An Iranian court has sentenced a member of the country’s persecuted Baha'i religious minority to six years in prison, as the authorities are intensifying their crackdown on the faith amid nationwide anti-government protests.
The Tehran Revolutionary Court handed Badie Khazei five years for acting "against national security" and another year for "spreading propaganda against the system," according to family members.
If the verdict is confirmed on appeal, the 31-year-old Khazei would have to serve the longest prison sentence.
According to the information received by IranWire, Khazei was stopped by intelligence agents in Tehran on October 17 while he was outside for dinner with friends.
After learning about Khadei's faith, officials in Fashafuye prison separated him from other inmates before transferring him to Evin prison.
Iranian authorities have arrested dozens of Baha'is in recent weeks, without giving information about the accusations they are faced
The Islamic Republic’s crackdown on members of the Baha'i minority appears to have accelerated since July. The clampdown has continued after the eruption of widespread demonstrations in September.
Since the Islamic Republic was established in 1979, Baha'is in Iran have faced systematic discrimination and harassment, including deportation, restrictions to education, property confiscations, imprisonment, torture, and executions.
Shia Islam is the state religion in Iran. The constitution recognizes a number of minority faiths, including Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism, but not the Baha'i faith
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