Mahvash Sabet | |
|---|---|
| Persian: مهوش ثابت | |
| Born | Mahvash Shahriari Sabet February 4, 1953 |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Known for | Trial for the crime of "spying for Israel", " blasphemy" and propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran |
Mahvash Shahriari Sabet ( Persian: مهوش شهریاری ثابت; born February 4, 1953 in Ardestan, Isfahan) [1] [2] better known as Mahvash Sabet ( Persian: مهوش ثابت) is an Iranian poet and former educator. She was one of the Baháʼí 7.
Mahvash Shahriyari was born in Ardestan, Iran. [2] [3] When she was in the fifth grade, her family moved to Tehran. [2] Shahriyari graduated college with a bachelor's degree in psychology. [2]
Shahriyari married her husband, Siyvash Sabet, on May 21, 1973. [2] The couple has a son and a daughter. [2]
Sabet first worked as a teacher, before later working as a principal at several schools [2] [3] and collaborating with the National Literacy Committee of Iran. [4] After the Iranian Revolution, she was barred from working in public education due to her faith. [2] [3]
Sabet became the director of the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education, [2] [3] where she worked for 15 years. [5]
In 2006, Sabet was asked to become a leader of Iran's Baháʼí community. [6] She and six other leaders "tended to the spiritual and social needs of the Iranian Baha’i community given the absence of formally elected Baha’i leadership". [2]
While in prison, Sabet wrote poems about her experiences on scraps of paper, napkins, and paper towels, which were then given to family members during visits. [2] [3] Initially, she wrote poetry for her family, but with time Sabet began using poetry as a way to express and process her emotions, with it becoming a "means of survival". [3]
In 2011, some of her poems were shared with Bahiyyih Nakhjavani, a relative living in the United Kingdom, who translated some of the poems into English. [3] In 2013, 70 of Sabet's poems were compiled and released as a book, titled Prison Poems. [2] [3]
PEN International recognized Sabet as an "International Writer of Courage" in 2017, [3] and she received honorary membership in the PEN organizations of Austria and Denmark. [7]
Sabet was first released in 2005 on the day of her daughter's wedding, but was released after questioning. [5]
On March 5, 2008, Sabet was detained while visiting Mashhad, becoming the first of the Baháʼí 7 to be arrested. [2] She was kept in Raja’i Shahr Prison, and later in Qarchak Prison in Varamin. [8] In February 2009, she was charged with spying for Israel, propaganda against the Islamic Republic, insulting sacred sites, and establishment of an illegal administration. [2] [9] In June 2010, she and the rest of the Baháʼí 7 were tried, convicted, and given sentences of 20 years in prison. [2] [9] The group was represented by Shirin Ebadi during her trial, [5] who said that there was "not a shred of evidence" for the crimes which they were charged with. [4]
Sabet was held in Tehran's Evin Prison for the duration of her sentence. [2] While in Evin, she developed tuberculosis [5] and osteoporosis, for which she was allowed a five-day furlough in October 2016 to pursue treatment. [8] In 2011, Sabat was included in a series of Dutch postage stamps recognizing victims of human rights abuses in Iran. [10]
In 2016, the Baháʼí 7 were informed that their sentences had been reduced to ten years, in light of a 2013 penal code reform. [2]
She was released on September 18, 2017, [2] a day earlier than scheduled. [3] Sabet had to borrow a stranger's phone to call her family and let them know she had been released. [3]
Sabet was arrested again on July 31, 2022. [7] At the time, she was at a friend's house in northern Iran while recovering from COVID-19. [7] A statement released after her arrest accused her and other detainees of "participating in groups to act against national security through teaching and preaching the Baha’i faith to children in kindergartens, [and] agitating against Islamic Sharia through holding coaching courses". [6] She was beaten during interrogations, according to her daughter, and kept in solitary confinement for 42 days. [7] She was then transferred to Evin's Ward 209, and, five months later, to the women's political-ideological ward of Evin Prison. [7] On November 21, 2023 she was sentenced to another ten year prison sentence in Evin Prison after an hour-long trial shared with Fariba Kamalabadi, another member of the Baháʼí 7. [7] [11]
Sabet's daughter moved to Australia in 2017, and as of 2022 she lives in Sydney with her daughter. [5]
- ^ "Mahvash Shahriari Sabet, an imprisoned poet and educator". NIAC. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Mahvash Sabet - The Baha'i Seven". United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Basu, Moni (2017-11-16). "Writing to survive: Baha'i woman's poetry was her best friend in Iranian jail". CNN. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
- ^ a b "Mahvash Sabet Concludes 10-Year Prison Sentence". Iran Press Watch. 2017-09-18. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
- ^ a b c d e Khadem, Nassim (2022-09-15). "Negar can't sleep at night knowing her mum is in an Iranian prison because of her religion". ABC News. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
- ^ a b Sabeti, Kian (July 31, 2023). "Fariba Kamalabadi and Mahvash Sabet: A Year in Detention and Counting". IranWire.
- ^ a b c d e f Sabeti, Kian (March 15, 2023). "A Baha'i Grandmother Starts Her Second Decade in Prison". IranWire. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ^ a b "After Eight Years, Mahvash Sabet Shahriari Received a Five-Day Furlough". Iran Press Watch. 2016-10-05. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
- ^ a b "Mahvash Shahriari Sabet, an imprisoned poet and educator". NIAC. April 10, 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
- ^ "Jailed Iranian Baha'i leader appears on Dutch postage stamp". Bahá’í World News Service. 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
- ^ "New 10-Year Prison Terms for 2 Baha'i Figures in Iran". Voice of America. 2022-12-11. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
Mahvash Sabet | |
|---|---|
| Persian: مهوش ثابت | |
| Born | Mahvash Shahriari Sabet February 4, 1953 |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Known for | Trial for the crime of "spying for Israel", " blasphemy" and propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran |
Mahvash Shahriari Sabet ( Persian: مهوش شهریاری ثابت; born February 4, 1953 in Ardestan, Isfahan) [1] [2] better known as Mahvash Sabet ( Persian: مهوش ثابت) is an Iranian poet and former educator. She was one of the Baháʼí 7.
