Source: www.hra-news.org
Translation by Iran Press Watch
HRANA News Agency – Sepehr Ziaei, a Baha’i citizen imprisoned in Evin Prison, is currently serving the 30th month of his sentence. Thus far, this Baha’i citizen’s requests for leave and for a retrial have been denied.
According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists in Iran, Sepehr Ziaei is serving his prison sentence in Evin Prison.
A source close to this Baha’i citizen’s family confirmed the news to HRANA, stating: “Mr. Ziaei has been in prison since approximately late September 2022, and so far, the authorities have rejected his requests for leave. Their refusal of his most recent request for leave was also communicated to him on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. Additionally, two separate requests for a retrial by this Baha’i citizen have been rejected by Branches 9 and 39 of the Supreme Court. He is currently being held in Ward 4 of Evin Prison.”
This Baha’i citizen was sentenced in the winter of 2022–2023 (corresponding to around December 2022 – March 2023) by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari, to five years in prison for “membership in illegal groups and factions with the aim of disrupting national security.” As a supplementary punishment, he was sentenced to a two-year ban on leaving the country and the confiscation of his seized phones and laptops. After some time, his sentence was upheld without change by Branch 36 of the Tehran Court of Appeals.
In September 2022, fifteen security agents arrested Sepehr Ziaei at his personal residence in Tehran and then transferred him to Ward 209 of Evin Prison. During the raid, the agents searched the home and confiscated various personal belongings of the family members, including mobile phones, laptops, computers, banking and personal documents, as well as a sum of cash.
According to the annual survey by the Statistics, Publishing, and Research Center of Human Rights Activists in Iran, during the period from January 1, 2024, to December 20, 2024, a total of 157 reports were recorded in the category of religious and faith-based minority rights. Baha’is accounted for 67.54% of these reports, making them the most frequent subjects of monitoring by human rights reporters.
The Baha’i faith is not recognized as a legitimate religion by Iranian authorities, leading to systematic and longstanding violations of the rights of Baha’is in the country. This includes the denial of their fundamental right to practice their religion, which constitutes a clear breach of both 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 freedom of religion, freedom of converting religion, as well as freedom of expression, individually or collectively; openly or secretly.
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