Jailed Baha'i Man Faces New Charge

Payam Vali, a Baha'i citizen imprisoned in Iran's Karaj Central Prison, was summoned to the Karaj Revolutionary Court on June 6 to face a new charge of "spreading falsehoods."

The court date coincided with the anniversary of the 1990 killing of Payam's teenage brother Afshin. 

In June of that year, Afshin Vali was thrown into a well and murdered by two youths in Nazarabad village. They were incited by the religious fervor stoked against Baha'is by the local mosque's Imam.

Payam Vali, 42, was arrested at his workplace in Karaj on September 24, 2022, amid the Mahsa Amini protests sweeping the nation. 

He was subsequently sentenced to nine years and nine months in prison on charges of "propaganda activities against the Islamic Republic, speaking to foreign media about the situation of Baha'is in Iran, and inciting unrest through his Instagram page." Six years of his sentence are enforceable.

Currently serving his term in Hall 15 of the Karaj Prison, Vali now faces additional charges of "spreading falsehoods" for informing others about the struggles he faces in prison on account of his Baha'i faith.

Reports have surfaced that Judge Asif al-Hosseini of Branch 1 of the Karaj Revolutionary Court, overseeing Vali's case, along with prosecutor Narimani, have openly stated their intent to "destroy Baha'ism in Karaj and Alborz province" through their judicial actions.