Farzaneh Dimi, Nasrin Ghadiri, Ataollah Malaki, Roya Malaki, Saeed Malaki, Arezoo Mohammadi, Banafsheh Mokhtari and Atieh Salehi, all Baha’i citizens, were summoned to begin their prison terms in Birjand prison. They were part of a wider group of 18 Baha’is whose homes in Birjand were raided and whose belongings were confiscated by security agents in October 2017. The raids coincided with a religious holiday observed by Baha’is around the world. The lower court had sentenced them to prison terms of 15 months to 2 years on the charges of disrupting national security and spreading anti-government propaganda in relation to the practice of their faith. The appellate court upheld their sentences in September 2020. The court also denied their appeal to delay their incarceration at Birjand prison where they would risk coronavirus exposure.