Ten Baha'i women in Iran sentenced to a total of 90 years in prison
As Iran’s crackdown on the Baha’i minority continues at full force, 10 women have been given a total of 90 years in prison plus punishments including fines and travel bans.
As Iran’s crackdown on the Baha’i minority continues at full force, 10 women have been given a total of 90 years in prison plus punishments including fines and travel bans.
Charged in the Isfahan Revolutionary Court with "educational and propaganda activities against the sacred Islamic law”, a source familiar with the case told Iran International that the court classified the verdict as "confidential and security-related”.
Lawyers have been prevented from photographing or receiving a copy of the judgment, delivered to the legal team in person on Sunday.
The women have had all phones, laptops, digital devices, gold items, necklaces, rings, and US and Australian dollars confiscated from their homes as a "supplementary punishment" for the benefit of the "Muslims' Fund (the state).”
They are also on travel bans and social media bans for two years in addition to being levied $15,000 in fines.
According to information obtained by Iran International, the court cited activities such as organizing educational classes on music, yoga, painting, English language, and nature tours for Iranian and Afghan children and teenagers as evidence of the charges.
Among the women charged are Yeganeh Rouhbakhsh and Arezou Sobhaniyan, a mother and daughter, Rouhbakhsh just 19 years old.
The women were arrested in October 2023, and one month later, Iran International reported that Ministry of Intelligence agents had threatened their friends, neighbors, and non-Baha'i classmates, warning them that if they did not file complaints against the group or claim they were being coerced by them, they would face legal consequences.
A source close to the families told Iran International that the threats included dismissal from their jobs or expulsion of their children from schools and universities. In some cases, the authorities warned, "We will use any political content or evidence found on your phones to build a case against you."
Baha'is are the largest non-Muslim religious minority in Iran and have faced systematic persecution since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and in recent months it has intensified.
Last month, the Baha'i International Community issued a statement noting that despite promises by President Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration to respect the rights of all ethnic and religious minorities, Baha'is in Iran continue to face persecution.
Unofficial sources estimate that over 300,000 Baha'is live in Iran. The Constitution of the Islamic Republic officially recognizes only Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism.
Since the 2022 Women, Life, Freedom uprising which has seen woman in Iran under even greater threat of arrest than ever before, the risks for Baha'i women have soared, with dozens summoned to court facing vague criminal charges.
Since early March, over 75% of the Baha'is summoned to court or prison — 65 out of 85— have been women, according to the Baha’i International Community.
Currently, two-thirds of all Baha'i prisoners in Iran are women, many detained without due process, with some detainees' whereabouts still unknown.
In April, Human Rights Watch released a 49-page report, “‘The Boot on My Neck’: Iranian Authorities’ Crime of Persecution Against Baha’is in Iran,” documenting Iranian authorities’ systematic violation of the fundamental rights of members of the Baha’i community.
Human Rights Watch found that Baha’is face "a spectrum of abuses". "Government agencies arrest and imprison Baha’is arbitrarily, confiscate their property, restrict their education and employment opportunities, and even deny them dignified burial," a statement said.
Michael Page, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch added: “Iranian authorities deprive Baha’is of their fundamental rights in every aspect of their lives, not due to their actions, but simply for belonging to a faith group. It is critically important to increase international pressure on Iran to end this crime against humanity.”
“Any acts of aggression towards nuclear sites are condemned under international law,” Baghaei said during his weekly news conference.
He added that Tehran had officially communicated its position to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), saying, "we have sent a letter about it to… the UN nuclear watchdog."
Israel has vowed to attack Iran in retaliation for a volley of Iranian missiles launched on October 1, leading to widespread speculation that Iran's nuclear sites could be among Israel's targets.
On October 1, Iran fired more than 180 missiles at Israel, a move described as retaliation for the killings of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon. It was the second Iranian attack on Israel this year. Israel responded to the first missile volley in April with an air strike on an air defense site in central Iran.
After the attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Tehran had made a “big mistake tonight” and vowed that “it will pay for it.” Later, the Biden administration revealed that it told Israel not to attack Iran's nuclear sites.
Last week, Netanyahu's office said Israel would listen to key ally the United States regarding a response to Iran's missile attack but would decide its actions according to its own national interest.
His statement was attached to a Washington Post article which said Netanyahu had told President Joe Biden's administration that Israel would strike Iranian military targets, not nuclear or oil sites.
Baghaei, responding to a question about the possibility of Iran changing its official nuclear doctrine, said "weapons of mass destruction have no place in our policy". Tehran would decide on how and when to respond to any Israeli attack.
Israel, which has long accused Tehran of plans to develop nuclear weapons, regards Iran's nuclear activities as a threat. Tehran denies these accusations, insisting that its program is entirely peaceful.
Additionally, Israel’s former premier Naftali Bennett called for the country’s leaders to launch an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities as the Jewish state weighs its response to the barrage of 181 ballistic missiles.
Bennet slammed Biden who had called for a “proportionate” response, saying, "President Biden has said that Israel can retaliate against Iran, but must keep the response 'proportionate'. The president also urged Israel not to attack Iran’s nuclear program."
Moreover, prominent Israeli opposition lawmaker and former defense minister Avigdor Liberman also called on the government to use “all the tools” at its disposal to confront the threat of Iran’s nuclear program, tacitly suggesting that Israel should use a nuclear weapon against the Islamic Republic.
