Free Children's Rights Activist & Bahá’í, Afshin Heyratian
The Issue
[English followed by Farsi]
URGENT-APPEAL DEADLINE: AUGUST 18th, 2026
Addressed to:
- The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
- The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran
- UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell
- The Governments of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the world
- International human rights organizations and media outlets
This is an urgent call for the immediate and unconditional release of Afshin Heyratian. Heyratian is a member of the Iranian Society for Defending Street and Labour Children (ISDSLC), a Bahá’í, and a citizen of Iran.
On July 29, 2026, after nearly a year in pretrial detention and without access to legal representation, Heyratian was sentenced to a combined 31-years in prison for unsubstantiated charges of “forming an illegal group,” “propaganda activities deemed contrary to the sacred law of Islam,” and “assembly and collusion.” In the words of Iranian human rights lawyer and Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, these charges against Heyratian reveal that “the court is not seeking justice. Its purpose is to silence independent civic activity and intimidate society.” In addition to his work with children living in precarity, Heyratian’s religious convictions have been a contributing factor in his treatment by the police and the judicial system. The Bahá’í Faith and its members have been systemically persecuted in Iran since its inception.
As a signatory to this petition, I join Ebadi in asserting that:
“Afshin Heyratian must be released. Being a Bahá’í is not a crime. Defending children is not a crime. Civic activism is not a crime. Forming an independent association to support children is not a threat to national security. The real threat is a government that abandons children to the streets and imprisons those who defend them.”
We call on the addressees to demand:
- The immediate and unconditional release of Afshin Heyratian and the quashing of his unjust convictions and sentences;
- The immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners detained for their religious beliefs or advocacy of Iran’s working and unhoused children;
- The protection of the life of all detainees and protection from torture or other mistreatment; and
- Unrestricted access to independent legal counsel for all detainees.
Please sign and share this urgent petition requesting the immediate release of Afshin Heyratian and all other prisoners of conscience.
Sources & Further Information:
https://hengaw.net/en/news/2026/07/article-180-1
https://www.en-hrana.org/afshin-heyratian-sentenced-to-31-years-in-prison/
https://t.me/s/shirinebadiofficial
735
The Issue
[English followed by Farsi]
URGENT-APPEAL DEADLINE: AUGUST 18th, 2026
Addressed to:
- The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
- The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran
- UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell
- The Governments of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the world
- International human rights organizations and media outlets
This is an urgent call for the immediate and unconditional release of Afshin Heyratian. Heyratian is a member of the Iranian Society for Defending Street and Labour Children (ISDSLC), a Bahá’í, and a citizen of Iran.
On July 29, 2026, after nearly a year in pretrial detention and without access to legal representation, Heyratian was sentenced to a combined 31-years in prison for unsubstantiated charges of “forming an illegal group,” “propaganda activities deemed contrary to the sacred law of Islam,” and “assembly and collusion.” In the words of Iranian human rights lawyer and Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, these charges against Heyratian reveal that “the court is not seeking justice. Its purpose is to silence independent civic activity and intimidate society.” In addition to his work with children living in precarity, Heyratian’s religious convictions have been a contributing factor in his treatment by the police and the judicial system. The Bahá’í Faith and its members have been systemically persecuted in Iran since its inception.
As a signatory to this petition, I join Ebadi in asserting that:
“Afshin Heyratian must be released. Being a Bahá’í is not a crime. Defending children is not a crime. Civic activism is not a crime. Forming an independent association to support children is not a threat to national security. The real threat is a government that abandons children to the streets and imprisons those who defend them.”
We call on the addressees to demand:
- The immediate and unconditional release of Afshin Heyratian and the quashing of his unjust convictions and sentences;
- The immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners detained for their religious beliefs or advocacy of Iran’s working and unhoused children;
- The protection of the life of all detainees and protection from torture or other mistreatment; and
- Unrestricted access to independent legal counsel for all detainees.
Please sign and share this urgent petition requesting the immediate release of Afshin Heyratian and all other prisoners of conscience.
Sources & Further Information:
https://hengaw.net/en/news/2026/07/article-180-1
https://www.en-hrana.org/afshin-heyratian-sentenced-to-31-years-in-prison/
https://t.me/s/shirinebadiofficial
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Petition created on August 1, 2026