

HRANA, April 11, 2022. –

On April 11, Mrs. Sa`ideh Khasousi (سعیده خضوعی) was arrested in Tehran after responding to a summons to the court at Evin Prison in Tehran. She is the mother Arsalaan Yazdani (ارسلان یزدانی ), who was arrested on September 1, in a raid on the family home, and taken to Evin Prison. The agents also seized some personal effects. In another raid on September 30, agents seized more personal belongings, including Mrs. Khasousi’s new mobile phone. Arsalaan was released on bail on October 16 after 45 days in detention, however Mrs. Khasousi was summoned to Evin prison in late March, only to be told she should return on April 11, which she did.

Older items can be found in the archive, here. Even older news is here.

Shahnaaz Saabet resumes prison sentence in Shiraz

HRANA, March 2022. –

Shahnaaz Saabet (شهناز ثابت) resumed her two-year prison sentence in Shiraz on March 12. She was arrested and informed that the High Court hearing she had requested had confirmed her sentence. She was not present or represented at the “hearing.” She began her sentence on October 6, 2020. In May 2021 she was released pending the rehearing, so she has already served seven months. She suffers from a number of illnesses, including back pain and kidney stones.

Mrs. Saabet was arrested in her home in Shiraz on September 1, 2019. She was initially sentenced to six years in prison, by Judge Sayyid Mahmud Saadaati (قاضی سید محمود ساداتی), on charges of “propaganda against the regime and membership in anti-regime group.” This was reduced to two years by the Review Court.

Shahram Najaf-Tumara’i goes to prison in Tehran

HRANA, March 13, 2022. –

Shahram Najaf-Tumara’i (شهرام نجف تومرائي), a Bahai who previously served as one of the Khadamin (area facilitators) for the Bahais in District 7 in Tehran, began serving a 2-year sentence on March 13. He was arrested on November 27, 2015 and released on bail on December 29. At the time, web sites linked to the regime accused him of espionage. The actual pretext for his sentence is not reported.

Older items can be found in the archive, here. Even older news is here.

Sadiqeh Aqdasi, Behrouz Farzandi and Qaasem Ma`sumi begin prison sentences

HRANA, March 7, 2022.-

Sadiqeh Aqdasi (صدیقه اقدسی), Behrouz Farzandi Ardakaani (بهروز فرزندی اردکانی) and Qaasem Ma`sumi (قاسم معصومی), Bahais from Shiraz, were summoned to the Revolutionary Court on March 7 to answer some questions, but were instead arrested and taken to Adelabad prison to begin their prison sentences. In November 2021 a Revolutionary Court in Shiraz sentenced these three Bahais and `Aliyyeh Forutan (عالیه فروتن), Siyaamak Honavar (سیامک هنرور) and Sa`id Ettehaad (سعید اتحاد) to 31 months and 16 days on charges of membership of an anti-regime group and propaganda against the regime. The HRANA report says it was 39 months, but seven and a half months of this was the concurrent sentence for propaganda, so 31 and a half months is correct. The Provincial Review Court has reduced Mrs. Aqdasi’s sentence by transforming 25 months into a suspended sentence, so her prison sentence is now six and a half months. The Court confirmed the other sentences.

These six Bahais were arrested on April 5 and six during raids on their homes. During the raids, agents from the Ministry of Intelligence seized their personal effects such as books and electronic devices. Mr. Ardakaani and Sadiqeh Aqdasi were freed on bail on May 3, and the others in the following days or weeks — I have no precise dates.

Older items can be found in the archive, here. Even older news is here.

Saba Sefidi free on bail

HRANA, February 23, 2022. –

Saba Sefidi (صبا سفیدی), a Bahai from Tehran, was freed on bail from Evin Prison on February 23. Bail was set at 1.5 billion tumans (315,000 euros ; $US355,000). She was summoned to the court at Evin Prison on January 11, and arrested when she appeared there. Since then, she has had only brief contact with her family. There is no indication of the reason for her arrest and detention.

Older items can be found in the archive, here. Even older news is here.

Naatoli Derakhshaan free on bail

HRANA, February 8, 2022. –

Naatoli Derakshaan (ناتولی درخشان), a Bahai poet, has been released on bail pending his trial. The Public Prosecutor has claimed that he was arrested in relation to membership of a pyramid selling scheme. He was previously arrested by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence on February 21, 2012, and released on bail of 200 million rials (13,000 euros, $US18,000) on March 27 that year. The charge against him was said to be “propaganda against the regime.” He had published an open letter to Ayatollah Khamenei, drawing attention to human rights violations against the Bahais and others in Iran, the exclusion of Bahai youth from tertiary education, and the false denials of these facts by Iran’s representatives at the United Nations. Mr. Derakshaan himself is excluded from tertiary education because he is a Bahai.

