Afshin Heyratian, Baha’i child rights activist, sentenced to 31 years in prison

Hengaw – Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Afshin Heyratian, a 46-year-old Baha’i citizen, child rights activist, and prisoner held in Evin Prison, has been sentenced by the Iranian judiciary to 31 years in prison and ordered to pay multiple fines.

According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the verdict was issued and formally communicated by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari.

The court sentenced Heyratian to 12 years in prison for "forming an illegal group," 11 years for "propaganda activities contrary to the sacred law of Islam," six years for "assembly and collusion," and imposed a fine of 3.3 billion rials (330 million tomans). He was also sentenced to two years in prison for "obtaining illegitimate property" in connection with receiving US$1,000 and ordered to pay a fine equivalent to twice that amount, totaling US$2,000.

Under Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, which governs the aggregation of sentences, only the most severe sentence—12 years' imprisonment—will be enforceable.

Heyratian was arrested by government forces at his home in Tehran on November 11, 2025, and was subsequently transferred to Evin Prison. During the arrest, security agents searched his home and confiscated several personal items from him and his family.