Afif Naimi

Afif Naimi is born in Yazd and he is a former member of the "Yarane Iran" group. He is one of the Bahai citizens who were sentenced to long prison sentences. He was arrested in a new wave of arrests of Bahai citizens in 2022

In 2022, the Islamic Republic began a new wave of crackdown on Bahai citizens. The Islamic Republic arrested dozens of Bahai citizens in different areas of Iran and searched their homes. Some of them who had previously received prison sentences were sent to prison to serve their sentences and the security forces attacked Roshan Kooh village and destroyed the houses of Bahai villagers. <symbol-timeline></symbol-timeline>

• <coverage-outsourcing id='697'> The global Baha'i community published a statement in which they criticized judicial officials for targeting the daughter of Shirin Ebadi, one of the attorney's representing a member of the Yaran Iran group for being of Baha'i faith. They claimed that Iranian officials are biased towards the Baha'i community and that they label any kind of sympathy for these individuals as espionage. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='691'> He and the other members of the Yaran Iran group transferred to the Public Ward after spending three and a half months in solitary confinement. After about one month these inmates were separated from the general population again where the five men were held in one cell and the two women in another. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='657'> The Tehran Judiciary reported that the defendant and six other Baha'i community leaders were charged with "Spying for Israel, Blasphemy , and propagating against the state". </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='661'> The first trial session for the defendant and six other Iranian Baha'i leaders was held in Branch 28 of Revolutionary Court. Their charges included: > Espionage for foreign countries, Propagating against the state, Founding and maintaining illegal groups, Collaboration with the Zionist occupying regime, Conspiracy to collect classified information and sharing it with foreign nations in an attempt to disrupt national security, gathering and colluding against national security internally and externally, defacing the Islamic Republic of Iran in the international community and corruption on Earth . </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='669'> The last trial session for him and six other Baha'i leaders was held publicly and took three days to hold in Branch 28 of Revolutionary Court, while their attorneys and family members were present. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='674'> He was sentenced to 20 years in prison </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='685'> He was transferred to Rajaee Shahr Prison to serve his sentence. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='703'> News of the decrease of his and six other Bahai' leaders' sentence to 10 years was relayed verbally to their attorneys. The "Espionage" charges were dropped in Branch 54 of Appeals Court presided by Judge Movahed and as a result the sentences were revised to be 10 years shorter. Ultimately, the decision by the Appeals Court was deemed unlawful and overturned by the Attorney General, who increased the sentences back to 20 years. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='681'> It was reported that the initial sentence of 20 years was upheld in Appeals Court and relayed to the defendant. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='645'> From the three attorneys that represented the seven Baha'i citizens in court, Abdolfatah Soltani and Hadi Esmailzadeh were imprisoned and Mahnaz Parakand fled the country. Mahnaz Parakand spoke at the European Parliament in June 2011 and stated: > The arrest warrants for our clients looked more like a political statement than a legal warrant. It was a 50 page text... the warrant was full of insults and belittled the rights of Iranian Baha'is, especially our clients. The text was very general and did not include any substantial evidence . </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='630'> On the fifth anniversary of the arrests of Yaran Iran, UN experts Ahmed Shaheed, El Hadji Malick Sow, Head of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Heiner Bielefeldt, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, and Rita Izsák, The UN Independent Expert on Minorities issues, asked he Iranian government o release the seven prisoners immediately. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='623'> He wrote a letter to President Rohani along with the other six members of the Yaran Iran group : > The sentences that led to the expulsion of thousands of Baha'i individuals from government jobs, the execution of more than 200 Baha'i citizens, the expulsion of thousands of students from universities as well as the countless rulings made against Baha'i individuals in the last eight years and the legal process which led to each one of the seven of us to 20 years in prison, are a clear indication of the importance of having proper evidence in these cases. In fact, if there is no revision or adjustment to the mindless and arbitrary conditions under which citizen's rights can be violated, who can rest assured that they won't be subjected to the same fate that we are suffering today? </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='638'> In the seventh year of the incarceration of the seven Baha'i citizens, five members of the European Parliament requested their release from prison. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='758'> He was transferred to Tehran's Heart Hospital due to his severe physical condition. Prior to this, prison authorities had not allowed him to be transferred to hospital. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='7078'> He was transferred to hospital </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='7220'> According to Baha'i News, the sentences of the Yaran Iran defendants was reduced to 10 years in prison based on Clause 134 [of the Islamic Penal Code] </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='6848'> The defendant was returned to the prison after having been transferred to hospital due to his severe physical condition a few days prior to this date </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='6764'> It was reported that the defendant was transferred to a hospital outside of the prison due to his severe health condition but was later returned to Rajaee Shahr Prison. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='7077'> He was released on furlough. During his furlough he was hospitalized </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='40961'> <reference source='https://cutt.ly/CZEdp6Z'> Security forces arrested at least eight Bahai citizens and searched the houses of over 20 Bahai citizens in different cities. According to IranWire, Afif Naimi and Saman Ostvar in Karaj, Mahvash Sabet, Fariba Kamal Abadi and Soha Sabeti in Tehran, Bahareh Pazhgaleh in Shiraz, and Behnam Momtazi and Masoud Bahrami in Qazvin are among the arrested citizens. According to the report, the security forces searched the houses of Raheleh Kashani in Shiraz, Shadi Khassezad, Hadieh Ghiabi, and Farideh Hedayati in Mashhad, Nima Haghar, Nazila Haghar, and Soraya Manouchehrzadeh in Tehran, Pouya Sarraf, Bita Momtazi, Sabin Yazdani, Basir Heravi, Shaghayegh Keshavarz, Sara SHabanpour, and Mozaffar Nabili in Karaj, Azadeh Yaghini in Gonbad, and Shakib Masoumi, SHafagh Fahandezh, Neda Taefi, Afsoun Moodi, and Shaghayegh Pourenayati in Gorgan. They also confiscated some of their personal devices and belongings such as laptops, cell phones, and books about the Bahai religion. IranWire also reported that after the agents searched the house of Kamyar Habibi in Karaj, they took him to his workplace, and after searching the place they shut down and sealed it. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='41547'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/2022/hranews/a-36692/'> Mahvash Sabet, Fariba Kamal Abadi, Afif Naimi, and Saman Ostovar are still in lockup. An HRANA source reported: > Since Mahvash Sabet's arrest, despite her husband's efforts and repeated visits, she's been denied phone calls with family. HRANA reported that despite the medical examiner's opinion which states Afif Naimi is unable to serve time in prison, he is still being held in a security lockup in Karaj and hasn't had contact with his family for over three weeks. According to the report, Saman Ostovar is also in solitary confinement in a security lockup in Karaj and under interrogation. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='41938'> <reference source='https://cutt.ly/QC0sKlh'> IranWire reported that the investigator in the case of Afif Naimi has refused to accept the bail. Afif Naimi's son said: > Not only my father wasn't released today, but they took him to the court to charge him with new crimes and extended his arrest warrant in his terrible physical condition." > According to Mr. Naimi's son, he suffered a syncope (loss of consciousness due to heart failure . But despite the recommendations of doctors about his need for hospitalization, the prison authorities refused to do so. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='44015'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/2022/hranews/a-37621/'> HRANA reported that Afif Naeimi, Saman Ostovar, and Kamyar Habibi are being held in Ghezel Hesar Prison. According to the report, Afif Naeimi and Kamyar Habibi were able to see their families for 15 minutes last week, but since ALL OF Mr. Ostovar's identifications have been confiscated, he has not been able to see his wife yet. According to HRANA, these Bahai citizens are charged with acts against national or international security and propaganda against the state. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='47441'> <reference source='https://rb.gy/l9r3ew'> The revolutionary court of Karaj sentenced 13 Bahai citizens to over 40 years in prison in a joint case. According to IranWire, These citizens were charged with "insult and education and propaganda against Islamic Sharia, participation in groups with the intent to undermine national security through promotion of Bahaism in children and youth," and "propaganda against the Islamic Sharia through coaching." Based on the ruling, Afif Naeimi was sentenced to seven years in prison, 50 billion rials in fines, five years deprived of social rights, two years exile from Alborz province, two years ban on leaving the country, and two years banned from any educational and cultural activities. None of the charges for the defendants were mentioned in the report, but based on this sentence it seems he was convicted of forming and managing illegal groups. Saman Ostovar and Kamyar Habibi were each sentenced to five years in prison, 500 million rials in fines, and similar social punishments, seemingly for the same crime of forming and managing dissident groups. Rameleh Tirgarnejad wife of Kamyar Habibi was sentenced to three years in prison and 300 million rials in fines, plus similar social punishments, seemingly for membership in illegal groups. Elham Shareghi Arani and Sabin Yazdani were each sentenced to three years in prison and similar social punishments, probably for membership in illegal groups. Bita Momtazi, Shahrzad Mastouri, Sadaf Shaikhzadeh, Mahsa Tirgar, Negin Rezaei, Sahba Adyani, and Nakisa Sadeghi were each sentenced to 25 months in prison, fines, and similar social punishments. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>