Pouria and Dariush Shahpari, members of the Iranian Zoroastrian Committee, were arrested in 2009 before being imprisoned in 2011 on charges of proselytizing for the Zoroastrian religion and blaspheming.
Abbas (father), Jafar (brother), Negar (sister), Bahman Sadeghi-Nour (brother-in-law)
In February 2009, Pouria Shahpari was arrested along with his brother Dariush by Iranian authorities. Both Zoroastrians, they were saddled with several politically-motivated charges, as well as for membership in the Iranian Zoroastrian Committee and blasphemy “by propaganda for Zoroastrianism.” They were both ultimately sentenced to two and a half years in prison, along with 74 lashes, upheld upon appeal.
Reportedly, the arrest of Pouria and Dariush took place alongside the arrests of several other members of their family: Jafar, their brother; Abbas, their father; and Negar, their sister, and her husband Bahman Sadeghipour.
Shortly after the arrests, their mother, who was left behind, apparently suffered a heart attack.
Iran is a theocratic Islamic republic that derives its legal principles from Islamic religious law. As such, blasphemy and apostasy can be and are punished with death. Although there is no codified apostasy law in the penal code, this does not prevent its punishment in accordance with Islamic legal principles, and blasphemy is codified as a capital offense within the penal code. Iran has a poor track record on human rights, and if these “offenses” do not result in death, they may result in imprisonment or torture. Those who stand accused of either must also fear reprisal from non-state actors, though documented incidents of such reprisals are not as prominent as in some other countries.