Mahvash Sabet

She was the director for the Bahá'í Institute for Higher Education for 15 years before her arrest. She has a B.S in Psychology. She began her career as a teacher and later became the director for a number of schools. In her professional career, she collaborated with the National Committee for Literacy in Iran but she was fired after the revolution

In the Spring and Summer of 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. Mahvash Sabet was once again arrested during this time. <symbol-timeline></symbol-timeline>

• <coverage-outsourcing id='4949'> She was arrested in Tehran. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='4950'> She was released from prison after posting bail. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='12597'> She was summoned and arrested by the Intelligence Ministry office in Mashhad to offer an explanation about the promotion of the Bahai faith. She was held in solitary at the Intelligence Ministry lockup in Mashhad for two months until she was moved to ward 209 of Evin Prison. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='695'> 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='690'> She 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='658'> 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='660'> 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='670'> The last trial session for her 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='673'> He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='684'> In an act that defied the guidelines of separating prisoners, she was transferred to Rajaee Shahr Prison and housed near dangerous criminals. This was while the conditions in Rajaee Shahr Prison were described as "Lacking hygiene and security, wherein dangerous criminals were harming the female inmates". </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='702'> News of the decrease of her 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='682'> It was reported that the Appeals Court has upheld the 20 year sentence and has relayed this sentence to the defendant. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='616'> Upon dissolution of Rajaee Shahr Prison's Women's Ward, the defendant and Fariba Kamalabadi were transferred to Varamin's Qarchak Prison. They were transferred back to Evin Prison after two weeks. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='617'> The defendant and Fariba Kamalabadi, who were recently transferred to Varamin's Qarchak Prison, were transferred to Evin Prison. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='643'> 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='620'> The defendant is in her 60s. In Fall 2012 he broke her hip but was still not allowed the right to medical leave from prison. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='628'> 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='621'> She 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='635'> On the Day of the Imprisoned Writer, PEN International praised the defendant as an incarcerated poet and writer. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='636'> 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='41548'> According to Hesar News, her sister Zhila Shahriari was arrested in Tehran. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='41549'> Her sister Zhila Shahriari was released from Evin Prison on a bail of two billion rials. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='9618'> According to Bahai News she was sent on medical furlough after being denied furlough for eight years. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='9810'> She returned to prison at the end of her furlough. She was sent on a five-day furlough which she extended for five more days. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='10786'> According to HRANA, a meeting was held on the occasion of the International Human Rights Day in the women ward of Evin Prison. At this meeting, Atena Daemi, Maryam Naghash Zargaran, Mahvash Shahriari, Fahimeh Arafi, Sotoudeh Fazel, Maryam Akbari Monfared, Fatemeh Mosanna, Golrokh Iraee, Fariba Kamalabadi, Mahin Izadi, Reyhaneh Tabatabaei, Ameneh Jaberi and Narges Mohammadi gave lectures and discussed on the issue of human rights </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='13880'> Amnesty International North American chapter, has devoted a letter writing campaign for the Iranian new year, Norouz, addressing: Saeed Malekpour, Keyvan Karimi, Mehdi Rajian, Hossein Rajabian, Nargess Mohammadi, MohammadAli Taheri, Atena Daemi, and Mahvash Sabet </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='15522'> According to Radio France, the International Bahai community started the "No to another year" campaign, demanding the release of the last member of Yaran Iran group. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='15508'> After a Twitter storm with thousands of users in support of the rights of Bahais in Iran, the US Department of State released a statement on its Facebook page calling the arrest of Yaran Iran group unjust and demanding their freedom. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='18236'> She and a group of political prisoners released a statement expressing concern about the transfer of prisoners to Rajai Shahr Prison. The statement was published by the Defenders of Human Rights Center. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='19000'> She was released after serving her sentence. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='40964'> <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='41477'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/2022/hranews/a-36367/'> HRANA reported that after arrest, Mahvash Sabet (Shahriari) and Fariba Kamal Abadi were transferred to ward 209 of Evin Prison. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='41544'> <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='42813'> <reference source='https://cutt.ly/3NswJiM'> According to IranWire, 72 hours after the fire in Evin Prison, Mahvash Sabet still has not contacted her family and there is no news about the conditions in ward 209 of Evin Prison. During the countrywide protests in Iran in reaction to the murder of Mahsa Amini, parts of Evin Prison were set on fire. A number of prisoners lost their lives, and some were wounded by the bullets shot by the prison guards. A number of prisoners suffered poisoning from breathing in the smoke and tear gas. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='43028'> <reference source='https://iranwire.com/fa/news-1/109390'> IranWire reported that after 100 days, Fariba Kamal Abadi and Mahvash Sabet are still being held in separate solitary cells in ward 209. These cells currently hold two or three people but the conditions are still like a solitary cell. According to the reports, they are being denied family visitation. Ms. Kamal Abadi and Sabet are charged with "managing an illegal Bahai organization", </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='43528'> <reference source='https://bit.ly/3i5MNY1'> She was charged with forming and leading an illegal group. IranWire reported the basis for her charges as follows: Participation in a party, meeting Fariba Kamal Abadi and Afif Naeimi and communication with them online, meeting with Bahais in Europe, and communications with several Bahais in India through WhatsApp. According to the report, the beginning of the indictment refers to issues unrelated to the case, such as referring to an Intelligence Ministry report in 2019 which accuses Bahai community of participating in the 2009 protests, or the "infiltration of the UN by Bahais which led to human rights resolutions against Iran." </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='44108'> <reference source='https://bit.ly/3h7xFcO'> The trial session of Mahvash Sabet and Fariba Kamalabadi was held at the 26th branch of the revolutionary court of Tehran presided by Judge Iman Afshari behind closed doors and with the presence of their attorneys. IranWire reported that the trial was held while Mostafa Nili, one of their attorneys has been arrested and could not attend. