Dhabihu'llah Mahrami
Encyclopedia
Dhabihu'llah Mahrami (also Zabihullah Mahrami) was an Iran
ian Bahá'í
who was charged with apostasy from Islam
and jailed in Iran. After 10 years in prison he was found dead in his cell.
in the Islamic Republic and are denied employment. On August 16, 1995, Mr. Mahrami was called before the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Yazd
, and was questioned about his adherence to the Bahá'í Faith
. 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
, and on January 2, 1996 was sentenced to death. His properties and assets were also confiscated.
Although Mr. Mahrami was a lifelong Bahá'í, 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.
After his death, organizations, including Amnesty International
and the United States
government, called on Iran to order a thorough investigation into his death and allow freedom of religion for all Iranians.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian Bahá'í
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
who was charged with apostasy from Islam
Apostasy in Islam
Apostasy in Islam is commonly defined in Islam as the rejection in word or deed of one's former religion by a person who was previously a follower of Islam...
and jailed in Iran. After 10 years in prison he was found dead in his cell.
Discrimination toward Bahá'ís
Mr. Mahrami was a former Iranian civil servant who lost his job after the government found that he was a Bahá'í. Adherents of the Bahá'í Faith are persecutedPersecution of Bahá'ís
The persecution of Bahá'ís is the religious persecution of Bahá'ís in various countries, especially in Iran, where the Bahá'í Faith originated and the location of one of the largest Bahá'í populations in the world...
in the Islamic Republic and are denied employment. On August 16, 1995, Mr. Mahrami was called before the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Yazd
Yazd
Yazd is the capital of Yazd Province in Iran, and a centre of Zoroastrian culture. The city is located some 175 miles southeast of Isfahan. At the 2006 census, the population was 423,006, in 114,716 families....
, and was questioned about his adherence to the Bahá'í Faith
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
. 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
Apostasy , 'a defection or revolt', from ἀπό, apo, 'away, apart', στάσις, stasis, 'stand, 'standing') is the formal disaffiliation from or abandonment or renunciation of a religion by a person. One who commits apostasy is known as an apostate. These terms have a pejorative implication in everyday...
, and on January 2, 1996 was sentenced to death. His properties and assets were also confiscated.
Although Mr. Mahrami was a lifelong Bahá'í, 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
Mr. Mahrami's lawyer appealed to the Supreme Court of Iran; 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 nave been in good health shortly before his death.After his death, organizations, including Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government, called on Iran to order a thorough investigation into his death and allow freedom of religion for all Iranians.