“In order to stop the Iranian nuclear program, which is already at weaponization stages, we must use all the tools at our disposal... It must be clear that, at this stage, it is impossible to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons via conventional means.”
Separately, Baghaei said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi would travel to Bahrain and Kuwait on Monday as part of Iran's efforts to curb regional tensions.
Since early October, Araghchi visited Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, and Oman, with the primary goal of mitigating an Israeli strike.
Iran also remains defiant on the issue of three Persian Gulf islands disputed by UAE, with Baghaei reaffirming that Tehran “has no doubt about its territorial integrity and sovereignty over the three islands” in the face of claims from Persian Gulf states and the European Union, which accuse Iran of occupying the islands.
Tensions with Europe were also highlighted during Baghaei’s briefing, as he accused European governments of escalating hostilities by failing to engage constructively with Tehran.
European nations have recently imposed sanctions on Iran, citing its nuclear activities and human rights abuses.
When asked about reports of Israeli military preparations, Baghaei downplayed media speculation but stressed Iran’s readiness to defend itself.
“Our focus will be on responding to any kind of malicious act,” he stated, without specifying potential countermeasures.
Iran's rhetoric and diplomatic outreach suggest that the Islamic Republic is bracing for a critical confrontation in its longstanding conflict with Israel.
The students in faculties of medicine, dentistry, pharmaceuticals and veterinary science, already grappling with inflation and rising costs of living, took to the streets in protest of the hike which is usually closer to 10-25% annually.
"Someone help us! The 300 million rial (about $500) tuition for medical science programs has suddenly tripled, and now we are stuck with no way forward or back," one medical student at a protest rally on Saturday said, summing up the frustration felt by many.
Over the past week, students have staged several protests in front of key government buildings including the Ministry of Health, the Secretariat of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, and the Presidential Office. Placards carried by demonstrators asked questions like, "Why wasn’t the threefold increase announced? Is Azad University for elites or the wealthy?"
The protests began after tuition fees for medical students surged from 300 million rials (about $470) to 900 million rials (about $1400) per semester without prior notice.
Nazanin Abbasi, the secretary of the student council at Islamic Azad University in Mashhad, voiced her concern, stating, “The tuition has suddenly tripled to 900 million rials per semester, amounting to roughly 20 billion rials (over $31,000) for the entire program. This is in stark contrast to the monthly salary of a medical resident, which is only 15 million rials ($235)."
In response to the outcry, Mohammad Ghorbani, the spokesperson for Islamic Azad University, tried to justify the tuition increase and denied it was tripled. "Tuition increases at Islamic Azad University typically range between 10 to 25 percent, but this time, the increase for medical sciences was nearly double. The reason for the increase is tied to annual inflation and the high costs of educational infrastructure and medical equipment." His comment contradicts the information provided by students.
He added that over 70% of students have already paid their fees, while only 5-6% are protesting. Despite this, the discontent is palpable among the student body, especially considering the deteriorating state of the Iranian economy.
Ali Shirazi, a journalist speaking to Iran International, explained that as families already struggle with inflation and daily necessities, the abrupt tuition hike places an additional burden on them. Over one third of Iranians have been pushed below the poverty line since in the latest recession which has seen the currency massively devalued.
"This increase comes without any additional benefits for the students," Shirazi said. "There’s no new technology, no international professors, and the infrastructure remains outdated due to ongoing sanctions."
The Progressive Students group condemned the tuition hike, criticizing the commercialization of education. "What is happening now is unprecedented. The corrupt officials at Islamic Azad University have rushed to exploit high-demand medical fields, suddenly tripling already high tuition fees," the group stated.
They calculated that medical students will have to pay around 20 billion rials over seven years to become doctors, a figure far out of reach for the majority of families in Iran.
Students and experts alike argue that this move prevents working-class families from accessing medical education, making it a field reserved for the elite.
Niyayesh Nowruzadeh, another medical student, pointed out that the tuition last year was 320 million rials, and they had been expecting a 25-30% increase. Instead, they were shocked when the university announced the new 900 million rials fee.
Adding to the students' frustration, the Iranian government recently issued a directive prohibiting the sale of 'service obligations' that would allow graduates to pay off their mandatory service years. The move is seen as a way to hold graduates' diplomas hostage and prevent them from leaving the country, as many young professionals are looking for better opportunities abroad due to Iran’s economic, social, and political instability.
At a protest on Saturday in front of the Ministry of Health, students voiced their discontent with the new directive. "The government is taking actions to take the university degrees of the graduates hostage to prevent their exodus from the country," said Mohsen Moheimani, an expert on Iranian affairs, in an interview with Iran International.
"The health ministry has announced that the service obligation of the students to serve in hospitals must not be sold to them anymore, using this trick to prevent them from leaving as the healthcare system faces a shortage of staff."
Meanwhile, the Tehran Prosecutor’s Office has vowed to take action against institutions facilitating student emigration.
Valiollah Mahboudi, the Deputy Prosecutor of Public Rights in Tehran, announced that “a list of unauthorized student emigration agencies had been compiled and sent to the police, promising strict action against any violations.”
The crackdown on these institutions comes as more Iranians seek to study abroad. Many are disillusioned with the economic situation, and the exodus of skilled professionals is becoming a growing concern. According to the head of the Iranian Medical Council, up to 3,000 doctors left Iran in 2022, driven by low salaries, poor working conditions, and economic instability.
With no relief in sight and the costs of education soaring, many young Iranians feel trapped, unable to advance their careers or leave the country in search of better opportunities.