9 Bahai Citizens Sentenced to 48 Years in Prison
Isfahan appeal court sentenced 9 Bahai collectively to 48 years in prison.
The appeal court has not made a single change to the original verdict.
According to the verdict, Afshin Bolbolan, Saham Armin, Milad Davardan, Farhang Sahba, and Anoush Rayne were each sentenced to six years in prison, and Bahareh Zaini, Fouzhan Rashidi, and Sepideh Rouhani each to four years.
Ali Sani, another Bahai citizen has also been sentenced to six years in prison by the same Revolutionary Court.
According to HRANA, he was charged with “being a member of the illegal Bahai organization”.
These citizens were all arrested on September 23rd of this year in Baharestan. Since the beginning of Autumn 2018, a significant number of Bahai citizens have been persecuted by the Judiciary and the security forces in Tehran, Tabriz, Karaj, Ghaem Shahr, Sari, and Khuzestan province.
The Islamic Republic does not recognize Bahaism as a religion, so they are not legally considered a religious minority. They are denied education, political career, and business opportunities.