Baha’i Couple Held Without Charges as Health Concerns Grow in Shiraz Prison

Romina Khazali and her husband, Behzad Yazdani, both Baha’i citizens, remain in legal limbo in Shiraz’s Adelabad Prison more than a month after their arrest. So far, no interrogation sessions have been held, and the official reasons for their detention have not been disclosed.

An informed source told IranWire that a gastrointestinal virus has spread in Romina Khazali’s ward at Adelabad Prison, causing severe diarrhea and vomiting among many inmates. According to the report, prisoners’ health is worsening because there is no prison doctor and they are not receiving proper medical care.

In a brief call with her family, Romina Khazali said her essential medications have run out. Despite this, prison authorities have refused to accept the replacement medicines sent by her family, raising serious concerns about her condition. Before her arrest, the prisoner of conscience had undergone stomach surgery and suffered from chronic health problems, including severe migraines, ocular pressure, and back pain.

Reports indicate that Ms. Khazali is allowed only one 30-second phone call per week to contact her family. She has not been issued a phone card and has not been allowed to buy items from the prison commissary.

Before her detention, Romina Khazali was the main caregiver for her elderly parents. In her absence, this responsibility has fallen on the couple’s twin children, who are now dealing with the psychological trauma of having both parents detained at the same time.

Behzad Yazdani, a translator and editor, and his wife, Romina Khazali, a painter, were arrested by agents of the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) at their private residence in Shiraz on March 28 and 29, respectively.