Baha’i Woman Sentenced to 6 Years in Iran Over WhatsApp Group
Branch 47 of the Isfahan Province Court of Appeals has upheld a six-year discretionary prison sentence for Baha’i citizen Roya Ostovar.
According to information obtained by IranWire, the branch, presided over by Judge Ali Dayani, upheld the initial verdict in May 2026 without modification.
Under the primary court’s ruling, Ostovar was sentenced to five years in prison, a fine of 165 million tomans, and 15 years of deprivation of social rights under Article 500-bis of the Islamic Penal Code on charges of “educational and propaganda activities disruptive to the holy Sharia of Islam” by setting up and managing a WhatsApp group about the Baha’i faith. She was additionally sentenced to one year of discretionary imprisonment on the charge of “propaganda against the regime,” bringing her total sentence to six years in prison.
Roya Ostovar was previously interrogated by security forces in July 2024 upon her arrival in Iran at Isfahan airport. During that interrogation, her passport and all of her electronic devices were confiscated.
Two months later, the Baha’i citizen was summoned and re-interrogated by the Isfahan Intelligence Department. Following a formal summons, she appeared in court on October 26, 2024, and was temporarily released on bail of one billion tomans pending the conclusion of her judicial proceedings.
The court hearing for Roya Ostovar’s case was held on January 20 in her absence, but with her defense attorney present.
