Baha’i adherent Mitra Bandi Amirabadi sentenced to prison and social rights ban

Hengaw – Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Mitra Bandi Amirabadi, a Baha’i adherent living in Yazd, has been sentenced by the Iranian judiciary to five years in prison and a 10-year ban on social rights because of her religious beliefs.

According to a report received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Branch One of the Revolutionary Court in Yazd recently convicted Mitra Bandi Amirabadi on the charge of “deviant propaganda activity contrary to the sacred law of Islam through the promotion of the Baha’i faith.” The court sentenced her to five years' imprisonment and deprived her of social rights for 10 years.

Under the court's ruling, three years of the five-year prison sentence have been suspended for a period of three years. If the verdict is upheld on appeal and becomes final, two years of the prison sentence will be enforceable unless the suspended portion is later activated.

Iranian government forces raided Mitra Bandi Amirabadi's home during a nighttime operation on June 17, 2025. The forces searched the residence and confiscated several electronic devices, personal belongings, and a number of her religious books.

Mitra Bandi Amirabadi has previously been subjected to repeated arrests, interrogations, and judicial convictions solely because of her adherence to the Baha’i faith.