Source: www.hra-news.org
Translation by Iran Press Watch
HRANA: Farzan Masoumi and Farham Sabet, two Baha’is living in Shiraz, have been sentenced by the Shiraz Revolutionary Court to a total of 12 years in prison.
HRANA News Agency – Farzan Masoumi and Farham Sabet, two Baha’is living in Shiraz, were sentenced to a total of 12 years in prison by the Shiraz Revolutionary Court. The combined sentences of these two citizens along with the sentences often other Baha’i citizens in Shiraz make a total of 75 years in prison.
According to this ruling, which was issued and announced by the First Branch of the Shiraz Revolutionary Court presided over by Judge Seyyed Mahmoud Sadati, Farzan Masoumi and Farham Sabet have been sentenced to six years in prison each on charges of “propaganda activity against the regime” and, “membership in anti-regime groups.”
Should this sentence be finalized in the Court of Appeals per Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, the maximum punishment of 5 years imprisonment will be applicable to these citizens for the charge of “membership in anti-regime groups”.
Previously, Baha’i citizens Shahriar Atrian, Navid Bazmandegan, Bahareh Ghaderi, Nora Pourmoradian, Soheila Haghighat, Shahnaz Sabet, Soodabeh Haghighat, Elaheh Samizadeh, all of Shiraz, were charged with “propaganda against the regime” and, “membership in anti-regime groups” by the First Branch of the Shiraz Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Seyed Mahmoud Sadati. Each received six-year sentences. Two other Baha’i citizens were sentenced; Niloufar Hakimi who got (eight-years) and Ehsanullah Mahboub Rah-e Vafa ( one- year).
Elaheh Samizadeh was sentenced to additional year for the second part of her case by Branch 105 of the Shiraz Criminal Court and two years of suspension from public and private services. Niloufar Hakimi had been previously sentenced to five years in prison by a criminal court. Soheila Haghighat is still awaiting a hearing on her second case. These Baha’is were initially detained by the security forces in Shiraz in years 2016 to 2019, and later released on bail pending trial.
Baha’i citizens in Iran are deprived of liberties of practicing their religious beliefs. This systematic deprivation of liberty occurs while Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights entitle any individual to freedom of religion and belief and also freedom to express it individually or collectively and in public or in private.
According to unofficial sources, there are more than 300,000 Baha’is in Iran, but Iran’s constitution only recognizes Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism and does not recognize the Baha’i faith. For this reason, the rights of Baha’is in Iran have been systematically violated over past years.
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