Prominent activist held since Mahsa Amini protests gets five years in jail

According to supporters, an Iranian appeals court recently slapped a five-year prison sentence on prominent activist and journalist Golrokh Iraee who has been held since her arrest in September last year during a police raid on her house at the start of a violent protest movement.

Iraee had refused to take part in the hearing over her sentence for getting involved in illegal gatherings and violating national security, saying she wasn’t sure about the legitimacy of the appeals court, rights groups mentioned.

Activist Been In Prison For 280 Days

Deadly demonstrations rocked Iran last year following the mysterious death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody. The woman was held by the country’s notorious morality police for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress rules.

Iraee, who has been in prison for 280 days, has received an imprisonment sentence of five years by the Tehran court, a Twitter account in her name run by supporters mentioned. The court of first instance initially sentenced her to seven years in April.

Immensely popular in Iran for her campaigns on issues like prison conditions and stoning sentences, Iraee is the wife of Arash Sadeghi, an activist who was also arrested during the protests but has now been released.

Women Campaigners Continue To Be Held Behind Bars

Iran’s strict crackdown on the demonstrations saw scores of activists getting arrested. But some of them have been released over the last few months as tensions start to ease. But prominent women campaigners remain behind bars.

Environmental campaigners Niloufar Bayani and Sepideh Kashani, prize-winning Narges Mohammadi, and labour rights activist Sepideh Gholian are still in detention. Moreover, Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi – the two journalists who played a substantial role to expose the case of Amini – are on trial on national security charges.