Older items can be found in the archive, here. Even older news is here.

Sina Shahri bailed in Tabriz

HRANA, February 3, 2022. –

On February 2, Sina Shahri (سینا شهری) was released on bail in Tabriz, pending his trial. He was arrested on January 17 when agents from the Ministry of Intelligence raided his home, confiscating a number of personal effects relating to the Bahai Faith, and arresting him. He later told his family by telephone that he was detained in a Ministry of Intelligence detention centre. On January 22, his wife Negaar Nasiri (نگار نصیری) was summoned to the Ministry of Intelligence facility in Tabriz known as “Room 37” and questioned for some hours before her release.

Older items can be found in the archive, here. Even older news is here.

Three arrests in Tehran’s Marlik district

HRANA, February 1, 2022. –

Security forces have arrested Mrs. Pari Kargaran-Marvasti (پری کارگریان مروستی), Daniel Baninezhad (دانیال بنی نژاد) and Ismael Mowla’i (اسماعیل مولایی) in Marlik, a suburb in Tehran to the south of Karaj. The agents raided Mrs. Kargaran’s home and seized some personal belongings, including mobile phones, electronic equipment, and pictures, books and objects relating to the Bahai Faith. The HRANA report says that Ismael Mowla’i is not a Bahai, but other reports do not say this.

Older items can be found in the archive, here. Even older news is here.

Farhaam Saabet and Farzaan Ma`sumi begin 2-year prison terms

HRANA, January 24, 2022. –

On January 23, Farhaam Saabet (فرهام ثابت) and Farzaan Ma`sumi (فرزان معصومی) reported to Adelabad Prison in Shiraz to begin serving their 2-year sentences. Mr Saabet and Ma`sumi were initially sentenced to five years in prison (with an additional one-year concurrent sentence) by Judge Sayyid Mahmud Saadaati (قاضی سید محمود ساداتی), sitting in the Revolutionary Court in Shiraz. The Provincial Review Court reduced this to two years in prison. They were charged with propaganda activities against the regime and membership in opposition groups. They were arrested on the morning of February 12, 2017, when their homes were searched and religious and non-religous books, mobile phones and computers were seized, along with family photos and religious images. They were held at the Revolutionary Guards’ Intelligence Detention Center (Detention Facility 100) in Shiraz, and were freed on bail on the morning of February 22. Bail was set at 200 million tumans each (59,000 euros ; $US 62,000). Farzaan Ma`sumi was again arrest on October 21, 2019, along with Kiaana Sho`aari (کیانا شعاعی) and Soroush Abaadi (سروش آبادی). It was later claimed that they were holding a religious ceremony that would eclipse the Arba’een Pilgrimage in Karbala, but this allegation seems to have been dropped now.

Older items can be found in the archive, here. Even older news is here.

Jamaal Afshaar bailed in Ahvaz

HRANA, January 22, 2022. –

Jamaal Afshaar (جمال افشار) was freed on bail from the Central Prison in Ahvaz on January 22. He is the last of seven Bahais arrested in home raids in Mahshahr on December 27 to be freed. Five of these were questioned and released after a few hours, while Behzaad Afshaar was bailed on January 14.

Older items can be found in the archive, here. Even older news is here.

Negaar Nasiri summoned in Tabriz

HRANA, January 22, 2022. –

On January 22, Negaar Nasiri (نگار نصیری) was summoned to the Ministry of Intelligence facility in Tabriz known as “Room 37.” Her husband Sina Shahri (سینا شهری) was arrested during a raid on their home in Tabriz last week (the precise day is not specified).

Older items can be found in the archive, here. Even older news is here.

Raid and arrest in Tabriz

HRANA, January 17, 2022. –

Agents from the Ministry of Intelligence have raided the home of Sina Shahri (سینا شهری) in Tabriz, confiscating a number of personal effects relating to the Bahai Faith, and arresting him. The date of the raid is not specified, but HRANA usually reports events within three days.

Older items can be found in the archive, here. Even older news is here.

Property of Shayda Taa’id confiscated by Article 49 court

HRANA, January 17, 2022. –

A special court for Mazandaran Province has ruled that the property of Shayda Taa’id ( شیدا تائید ), a Bahai living in Nur County, Mazandaran, should be seized and handed to “The Executive Headquarters of the Imam.” This organisation, known as Setad, is a parastate organization controlled by the Supreme Leader of Iran. It was created from thousands of properties confiscated in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and serves as a front company for the dubious assets of the ruling elite. The special court rules on confiscations under Article 49 of the Constitution, which says that the government has the responsibility of confiscating all wealth accumulated through usury, usurpation, bribery (etc..), and the operation of centers of corruption. The court based its decision on a fatwa from (unspecified) Shiah clerics, that the ownership of property by Bahais is not in accordance with religious law (“مشروع نبودن اموال بهائیان” ). The decision was issued on January 13 this year.

