Faran Hesami, one of the imprisoned teachers from the Bahai Open University (BIHE), was released from Evin Prison in Tehran today at the end of a four-year sentence for educational activities.
Hesami and her husband, Kamran Rahimiyan, were arrested in September 2011. Both were charged with membership of the Bahai community, with assembly, and with collusion to undermine national security in relation to their work for the Bahai Open University, which offers courses to Bahai students who have been excluded from Iranian tertiary institutions because of their beliefs. The couple each received four-year sentences, handed down by Judge Salvati.
As Rahimiyan began his sentence before his wife, he was released on August 17, 2015.
In March 2015, Hesami was awarded the Raha Südwind Award, which honors individuals who have participated in the promotion and protection of human rights in Iran.