A Baha'i couple named Vesal Momtazi and Anisa Samiyan have been sentenced to a staggering combined nine years and six months in prison, IranWire reports.
The court verdict reveals that Vesal Momtazi faces imprisonment on multiple charges. He has been sentenced to 7 months and 16 days in prison for engaging in activities that were deemed as preaching against the Islamic Republic.
He also received a sentence of one year and three months for "insulting the country’s leader" and a further term of three years, six months and a day for "insulting Islam."
Momtazi has also been fined eight million tomans ($160).
Momtazi’s wife, Anisa Samiyan, has also been sentenced to severe punishments.
She has been sentenced to seven months and 16 days in prison for "spreading propaganda" against the Islamic Republic. Moreover, she has received a lengthy prison term of three years, six months and a day for "educational activity contrary to Islamic Sharia law."
Sammiyan has also been deprived of social rights for a staggering period of 10 years and a day.
The investigation into the Baha'i couple's case involved a search of their residence in the northern town of Rasht, which took place on November 3 last year, by agents of the Intelligence Department.
The situation is compounded by the fact that Vesal Momtazi and Anisa Samiyan are parents to two young children—a five-year-old and a three-month-old infant.
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.
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