Mrs Taa’id was arrested in her home in Qaemshahr on September 23, 2021, and released on bail on October 4. Bail was set at 900 million tumans (18,400 euros ; $US 21,400). The authorities have been harassing her for over a decade. On November 6, 2010, the home she shared with her mother, Fariba Ta’id ( فریده تایید ), was searched by the Ministry of Intelligence, and on November 20, 2010, they were arrested by the Ministry of Intelligence. They were both released in early December, 2010. In 2013, her home was raided on January 21, and she was arrested along with her guest, Bayan Baba’i ( بیان بابایی ) from Qaemshahr. They were taken to the Ministry of Intelligence in Sari, and three days later were allowed to contact their families. They were detained by the Ministry of Intelligence in Sari for a total of 25 days. In June 2016 she began a one-year sentence in Babol Prison, in relation to the 2013 arrest, but was released early, in December that year.

Older items can be found in the archive, here. Even older news is here.

Samira Ebraahimi arrested, released on bail

HRANA, January 12, 2022. –

Samira Ebraahimi (سمیرا ابراهیمی) was arrested in Tehran on January 10, after answering a summons, and freed from Evin Prison on bail on January 11. Bail was unusually high, at 800 million tumans (165,000 euros ; $US 189,000). Mrs. Ebrahimi is the wife of Arsalan Yazdani (ارسلان یزدانی), who was arrested on September 1, 2021, in a raid on the family home. He was detained for 45 days, and then released on bail of one million tumans (200 euros ; $US 240).

Older items can be found in the archive, here. Even older news is here.

Saba Sefidi arrested in Tehran

HRANA, January 11, 2022. –

Saba Sefidi (صبا سفیدی), a Bahai from Tehran, was summoned to the court at Evin Prison on January 11, and arrested when she appeared there. No further details are available.

Older items can be found in the archive, here. Even older news is here.

Baha’i poet Naatoli Derakhshaan arrested in Sari City

HRANA (English), January 12, 2022. –

On January 11, Naatoli Derkshaan (ناتولی درخشان), a Bahai poet, was arrested by intelligence agents at his home in Sari City and transferred to an unidentified location. The reasons for this arrest, the charges against him and his whereabouts are unknown at the time of writing.

He was previously arrested by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence on February 21, 2012, and released on bail of 200 million rials (13,000 euros, $US18,000) on March 27 that year. The charge against him was said to be “propaganda against the regime.” He had published an open letter to Ayatollah Khamenei, drawing attention to human rights violations against the Bahais and in Iran, the exclusion of Bahai youth from tertiary education, and the false denials of these facts by Iran’s representatives at the United Nations. Mr. Derakshaan himself is excluded from tertiary education because he is a Bahai. I have no record that he was tried in relation to the 2012 arrest.

Older items can be found in the archive, here. Even older news is here.

Behzaad Afshaar released, Jamaal Afshaar still held in Ahvaz

HRANA, January 15, 2022. –

Behzaad Afshaar, A Bahai from Mahshahr, in Southwest Iran, was released from Ahvaz prison on bail on January 14, while Jamaal Afshaar (جمال افشار) is still detained in Ahvaz. They were among seven Bahais arrested in home raids in Mahshahr on December 27. The other five were questioned and released after a few hours.

Older items can be found in the archive, here. Even older news is here.

Samira Ebraahimi summoned for questioning again

Iran Wire, January 5, 2022. –

Samira Ebraahimi (سمیرا ابراهیمی), the wife of Arsalan Yazdani (ارسلان یزدانی), has been summoned to the Tehran Revolutionary Court for questioning, for the second time in three weeks. She is due to report to the court on January 8. Her previous questioning was about December 21. Arsalan Yazdani was arrested on September 1, 2021, in a raid on the family home. He was detained for 45 days, and then released on bail of one million tumans (200 euros ; $US 240).

Older items can be found in the archive, here. Even older news is here.

Seven arrested in home raids in Mahshahr: two still held

HRANA, January 1, 2022. –

On December 27, seven Bahais were arrested in a raid on their home in Mahshahr, in the Southwest of Iran: five were questioned and released, and two have been taken to the city of Ahvaz, capital of Khuzestan Province. They are Jamaal Afshaar (جمال افشار) and Behzaad Afshaar (بهزاد افشار). The five who questioned and released a few hours later are Farideh Farzaaneh (فریده فرزانه), Mehraan Afshaar (مهران افشار), A`zam Afshaar (اعظم افشار), Kiomaarth Afshaar (کیومرث افشار) and Golnoush Afshaar (گلنوش افشار). During the raid, some personal effects were seized. Mehraan. A`zam and Golnoush Afshaar were also summoned to return to the Security Agency next day, when they were again questioned and released after a few hours.

