A Revolutionary Court in Dashtestan County, southwestern Iran sentenced six Iranian Bahais to a total of 73 years and six months of prison on May 19.
The Human Rights News Agency identified the six men and women who live in Shiraz and Borazjan as 53-year-old Borhan Esmaili, 27-year-old Dana Esmaili, 30-year-old Maryam Bashir, 33-year-old Minou Bashir, 48-year-old Faranak Sheikhi, and 49-year-old Haideh Ram.
The Revolutionary Court sentenced Borhan Esmaili to 11 years of prison for “Spreading propaganda against the state and acting against national security by promoting the Bahai faith”. The other five men and women were each sentenced to 12 years and six months of prison for “assisting in spreading propaganda against the state and acting against national security by promoting the Bahai faith” and “posting vulgar images in cyberspace and on social media to promote the Bahai faith”.
The court also said they taught children to subscribe to “opposition and anti-revolutionary websites” on Facebook and cited this as a crime.
The court sentence is pending an appeal and if confirmed, each of the Bahais will have to serve 10 years of prison.
Their personal belongings including their documents, holy books, videos, and CDs of the Bahai faith were confiscated during the raid of their homes by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Intelligence agents.
The six Iranian Bahais were previously detained by the IRGC Intelligence agents on February 1, 2017 in the province of Bushehr, southwestern Iran, but were later released on bail.
The Iranian regime has increased its suppression against Bahais.
In April alone, 25 Iranian Bahais were detained, and some were sentenced to lengthy prison terms. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, Iranian Bahais have been systematically persecuted as a matter of government policy. During the first decade of this persecution, more than 200 of Iran’s Bahais were killed or executed. Hundreds more were tortured or imprisoned, and tens of thousands lost jobs, access to education, and other rights – all solely because of their religious belief.
The persecution of Iran’s Bahais is still ongoing with dozens of Bahais languishing in prisons throughout Iran.
Source » irannewswire