Six Baha’is Sentenced to a Total of 32 Years in Prison

OCTOBER 25, 2023

The defendants, Arsalan Yazdani, Saeedaeh Khozouei, Iraj Shakur, Pedram Abhar, Samira Ebrahimi, and Saba Sefidi, were all charged with membership in groups antagonistic to the Islamic Republic, propaganda against the system and promoting the Baha'i faith


Branch 29 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Seyyed Ali Mazloum, has sentenced six members of the Baha'i religious minority to a total of 32 years and 10 months in prison.

The defendants, Arsalan Yazdani, Saeedaeh Khozouei, Iraj Shakur, Pedram Abhar, Samira Ebrahimi, and Saba Sefidi, were all charged with membership in groups antagonistic to the Islamic Republic, propaganda against the system and promoting the Baha'i faith.

Yazdani, Khozoui, Shakur, and Abhar were each sentenced to five years in prison for their "membership in groups opposed to the Islamic Republic," as well as one year in prison for "propaganda activities against the system," and "promoting the Baha'i faith."

Five years of imprisonment are applicable to each of the defendants.

Ebrahimi and Sefidi received sentences of three years and five months in prison each for their "membership in groups opposed to the Islamic Republic," in addition to one year in prison for "propaganda activities against the system" and "promoting the Baha'i faith."

Three years and five months of imprisonment apply to Ebrahimi and Sefidi.

In a three-month trial that took place in three separate sessions, the defendants were denied access to lawyers of their choice and were subjected to unfair and discriminatory treatment.

The sentencing of these six Baha'i citizens is the latest example of the Iranian government's systematic persecution of the Baha'i faith.