The Australian chapter of PEN International, a freedom of expression group, has strongly condemned the detention of award-winning Baha’i writer and poet Mahvash Sabet in Tehran’s Evin Prison, where she is being held in solitary confinement, and the 10-year prison sentence handed down against her.In a statement on December 29, PEN Sydney called on the Iranian authorities to “immediately release her and other Baha’is unjustly detained in Iran, including Fariba Kamalabadi.”“Sabet has certificates from medical specialists stating that she needs regular medical attention and that she does not have the health condition to serve a prison term,” PEN Sydney said, adding that her family have expressed “grave concerns for her life and safety.”Sabet has not been allowed any visitors since her arrest and her family has had no contact with her since November 21.Sabet was awarded the 2017 PEN Pinter Prize and was recognized as an International Writer of Courage for her book Prison Poems, written during her previous incarceration.Since the Islamic Republic was established in 1979, Baha'is in Iran have faced systematic discrimination and harassment, including deportation, restrictions to education, property confiscations, imprisonment, torture, and executions.Sabet was a teacher and school principal until the 1979 Islamic Revolution barred her from working in the public sector – like all Baha’is."