Baha’i Citizen Sahba Farnoush to Serve Two Years Sentence

On Wednesday, May 11, 2022, Sahba Farnoush, a Baha’i citizen and resident of Tehran, started to serve his two-year prison sentence at Evin Prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Baha’i citizen Sahba Farnoush started his sentencing at Tehran’s Evin Prison

On November 15, 2017, on the day of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Baha’u’llah, the prophet and founder of the Baha’i faith, security forces raided Farnoush’s house in Tehran and transferred him to Evin prison. During the arrest, the agents confiscated some of his personal belongings such as his laptop and cell phone. On December 23, 2017,  he was released on a 200 million tomans bail.

In January of 2020, Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran sentenced Mr. Farnoush to 10 years in prison on the charge of “running a Baha’i organization”,  5 years on the charge of “membership in an anti-regime group” and 1 year on the charge of “propaganda against the regime through promoting the Baha’i faith”, to total 16 years of imprisonment. Subsequently, following the acceptance of his request for a retrial, Farnoush was acquitted of the last two charges and received six years imprisonment for “running a Baha’i organization”. This verdict was upheld on appeal.

Ultimately, Iran’s Supreme Court accepted his request for retrial and the sentence was reduced to two years.

Freedom of 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 practice religion freely, freedom of converting to a religion, as well as freedom of expression, individually or collectively; openly or secretly.