Following 168 days of detention, Navid Zarrebin-Irani, a Baha’i citizen and artistic photographer residing in Mashhad, remains in legal limbo under security-related charges at Mashhad’s Vakilabad Prison, with no trial date set.
According to received reports, the Ministry of Intelligence submitted its final case report to the presiding branch in early June. However, the progression of the case and the scheduling of the trial have been delayed due to reasons including the illness and personal travel of the investigating magistrate.
On June 30, Zarrebin-Irani was transferred to the Revolutionary Court for his final arraignment hearing to present his defense. Despite the conclusion of this session, authorities once again rejected requests for his temporary release on bail.
The Baha’i citizen was initially arrested on the morning of Friday, January 16, by Ministry of Intelligence agents at his private residence. Reports indicate that upon entering and searching the home, agents prohibited his teenage child from notifying his grandparents, who lived just a few meters away, until the raid was completed and Zarrebin-Irani was taken away.
Zarrebin-Irani was held and interrogated at a Ministry of Intelligence detention facility for 40 days before being transferred to the quarantine ward of Mashhad’s Vakilabad Prison. His temporary detention order has been repeatedly extended over the past months, and despite the unresolved status of his case, all requests for temporary bail have been consistently denied.
