Dhabihu'llah Mahrami (1946 – 15 December 2005) (also Zabihullah Mahrami) was an Iranian Baháʼí who was charged with

apostasy from Islam Apostasy (; ) is the formal disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion that is contrary to one's previous religious beliefs. One who ...

and jailed in Iran. After 10 years in prison he was found dead in his cell.

Discrimination toward Baháʼís

Mahrami was an Iranian civil servant who lost his job after the government found that he was a Baháʼí. Adherents of the Baháʼí Faith are

persecuted Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group. The most common forms are religious persecution, racism, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these terms ...

in the Islamic Republic and are denied employment. On August 16, 1995, Mr. Mahrami was called before the Islamic Revolutionary Court in

Yazd Yazd (; ) is a city in the Central District of Yazd County, Yazd province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. At the 2016 census, its population was 529,673. Since 2017, the historical city of Yazd is rec ...

, and was questioned about his adherence to the

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...

. During the next few months the court met with Mr. Mahrami multiple times and tried to persuade him to renounce his beliefs. Upon his repeated refusal, Mr. Mahrami was charged with

apostasy Apostasy (; ) is the formal religious disaffiliation, disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion that is contrary to one's previous re ...

, and on January 2, 1996 was sentenced to death. His properties and assets were also confiscated. Although Mahrami was a lifelong Baháʼí, the apostasy charge apparently came about because a sympathetic Muslim colleague, in an effort to prevent Mr. Mahrami from losing his job, stated that Mr. Mahrami had converted to Islam.

Legal appeals

Mahrami's lawyer appealed to the

Supreme Court of Iran The Supreme Court of Iran () is the highest juridical authority in Iran, established to supervise the correct implementation of laws by courts of justice and consisting of the most prominent judges of the country. The head of the judiciary assig ...

; on January 28, 1997 the Supreme Court of Iran confirmed the death sentence and the news was conveyed orally to his relatives. In March 2000, following an international outcry, Mr. Mahrami's sentence was commuted to life in prison. Since that time until his death, Mr. Mahrami had been in a government prison in Yazd and was forced to perform arduous physical labour and had received death threats. After 10 years in prison he was found dead in his cell. The government informed his family that he had died of a heart attack, but Mr. Mahrami was reported to have been in good health shortly before his death. After his death, organizations, including

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

government, called on Iran to order a thorough investigation into his death and allow freedom of religion for all Iranians.

References

External links

Wrongly imprisoned Baha'i dies in Iranian jailThe Cases of Dhabihu'llah Mahrami and Musa Talibi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahrami, Dhabihullah 1946 births 2005 deaths 21st-century Bahá'ís Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by Iran People convicted of apostosy in Iran Iranian Bahá'ís Iranian people who died in prison custody Prisoners who died in Iranian detention Victims of human rights abuses Political prisoners in Iran