Fariba Kamalabadi

Detained Since: July 31, 2022

Charges: Unknown

Sentence: Ten years in prison.

2008-2018 Imprisonment:

• Detained: May 14, 2008
• Released: October 31, 2017
• Charges: Espionage, propaganda against the Islamic Republic, and establishment of an illegal administration
• Sentence: Ten years in prison (reduced)
• Original Sentence: 20 years in prison

Biography: Fariba Kamalabadi is a developmental psychologist and mother of three who was arrested twice previously because of her involvement with the Baha’i community. On one of those occasions she was held incommunicado for 10 days. As a youth, Mrs. Kamalabadi was denied the opportunity to study at a public university. In her mid-30s, she embarked on an eight-year period of study and ultimately received an advanced degree from the Baha’i Institute of Higher Education, an alternative institution established by the Baha’i community of Iran to serve young people who were barred from university. Fariba Kamalabadi was in October, 2017 after completing her ten-year sentence.

Kamalabadi was rearrested on July 31, 2022 along with two other Baha'i advocates who had previously been part of the Baha'i Seven.

Advocate: Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR)

Advocacy Partner: U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

Updates:

• On November 21, 2022, after a trial which lasted approximately one hour, Fariba Kamalabadi and Mahvash Sabet were sentenced to ten years in prison (December 11, 2022, Voice of America).