Tehran, Iran – On July 21, 2024, Thirteen members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light were tried before Branch 3 of the Special Clerical Court. They are charged with “causing corruption in the land” and with “ stirring propaganda against the regime” and with acting against the national security of Iran by being members of the faith. These crimes are punishable by five years in jail.
These individuals were initially arrested in December 2022 by the Ministry of Intelligence agents and detained in Evin Prison. Their arrest was due to their beliefs, which are considered heretical to Shia Islam by the Iranian authorities. They were coerced into signing repentance letters denouncing their faith and leader. Their passports were confiscated, and their cases were subsequently referred to the Special Clerical Court.
During the trial on July 21, 2024, the judge dismissed the group’s lawyer, stating that only court-approved lawyers could represent them, despite the lawyer having approval from the prosecutor’s office. The members’ parents were also barred from attending the trial.
The judge accused the defendants of adhering to the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light and stated that a verdict would be issued within ten to twenty days. The defendants cited Article 23 of the Constitution, which protects individuals from persecution based on their beliefs. However, the judge dismissed their argument, and the session concluded within 30 to 45 minutes, without sufficient time for the defendants to present their case. One member who was previously handed down a suspended sentence of three years in jail for adhering to the faith was informed that if a new sentence is issued against him, the three years will be added to them.
Members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in Iran face severe religious persecution and violence. They are unable to practice their faith openly and live under constant threat. The Iranian authorities label them as “heretics” and “infidels,” and their religion as a “misguided movement.”
Since 2018, the Iranian regime has intensified efforts to identify and prosecute members of this faith. Their teachings challenge the concept of “Wilayat Al-Faqih” (Rule of the Jurisprudent), which is fundamental to the Iranian regime, leading to their designation as “enemies of the state” and their religion being declared a “hostile and deviant group.”
Members have reported being subjected to home raids, arrests, and threats of execution for practicing their faith. They have faced tight surveillance, and family members have been pressured to report them. Charges such as “insulting the leadership” and “opposition to the principle of the system” have been used against them.
Details of persecution of members of AROPL faith from our website>>>https://theahmadireligion.org/blog/2024/01/17/testimonies-of-our-iranian-members/
Testimony of some of the believers from Elvin prison on harsh conditions and treatment
Testimony of Muhammad Hashem
One member recounted being detained by the Ministry of Intelligence, handcuffed, blindfolded, and threatened at gunpoint. They were taken to various locations under harsh conditions before being transferred to Evin Prison, where they were pressured to recant their faith and provide false confessions.
Sayed Ali was brutally attacked by undercover Iranian police officers during a wedding in his hometown. The officers, aware of his affiliation with the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, assaulted him with sticks, causing severe injuries to his legs and cracking his skull open. He bled profusely for 25 minutes until he reached the hospital, where he required several nights of treatment, including 17 serums and injections.
Members have also reported being forcibly admitted to mental asylums by their own family members, as exemplified by the case of Leila Hossein from Tehran, who was restrained by her husband and son and subjected to antipsychotic medication when she disclosed her beliefs. Another member, Puria Lotfinallou, shared a similar account, being locked in a mental institution by his family and forcibly administered antipsychotic medicine.
Leila Hossein from Tehran, Iran
The Iranian regime has escalated its campaign against this community, especially following the release of the seminal gospel, “The Goal of the Wise.” For this, members of the faith were called “enemies of the state” and the religion was officially declared a “hostile and deviant group.” Tenets of the faith also include the abrogation of the five daily prayers, the headscarf not being mandatory for women, the acceptance of LGBTQ members in the faith and that the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site is in Petra, Jordan not Mecca. The faith is headed by Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq, an American-Egyptian, held by his followers to be the awaited successor of Prophet Mohammed PBUH and his family, and the awaited Mahdi who comes to establish a Divine Just State for humanity.
Abdullah Hashem, Aba Al-Sadiq FHIP the leader of the AROPL faith.
The members of this faith community continue to face significant risks and challenges in practicing their beliefs in Iran. Severe persecution of members of the faith reported by HRW and Amnesty International are reported in the following statements.
https://theahmadireligion.org/blog/2024/01/13/timeline-of-events-of-border-incident
Recently we hosted numerous professors and human rights advocates from all over the world and institutions like Bitter Winter and Harvard and explained the issues at UN level, here are details of the recent conference. Right to practice their beliefs amid significant risks and dangers.
