Baha’i Citizen Moein Mohammadi Dehaj Sentenced to More Than 16 Years in Prison and Additional Punishments

Breathing in Confinement, Sunday, 16 August 2026: Moein Mohammadi Dehaj, a Baha’i citizen residing in Yazd, has been sentenced by Branch 1 of the Yazd Revolutionary Court to a total of 16 years, seven months and 18 days in prison, along with additional punishments, on charges related to media and advocacy activities as well as activities associated with the Baha’i faith.

According to reporters from Breathing in Confinement, the news outlet of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, Moein Mohammadi Dehaj, 39, a resident of Yazd, was sentenced by Branch 1 of the Yazd Revolutionary Court to a total of 16 years, seven months and 18 days in prison on charges of “media and propaganda activities against national security,” “propaganda against the state,” and “deviant propaganda activities contrary to the sacred principles of Islam through the promotion of the Baha’i faith.”

According to published information, in addition to imprisonment, the sentence includes supplementary punishments, deprivation of certain social rights, and permanent dismissal from government service.

Moein Mohammadi Dehaj was arrested at his home in Yazd on 6 August. During his arrest and the search of his home, security forces seized a number of his electronic devices, books, and religious materials.

The charges brought against this Baha’i citizen primarily relate to his media and advocacy activities, as well as his religious activities. Baha’i citizens in Iran have faced arrests, summonses, judicial proceedings, prison sentences, and restrictions on their social and employment rights in recent years.

Under the sentence issued, if the ruling is upheld on appeal, the most severe sentence—12 years, six months and one day of imprisonment—will be enforceable.

Moein Mohammadi Dehaj had previously also faced judicial proceedings, conviction, and imprisonment because of his religious beliefs.