Name: Sakine (Mehri) Behjati
Country/Area of Origin: Rasht, Iran
Background: Behjati is a Christian convert
Reason for Arrest:
In February 2020, Sakine (Mehri) Behjati and three other Iranian Christian converts – Ramin Hassanpour, Saeede (Kathrin) Sajadpour, and Hadi (Moslem) Rahimi – were arrested for their membership in the local Rasht division of the Church of Iran. In August, Behjati was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment each on charges of “acting against national security” and “spreading Zionist Christianity”. Prior to the sentencing, in May the group of four spent a week in Rasht’s Lakan Prison as they were unable to afford the bail amount set at 500 million tomans; they were then released on a reduced 200 million toman bail.
In September 2020, Rahimi’s, Hassanpour’s, Behjati’s, and Sajadpour’s appeals were rejected.
Latest Updates:
- 28 April 2022: On Easter Sunday 2022, Behjati presented herself to the officials at Evin Prison to begin serving her two-year prison sentence.
- 9 January 2022: Hadi (Moslem) Rahimi, who was arrested alongside Hassanpour, began serving his four year sentence at Evin Prison. Hassanpour, Sajadpour, and Behjati are still free on bail but could be summoned to begin serving their sentences soon.