Tehran – In 2018, police raided the house of Shahrzad Nazifi, a motocross champion of the Baha’i faith. Police searched her house for hours taking books, her cellphone, her laptop, and personal items. She was detained and then released. But a lawsuit was opened against her.

Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran has sentenced Shahrzad Nazifi to eight years in prison and banned her leaving the country on charges of “managing illegal groups and factions with the aim of disrupting the security of the country” and with “bad motives and internal desire to destroy the religious system”.

According to unofficial sources, more than 300,000 Baha’is live in Iran, but the Iranian constitution recognizes only Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism. Because their faith is not considered legitimate by authorities, the rights of Baha’is in Iran have been systematically violated for years.