Mahvash Shahriyari was born in Ardestan, Iran. [2] [3] When she was in the fifth grade, her family moved to Tehran. [2] Shahriyari graduated college with a bachelor's degree in psychology. [2]
Shahriyari married her husband, Siyvash Sabet, on May 21, 1973. [2] The couple has a son and a daughter. [2]
Sabet first worked as a teacher, before later working as a principal at several schools [2] [3] and collaborating with the National Literacy Committee of Iran. [4] After the Iranian Revolution, she was barred from working in public education due to her faith. [2] [3]
Sabet became the director of the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education, [2] [3] where she worked for 15 years. [5]
In 2006, Sabet was asked to become a leader of Iran's Baháʼí community. [6] She and six other leaders "tended to the spiritual and social needs of the Iranian Baha’i community given the absence of formally elected Baha’i leadership". [2]
While in prison, Sabet wrote poems about her experiences on scraps of paper, napkins, and paper towels, which were then given to family members during visits. [2] [3] Initially, she wrote poetry for her family, but with time Sabet began using poetry as a way to express and process her emotions, with it becoming a "means of survival". [3]
In 2011, some of her poems were shared with Bahiyyih Nakhjavani, a relative living in the United Kingdom, who translated some of the poems into English. [3] In 2013, 70 of Sabet's poems were compiled and released as a book, titled Prison Poems. [2] [3]
PEN International recognized Sabet as an "International Writer of Courage" in 2017, [3] and she received honorary membership in the PEN organizations of Austria and Denmark. [7]
Sabet was first released in 2005 on the day of her daughter's wedding, but was released after questioning. [5]
On March 5, 2008, Sabet was detained while visiting Mashhad, becoming the first of the Baháʼí 7 to be arrested. [2] She was kept in Raja’i Shahr Prison, and later in Qarchak Prison in Varamin. [8] In February 2009, she was charged with spying for Israel, propaganda against the Islamic Republic, insulting sacred sites, and establishment of an illegal administration. [2] [9] In June 2010, she and the rest of the Baháʼí 7 were tried, convicted, and given sentences of 20 years in prison. [2] [9] The group was represented by Shirin Ebadi during her trial, [5] who said that there was "not a shred of evidence" for the crimes which they were charged with. [4]
Sabet was held in Tehran's Evin Prison for the duration of her sentence. [2] While in Evin, she developed tuberculosis [5] and osteoporosis, for which she was allowed a five-day furlough in October 2016 to pursue treatment. [8] In 2011, Sabat was included in a series of Dutch postage stamps recognizing victims of human rights abuses in Iran. [10]
In 2016, the Baháʼí 7 were informed that their sentences had been reduced to ten years, in light of a 2013 penal code reform. [2]
She was released on September 18, 2017, [2] a day earlier than scheduled. [3] Sabet had to borrow a stranger's phone to call her family and let them know she had been released. [3]
Sabet was arrested again on July 31, 2022. [7] At the time, she was at a friend's house in northern Iran while recovering from COVID-19. [7] A statement released after her arrest accused her and other detainees of "participating in groups to act against national security through teaching and preaching the Baha’i faith to children in kindergartens, [and] agitating against Islamic Sharia through holding coaching courses". [6] She was beaten during interrogations, according to her daughter, and kept in solitary confinement for 42 days. [7] She was then transferred to Evin's Ward 209, and, five months later, to the women's political-ideological ward of Evin Prison. [7] On November 21, 2023 she was sentenced to another ten year prison sentence in Evin Prison after an hour-long trial shared with Fariba Kamalabadi, another member of the Baháʼí 7. [7] [11]
Sabet's daughter moved to Australia in 2017, and as of 2022 she lives in Sydney with her daughter. [5]
- ^ "Mahvash Shahriari Sabet, an imprisoned poet and educator". NIAC. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Mahvash Sabet - The Baha'i Seven". United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Basu, Moni (2017-11-16). "Writing to survive: Baha'i woman's poetry was her best friend in Iranian jail". CNN. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
- ^ a b "Mahvash Sabet Concludes 10-Year Prison Sentence". Iran Press Watch. 2017-09-18. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
- ^ a b c d e Khadem, Nassim (2022-09-15). "Negar can't sleep at night knowing her mum is in an Iranian prison because of her religion". ABC News. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
- ^ a b Sabeti, Kian (July 31, 2023). "Fariba Kamalabadi and Mahvash Sabet: A Year in Detention and Counting". IranWire.
- ^ a b c d e f Sabeti, Kian (March 15, 2023). "A Baha'i Grandmother Starts Her Second Decade in Prison". IranWire. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ^ a b "After Eight Years, Mahvash Sabet Shahriari Received a Five-Day Furlough". Iran Press Watch. 2016-10-05. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
- ^ a b "Mahvash Shahriari Sabet, an imprisoned poet and educator". NIAC. April 10, 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
- ^ "Jailed Iranian Baha'i leader appears on Dutch postage stamp". Bahá’í World News Service. 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
- ^ "New 10-Year Prison Terms for 2 Baha'i Figures in Iran". Voice of America. 2022-12-11. Retrieved 2023-11-24.