Older items can be found in the archive, here. Even older news is here.

Egyptian court says no cemeteries to be provided for Bahais and some others

Mada Masr, December 30, 2021. –

A ruling by the Administrative Court of Alexandria this week exempted local authorities in Alexandria of the responsibility to provide Bahais with a space to bury their dead. The ruling also affects anyone in Egypt who has a dash mark (“-”) in the “religion” field of their national identity card. The dash indicates that they are not adherents of Islam, Christianity or Judaism.

Currently, a single cemetery space in Cairo’s Basatin neighborhood is available to the thousands of Egyptian Bahais. This has led to the depletion of the cemetery’s capacity and has required the families of deceased Bahais to transport the remains of their loved ones to Cairo from all across Egypt. Such long-distance transport is contrary to Bahai burial requirements.

In Alexandria and Borg al-Arab, where most Bahais in Egypt live, families have spent years submitting their requests to local councils for dedicated burial space, Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights researcher Amr Ezzat told Mada Masr. However, government employees often refuse even to file the submitted requests.

In a legal suit submitted to the Administrative Court of Alexandria a year ago, EIPR lawyers sued to obligate Alexandria’s local governorate authorities to allocate cemetery space for them on behalf of dozens of Baha’i families.

On Monday, December 27, the court refused to oblige the governorate to take action, referring to a State Lawsuits Authority opinion advising the court to reject the case on the basis that only Islam, Christianity and Judaism are recognized as religions in Egypt and guaranteed the freedom and space to worship and practice their rites.

EIPR’s lawsuit argues that the government does recognize people of other faiths or of no faith, and points to the 2009 decision to allow for people who are not Muslim, Christian or Jewish to leave the field dedicated to religious affiliation in their national IDs blank, as an acknowledgement of a fourth category of religious identification.

Under a 1966 law on cemeteries, local councils are tasked with looking into how much space is needed by different religious sects, and with proposing potentially appropriate sites and spaces to the Governor, who is then responsible for making a decision.

EIPR intends to appeal the ruling before the Supreme Administrative Court.

The initiative’s statement noted that the governor of Alexandria had consulted with the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar regarding the lawsuit, who concluded that “it is not permissible to allocate a plot of land to bury the dead who bear the mark (-) [to denote religious affiliation on their IDs]… because it leads to discrimination and division, and tears the fabric of a unified society.”

Home search and summons for the parents of Arsalaan Yazdaani

Iran Wire, December 19.* 2021. –

On the afternoon of December 15, eight security agents bearing a court order searched the Tehran home of the mother and father of Arsalan Yazdani (ارسلان یزدانی), and showed an old summons for Mrs Sa`ideh Khasousi (سعیده خضوعی): one to which she had already responded. At the time of the search, the family was in the midst of moving house, with many possessions packed in boxes. Their son Arsalaan was arrested on September 1, in a raid on the family home, and taken to Evin Prison. The agents also seized some personal effects. On September 30, the same eight agents raided his parents’ home and seized more personal belongings. This time, the agents were wearing body cameras. They were looking for the internal hard disks of the family computer and laptop, but those devices had already been confiscated by the agents, and the family had not been able to buy new ones, so there was nothing to confiscate. They had to be satisfied with some religious books and pictures, and Mrs. Khasousi’s new mobile phone.

Arsalaan was released on bail on October 16 after 45 days in detention.

*The date on this report is Sunday, December 16, 2021, but December 16 was a Thursday.

Shiva Khalili sentenced to one year in prison

HRANA, December 18, 2021. –

Shiva Khalili (شیوا خلیلی) has been sentenced to one year in prison by a Revolutionary Court in Iran, for propaganda against the regime. The sentence also ordered the seizure of her mobile telephone as an “instrument of crime.” She was arrested in Babol on November 16, after answering a telephone summons to the office of the Revolutionary Prosecutor, and released on bail the following day.

Older items can be found in the archive, here. Even older news is here.

Mitra Amirabaadi and Heyva Yazdaan enter prison in Yazd

HRANA, December 14, 2021. –

Mitrabandi-Amirabaadi-Baaghi (میترا بندی امیرآبادی) and Heyva Yazdaan-Mahdiabaadi (هیوا یزدان مهدی آبادی) were arrested on December 13, and taken to prison in Yazd to begin their 8-month sentences. They were convicted of “propaganda against the regime” because of their Bahai beliefs. They were arrested on May 30. In July 2021 the Revolutionary Court in Yazd, presided over by Judge Reza Javad Musavi (قاضی رضا جواد موسوی) sentenced them to two years and eight months in prison for membership of anti-regime groups, and to eight months in prison for propaganda against the regime. Only the propaganda accusation was upheld by the Provincial Review Court, in November this year.