Free Karan Vafadari & Afarin Nayssari (update)

Karan and Afarin have recently been sentenced to 27 years and 16 years imprisonment, respectively, after a trial behind closed doors. The charges are ostensibly for being a dual national and belonging to the Zoroastrian religion.

Karan is an Iranian-US citizen, Afarin holds US permanent residency. Karan is a Zoroastrian, a religious minority, who are at a disadvantage due to Iran’s government’s policy and practice against minorities. In addition, the couple represent a marriage across faith which is disallowed by the Iranian government.

On top of their lengthy prison sentences, they are both penalized with the cruel punishment of hundreds of lashes, along with thousands of dollars in cash fines and seizure of their tangible and real properties by the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran, presided over by Judge Salavati.

Karan and Afarin, own a small business art gallery. They have dedicated their lives to the appreciation and advancement of Iranian art, artists, and culture. They have not been involved in any political activities or worked for any government. They have led private lives and have not been engaged in any activities against Islamic Republic of Iran. They are innocent of any wrongdoing.

Whereas:
- Afarin was arrested at the airport on a routine travel plan. Karan receives a call from Afarin to join her. They were both locked up in jail without a warrant;
- Karan and Afarin were held and interrogated for 1.5 years, since July of 2016, before any trial;
- Karan and Afarin were not permitted by the judge to choose their own lawyers;
- The trial was behind closed doors and they were not permitted to call on any witnesses;
- Karan and Afarin have not been provided with the written verdict of their charges; 
- A parole hearing has not yet been granted to them; 
- Karan holds dual nationality, (as do millions of ordinary Iranians) which is not a crime;
- Karan is a Zoroastrian, a religious minority recognized by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s constitution; his right as a member of a religious minority should be recognized;
- Karan and Afarin are not involved in political activity; they have never worked for any government or held any governmental positions, and government’s accusation of "collusion against national interest” is ludicrous and without any substantiation;
-We fear for their wellbeing and their lives.