Simin Saberi (, also transliterated as Símín Sábirí; March 2, 1959 – June 18, 1983) was one of the victims of the Baháʼí community in Iran, who was sentenced to death by the

Islamic Revolutionary Court Islamic Revolutionary Court (), also known as the Revolutionary Tribunal (''Dadgahha-e Enqelab''Bakhash, Shaul, ''Reign of the Ayatollahs'', Basic Books, 1984, p.59-61) is a special system of courts in the Islamic Republic of Iran designed to try ...

for her beliefs and faith as a Baháʼí. At the age of 24, she was hanged by the Islamic Republic of

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

along with 9 other Baháʼí women in the Chogan Square of Shiraz.Martyrs of the Baha'i Faith: Ms. Simin Saberi
/ref> She has been characterised as 'one of the most fearless' of this group.

Biography

Saberi was born on March 2, 1959, to a

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...

family in Deh Bid Village in the city of Deh Bid, Arsanjan of

Fars province Fars Province or Pars Province, also known as Persis or Farsistan (فارسستان), is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Shiraz. Pars province has an area of 122,400 km2 and is located in Iran's southwest, i ...

. Their house was located 2 kilometers from

Marvdasht Marvdasht () is a city in the Central District (Marvdasht County), Central District of Marvdasht County, Fars province, Fars province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Etymology Some historians hold that Marv ...

. Her father, Hossein, was from a Muslim background but had adopted the Baha'i faith. Her mother, Tavoos Pompusian, Hossein's second wife, was from a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

background but her parents had become Baha'is. As well as two half-brothers and four half-sisters by Hossein's first marriage, Saberi was the youngest of Hossein's five children by Tavoos. Like her parents, she believed in the Baháʼí Faith. After finishing high school and receiving her diploma, she was employed by Marvdasht Agricultural Company due to her skills. Saberi helped her mother and did tailoring. She often went to the psychiatric hospital along with her friends and helped the young girls there in their works. She spent time on the Bahaʼi Education Committee in Shiraz, and became the youngest assistant to a member of the Auxiliary Board.Universal House of Justice,
Persecution of the Baháʼí Community of Iran: 1983-1986
, ''Baháʼí World'', 19 (1983-1986), 176-226 (p. 185).

During the time of the Iranian Revolution

In the midst of the

1979 Revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...

, some fanatics attacked and raided many of the Baháʼí homes in Marvdasht. They threatened and intimidated them and threw stones at their houses. Therefore, Saberi's family left their house and went to Tehran to live with their relatives, and some, including one of Saberi's nieces, fled the country. But, after a month when they returned to Shiraz, their house was seized by the government.

Arrest and prosecution

Saberi was arrested on October 24, 1982, by the Government agents of the Islamic Republic of

and transferred to Adel Abad Prison in

Shiraz Shiraz (; ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the popu ...

. She was kept in a two and a half meter prison cell with two cellmates. She repeatedly prayed and recited the talks of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá while she was in her cell, and every time her mother came to see and visit her in prison, she tried to show sympathy to her and advised her to be content with God's desire.Anniversary of the execution of 10 women in Shiraz for the sake of dissent…
/ref> The charges against Saberi and the prosecution proceedings appear not to have been published. According to the representatives of the Baha'i community, the main reason of her arrest and trial were because she was a Baha'i, and Saberi faced sixteen charges, ranging from being Baháʼí to her participation in organising Baha'i community activities, to being unmarried and refusing to recant.Iran Human Rights Documentation Center,
Community Under Siege: The Ordeal of the Baháʼís of Shiraz
(September 2007), pp. 11, 33-34.

Execution

On June 18, 1983, Saberi, along with 9 other Baha'i women, was hanged in Adel Abad Prison in

. She was 24 years old. Saberi's name is on the list of the 206 individuals reported by the Baha'i International Community in 1999.

References

{{Reflist 1959 births 1983 deaths Bahá'í Faith in Iran People executed by Iran by hanging Iranian Bahá'ís Persecution of Bahá'ís Executed Iranian people by the Islamic Republic of Iran People executed for refusing to convert to Islam

Biography

During the time of the Iranian Revolution

Arrest and prosecution

Execution

Further reading

References