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='44434'> <reference source='https://bit.ly/3Hyh7W0'> According to IranWire, Fariba Kamalabadi was sentenced to 10 years in prison by Judge Iman Afshari at the 26th branch of the revolutionary court of Tehran. The representative of the Global Bahai community announced that Mahvash Sabeti and Fariba Kamalabadi were convicted in an hour-long trial full of insults and humiliation from the judge. Ms. Kamalabadi's charge is forming and managing an illegal group. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='46185'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/2022/hranews/a-38428/'> She has been denied family visits and phone calls. HRANA reported that her continued stay at a security lockup has concerned the family. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='45561'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/2022/hranews/a-38764/'> HRANA reported that Mahvash Sabet is still being held in solitary and denied family visits and phone calls. The report states that she is suffering from several illnesses including Osteoporosis and hasn't had access to her medicine since the arrest. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='46429'> <reference source='https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnlxaw7Kyhk/'> In a report on Instagram about human rights violations in Evin Prison, Narges Mohammadi mentioned that Mahvash Sabet spent three years in solitary and was denied sufficient medical treatment. Ms. Mohammadi also mentioned that she spent eight out of the 36 months of incarceration in Ward 209 in solitary under difficult conditions. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='46688'> <reference source='https://www.radiozamaneh.info/751093'> Radio Zamaneh reported that due to osteoporosis and arthritis and lung issues, the medical examiner has given Ms. Sabet a letter confirming her inability to serve her sentence, but she remains in prison. According to the report, she has constant headaches and requires intensive medical care. Due to the cold temperature in Evin Prison, her condition has deteriorated and she is having respiratory problems. Due to the high number of female protesters arrested during the 2022 national uprising, there is not enough room for women to sleep and some prisoners have to sleep in sitting position. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='46738'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/2023/hranews/a-39425/'> After her objection to the 10-year prison sentence, her case was referred to the appeal court. She is being held in the women's ward of Evin Prison. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='46689'> <reference source='https://bit.ly/3WTc5Yf'> IranWire reported that the International Human Rights Organization in Germany (IGFM) has announced that MP Markus Grübl has accepted the political guardianship of Fariba Kamalabadi and Mahvash Sabet. The statement says: > The two women are from the Iranian Bahai community and have been sentenced to ten years in prison each without the right to an attorney. The physical and mental health of Mahvash Sabeti (69) and Fariba Kamalabadi (60) is at serious risk. We demand their immediate and unconditional release and medical treatment. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='48926'> <reference source='https://t.me/dhrciran/3589'> A group of civil rights activists released a statement condemning the arrest and prison sentences of Fariba Kamalabadi and Mahvash Sabet. The signatories rejected the allegations against the two Bahai citizens and claim they received these "unjust and heavy" sentences for being a Bahai. The statement says Mahvash Sabet is suffering from several illnesses caused by her long stay in prison, and Ms. Kamal Abadihas missed on her children growing up and getting married and the birth of her grandchildren due to her previous prison sentence. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='49864'> <reference source='https://rb.gy/ridq'> IranWire reported that Mahvash Sabet and a group of Bahai prisoners spent the 2023 Nowruz in prison and their furlough requests were denied. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='50283'> <reference source='https://twitter.com/iranwire/status/1643677493914738694'> In an audio file from prison, political prisoner Faezeh Hashemi reported that Mahvash Sabet was tortured during interrogations. In the file released by IranWire, Ms. Hashemi says: > Mahvash said during the interrogation the interrogator kept hitting the chair, and since she was sitting on the chair facing the wall, her knees kept hitting the wall. Now they have taken an XRay and told her that her knees are fractured. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='50520'> <reference source='https://nypost.com/2023/04/10/mahvash-sabet-shahriari-beaten-by-iranian-prison-guards/'> New York Post published a report about Mahvash Sabet's fractured knees and said the guards at Evin Prison broke the knees of "this 70-year-old Bahai grandmother and political prisoner." The Sun website reported that Mahvash Sabeti was violently assaulted during interrogations in "one of the most notorious prisons in Tehran" which is on the list of the world's worst prisons.. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='50603'> <reference source='https://rb.gy/98squ'> Mahvash Sabet and Fariba Kamal Abadi s sent a joint statement to the online conference "Conversation to Save Iran" held by some political and civil activists in which they emphasized the necessity of respecting the global human rights charter and mutual respect between countries and national sovereignty as prerequisites for Iran's progress. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='56171'> <reference source='https://tinyurl.com/z95kvxpb'> In a detailed report, IranWire has discussed the situation of Fariba Kamalabadi and Mahvash Sabet. In this report, while referring to the deprivation of these prisoners from the right of access to a lawyer, it is stated that "eight months have passed since the issuance of the first sentence, and the appeals court has not yet been convened. In the first few months, the authorities of the case stated that the reason for this delay was that the case was lost, but in recent months, they said that the case was found and it is pending trial." </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='56172'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/2023/hranews/a-42774/'> According to HRANA, the ruling of the first court of Mahvash Sabet and Fariba Kamalabadi was confirmed by Branch 36 of the Court of Appeal of Tehran. This report states that "following the appeal petition, the case of these citizens was sent to Branch 36 of the Court of Appeal of Tehran province in February of last year, but after some time, it was transferred to the issuing branch of the Revolutionary Court to fix the flaws. Finally, the initial sentence was confirmed in the appeals court and was recently communicated to these citizens." </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>