A Revolutionary Court in the northern Iranian city of Qaimshahr has sentenced 14 members of the Baha’i religious minority to a combined 31 years behind bars, IranWire reports.
The group was convicted of “deviant educational or propaganda activities contrary to and disturbing the Sharia of Islam.”
Sanaz Hekmat Sho’ar and Bita Haghighi each received a sentence of three years in prison, along with a fine of 30 million tomans ($600).
Samieh Qolinejad, Mahsa Fathi, Basir Samimi, Anis Sanai, Nazanin Goli, Negar Darabi, Hengameh Alipour, Golban Fallah, Afnaneh Nematian, Basir Samimi, Sam Samimi and Mani Qolinejad were handed two years and one month in prison each.
The court also confiscated all the items that were seized during their arrest.
The 14 Baha’is were detained in Qaimshahr on August 31, 2022, and were later released on bail.
The Iranian authorities’ crackdown on members of the Baha’i minority appears to have accelerated since July last year.
The clampdown has continued after the eruption of nationwide demonstrations in September 2022, with dozens of arrests reported over the past few weeks.
Shia Islam is the state religion in Iran. The constitution recognizes several minority faiths, including Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism, but not the Baha’i faith.
Source » shabtabnews