HRANA – Nasimeh Eslamzahi, a Sunni security-related prisoner held in Evin Prison, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison by Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court.
According to HRANA, Nasimeh Eslamzahi, a Sunni security-related defendant, has been sentenced to imprisonment.
According to a verdict issued by Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Abolghasem Salavati, and communicated to Ms. Eslamzehi earlier this week, she was sentenced to 25 years in prison on the charge of “complicity in the crime of baghi (armed rebellion).” Her husband, Arsalan Sheikhi, and Amanj Karvanchi, another defendant in the case, had previously been sentenced to death on the charge of “baghi through membership in ISIS,” and their sentences were carried out.
A source familiar with the case confirmed the news to HRANA, stating: “During the proceedings in her case, Nasimeh appeared at three court sessions before the aforementioned branch, presided over by Judge Salavati. She denied all the charges brought against her and emphasized that she had never been a member of or cooperated with any group.”
The source also addressed Ms. Eslamzahi’s access to legal representation, stating that various attorneys had sought to represent her during this period, but Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court refused to accept them, and proceedings in her case were conducted with a court-appointed attorney.
Previously, some state-affiliated media outlets had reported that Nasimeh Eslamzahi and two other defendants in the case had been sentenced to death, and this claim was also reflected in subsequent reports.
It should be noted that Ms. Eslamzahi had previously been sentenced to three years and six months in prison by a criminal court in another part of her case.
Nasimeh Eslamzahi was arrested along with her husband, Arsalan Sheikhi, in September 2023. During the prosecutorial stage, the couple were charged on suspicion of membership in the militant group ISIS. According to a source familiar with the case who spoke to HRANA, Ms. Eslamzehi was merely Arsalan Sheikhi’s wife and was present at their home when security forces arrived to arrest her husband; she was also arrested at the scene.
Nasimeh Eslamzahi is approximately 42 years old and is the mother of two daughters. Ayesha, the couple’s daughter, who was approximately two years old at the time of the arrests, was separated from her mother during the arrest, and the family was informed that the child had been transferred to the state welfare organization. After following up on the matter, Eslamzehi’s family succeeded in obtaining custody of Ayesha.
In late April 2024, Nasimeh Eslamzahi gave birth to her second child, Tasnim, in Evin Prison. The mother and newborn were held for 40 days in a solitary confinement cell under inadequate conditions, without proper ventilation or sufficient light, and were subsequently transferred to the quarantine ward.
