The restrictions on Artin Ghazanfari’s appeal come as a court upheld another Baha’i man’s prison sentence in northern Iran and security agents seized belongings from three Baha’i homes in the central city of Isfahan.
Ghazanfari, held at Greater Tehran Prison, can challenge his sentence only through the Supreme Court rather than a regular appeals court, the source said.
The developments are the latest in a series of judicial and security measures involving Iran’s Baha’i community, the country’s largest non-Muslim religious minority, whose faith is not officially recognized by the Islamic Republic.
Journalist sentenced to 26 years, denied medical care
Ghazanfari was sentenced by Branch 15 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Abolghasem Salavati, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
His sentence includes 20 years for “media-related activities,” five years for “assembly and collusion” and one year for “propaganda against the state.”
A source close to his family said the judge applied Iran’s law on increased espionage penalties to impose a 20-year sentence for an offense that would otherwise carry a 10-year prison term.
The source said Ghazanfari was given only 10 days instead of the usual 20 to challenge the ruling and was required to choose a lawyer from a list approved by the head of the judiciary.
His lawyer was also denied an opportunity to speak with the judge, according to the source.
Ghazanfari, who was arrested at his Tehran home in January, has also been barred from joining political groups, engaging in social media activities and leaving the country. Authorities ordered the confiscation of his mobile phone.
HRANA reported that Ghazanfari suffers from heart failure, high blood pressure and asthma but has been denied specialist medical treatment outside prison despite recommendations from prison doctors.
Court upholds sentence over Baha’i religious activities
In a separate case, the ninth branch of the Mazandaran Court of Appeals upheld a sentence of seven months and 16 days in prison against Noyan Hejazi, a Baha’i resident of Jouybar in northern Iran, sources familiar with the case told Iran International.
The court also upheld a ban on exercising social rights for 10 years and one day.
Hejazi was convicted of “promoting the Baha’i faith” and “propaganda against the Islamic Republic” on social media.
Court documents cited activities including organizing recreational camps and music classes for young people, possessing Baha’i religious books and publishing material critical of the Islamic Republic online.
The appeals court rejected his objections and upheld the lower court’s ruling. It also cited his lack of cooperation during questioning and what it described as ineffective denials of the accusations.
Security forces arrested Hejazi at his home in June 2025 without presenting a judicial warrant, according to sources familiar with the case. He was released on bail in August.
His wife was also detained while seeking information about him at a detention center in Sari and was later released on bail.
Security agents seize jewelry and belongings from three homes
In Isfahan, 10 plainclothes agents raided three homes belonging to Baha’i families on October 27, seizing jewelry, cash, electronic devices and household belongings, sources told Iran International.
The homes belonged to Raouf Rouhani Najafabadi, his mother Ferdous Ferdousian and his mother-in-law Forough Darab.
According to the sources, the masked agents spent six hours searching the properties and removed nine mobile phones, three televisions, three laptops, cameras, four musical instruments, more than 15 suitcases and bags, and over 30 million tomans in cash.
They also seized gold and jewelry, along with household items including a bag of sugar, an air pump and a ladder.
The sources said agents used pliers to cut two gold bracelets from the wrist of a woman in the family and removed a necklace belonging to an elderly relative.
The agents told Rouhani Najafabadi and his daughter that they would contact them later, according to the sources.
Days before the raids, Rouhani Najafabadi’s wife, Taraneh Khosravani, had received a summons to appear before a court handling property confiscation cases under Article 49 of Iran’s Constitution.
The court deals with confiscation proceedings and is linked to the Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order, an organization that manages extensive assets in Iran.
Sources said dozens of Baha’i families in Isfahan had received similar court notices over the past year, while raids and property seizures had increased.
International concern over treatment of Bahais
The cases come as Iran faces renewed international criticism over its treatment of religious minorities.
Representatives of Britain and Italy condemned discrimination and repression against ethnic and religious minorities, including Bahais, during a meeting of the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee on October 28.
Iran’s Baha’i population is estimated at more than 300,000, making it the country’s largest non-Muslim religious minority.
Unlike Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism, the Bahai faith is not recognized under Iran’s constitution.
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Bahais have faced restrictions on education, employment, religious activities and property ownership, according to human rights organizations.
In September, a spokesperson for the Baha’i International Community told Iran International that pressure on Bahais had intensified, describing the judiciary as a tool for persecuting religious minorities.
Iranian authorities have long rejected accusations of systematic religious persecution, maintaining that prosecutions involving Bahais concern security or legal offenses rather than religious beliefs.
