Additional Name(s): اردشیر فناییان
Gender: Male
Current Location: Semnan Prison, Semnan
Perpetrator: Iran
Ethnic Group: Fars
Religion or Belief: Bahá`í
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Appeal: Reduced to 6 Years' Imprisonment
Sentence: Originally 10 Years' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: April/30/2019
Date of Sentencing: October//2019
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Religious Activity Religious Belief
Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Spreading Propaganda & False or Misleading Ideas, Information, or Materials
Ardeshir Fanaian is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.
On April 30, 2019, authorities arrested Fanaian and took him to an undisclosed location after police raided his home. He and two others were accused of “unlawful membership of an illegal group aimed at disrupting domestic security,” “participation in, formation and administration of an unlawful group intended to unsettling national security inside the country,” and “taking part in action against the Islamic Republic regime in favor of opposition groups.” He was reportedly denied access to a lawyer.
In June 2019, Fanaian's furlough request to attend his father's funeral was denied.
In October 2019, Branch 1 of the Semnan Revolutionary Court reportedly sentenced Fanaian to ten years in prison for “founding or leading an organization that aims to disrupt national security" (Art. 498) and "propaganda against the state" (Art. 500 IPC).
In December 2019, it was reported that the Appeals Court of Semnan reduced Fanaian's sentence to six years in prison.
In August 2020, Fanaian was granted a short prison furlough to marry his fiancée, Golrokh Firouzian (also spelt Golrokh Firuzeyan).
In February 2023, it was reported that although a judge in Semnan consented to his release, the Semnan Intelligence Ministry has refused to grant permission.
It is reported that throughout his imprisonment, Fanaian has been subjected to periods of prolonged solitary confinement.
Prior to his most recent arrest, Fanaian spent eight months in prison in the early 2010s for allegedly "proselytizing Baha’ism."
Rep. Jan Schakosky (D-IL) advocates for Fanaian as part of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission's Defending Freedoms Project.
"Ardeshir Fanaian" Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
"Ardeshir Fanaian" United for Iran
"ممانعت اداره اطلاعات سمنان از آزادی اردشیر فنائیان، شهروند بهایی" IranWire
USCIRF Commissioner Sharon Kleinbaum, Tweet, December 1, 2021
"Baha'i Groom Returned to Jail Three Days After His Wedding" IranWire
"Ten Years in Prison, Two Years in Exile: Ardeshir Fanaian 'Jailed Solely for Baha’i Belief.'" Iran Press Watch
"Three Baha’is Sentenced to 20 Years in Iran Jail" Iran Focus
"Iran Sentences Three Bahais to 20 Years for Their Religious Beliefs" Iran Human Rights Monitor
"Baha’is Denied Family Contact as they Mark Two Months in Jail" IranWire