According to a report received by the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, in a new development in Roya Ostovar’s case in May 2026, Branch 47 of the Isfahan Province Court of Appeals upheld the verdict issued by the Isfahan Revolutionary Court.
Under the ruling, Roya Ostovar, a Baha’i citizen, was sentenced to five years of imprisonment, a monetary fine, and deprivation of social rights for 15 years on charges of “educational and propagandistic activities disrupting Islam through establishing and managing a WhatsApp group chat about the Baha’i faith.” She was also sentenced to an additional one year in prison on charges of disseminating propaganda against the Islamic Republic through the publication of online content.
The court ruling states that the online content shared by the defendant and several other Baha’i citizens had allegedly been disseminated under the direction of the Universal House of Justice (the supreme governing body of the Baháʼí Faith) and was deemed to have caused “deviation within Islam.” The court cited this allegation, along with what it described as “multiple offenses,” as grounds for imposing the harshest sentence.
According to Roya Ostovar, however, the WhatsApp group in question had only nine members, three of whom were Baha’i. The alleged evidence cited in the case reportedly included sending greetings for the Festival of Ridván and sharing a photograph in which the Baha’i Greatest Name symbol appeared in one corner.
Reports further indicate that the two appellate judges in the case, Ali Dayani and Sajjad Panahi Dorcheh, displayed highly aggressive behavior during the proceedings. Ali Dayani has previously presided over numerous political and religious cases in Isfahan Province, including the recent confirmation of harsh sentences issued against 10 Baha’i women by the Isfahan Court of Appeals. Sajjad Panahi Dorcheh, formerly the head of the judiciary in Najafabad, has also been involved in issuing rulings in security-related cases as well as cases involving journalists and local labor activists.
According to information received, Roya Ostovar had earlier been prosecuted in February 2026 by Branch 11 of the Isfahan Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office, headed by Vahid Hemmatnejad. She was interrogated in June 2024 upon entering Iran through Isfahan Airport, where her electronic devices and passport were confiscated. She was later released on bail set at one billion tomans (approximately $21,000), and the final court session was reportedly held in her absence.
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Under the ruling, Roya Ostovar, a Baha’i citizen, was sentenced to five years of imprisonment, a monetary fine, and deprivation of social rights for 15 years on charges of “educational and propagandistic activities disrupting Islam through establishing and managing a WhatsApp group chat about the Baha’i faith.” She was also sentenced to an additional one year in prison on charges of disseminating propaganda against the Islamic Republic through the publication of online content.
The court ruling states that the online content shared by the defendant and several other Baha’i citizens had allegedly been disseminated under the direction of the Universal House of Justice (the supreme governing body of the Baháʼí Faith) and was deemed to have caused “deviation within Islam.” The court cited this allegation, along with what it described as “multiple offenses,” as grounds for imposing the harshest sentence.
According to Roya Ostovar, however, the WhatsApp group in question had only nine members, three of whom were Baha’i. The alleged evidence cited in the case reportedly included sending greetings for the Festival of Ridván and sharing a photograph in which the Baha’i Greatest Name symbol appeared in one corner.
Reports further indicate that the two appellate judges in the case, Ali Dayani and Sajjad Panahi Dorcheh, displayed highly aggressive behavior during the proceedings. Ali Dayani has previously presided over numerous political and religious cases in Isfahan Province, including the recent confirmation of harsh sentences issued against 10 Baha’i women by the Isfahan Court of Appeals. Sajjad Panahi Dorcheh, formerly the head of the judiciary in Najafabad, has also been involved in issuing rulings in security-related cases as well as cases involving journalists and local labor activists.
According to information received, Roya Ostovar had earlier been prosecuted in February 2026 by Branch 11 of the Isfahan Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office, headed by Vahid Hemmatnejad. She was interrogated in June 2024 upon entering Iran through Isfahan Airport, where her electronic devices and passport were confiscated. She was later released on bail set at one billion tomans (approximately $21,000), and the final court session was reportedly held in her absence.
@iranhrdc
#DigitalBlackoutIran
#iran_strikes
#iran_human_rights
#iranmassacre
#roya_ostovar