2025-08-13 — A Doha court sentenced the chair of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís in Qatar, Remi Rohani (71), to five years in prison. He had been charged with promoting a doctrine or ideology that “casts doubt on the foundations and teachings of Islam” under article 259 of the penal code. They also charged him with violating social principles and values using information technology, under article 8 of the 2014 Cybercrime Prevention Law, and disseminating material that calls and promotes the adoption of “destructive principles,” under article 47(b) of the 1979 Law on Publications and Publishing. The charges were based on an X account and an Instagram account that represent the Qatari Bahá’í community linked to Rowhani’s phone number and e-mail address.
Qatar has a long-standing record of discriminating against Bahá’ís, including by deportation, delaying the community’s attempts to reestablish an existing Bahá’í cemetery, and refusing to register marriage certificates issued by elected Bahá’í institutions in Qatar. [Human Rights Watch 15 Aug]
Qatar’s deputy attorney general appealed the sentence on September 7 seeking a longer prison term, the appeal document reviewed by Human Rights Watch revealed. An appeal hearing was held on September 10, with the decision expected on September 17. Court documents show the prosecution lists two grounds for the appeal. The first alleges the court erred in law by linking the offenses with which he was charged, thus treating them as one crime. The prosecutor is asking for Rowhani to be given the maximum sentence for each of three offenses. The prosecution also claims that the offenses constituted an “infringement upon the authority of the State.” The prosecutor requested a “deterrent penalty,” stating that the aim is not only to deter the individual from reoffending, but also the rest of society. Qatari authorities convicted Rowhani despite United Nations experts’ warnings of what they described in July as “a broader and disturbing pattern of disparate treatment of the Bahá’í minority in Qatar.” Qatari authorities have discriminated against members of the Bahá’í faith based solely on their religious identity through deportations and blacklisting. This has resulted in the separation of families and loss of employment and income, delaying the community’s attempts to re-establish an existing Bahá’í cemetery, and rejecting marriage certificates issued by elected Bahá’í institutions in Qatar. Qatar deported as many as 14 members of the group over more than 20 years for no apparent reason other than belonging to the Bahá’í faith. [Human Rights Watch 16 September]
On the 1st of October the Bahá'í International Community announced that Mr Rohani had been acquitted of the charges against him and release. [BIC News; Geneva Council for Rights and Liberties]
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