12 Lawyers Sentenced to Prison and Fines

HRANA News Agency – Branch 5 of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court has sentenced 12 defense lawyers to a total of 3 years in prison and a combined fine of 240 million tomans. Of the prison sentences issued, 21 months have been suspended for five years.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists in Iran, the court convicted these 12 lawyers on charges of propaganda against the regime.

Details of the rulings are as follows:

  • Farzaneh Safari, Amin Shahla, and Mohammadreza Yazdani were each sentenced to 1 year in prison. Half of Safari and Shahla’s sentences, and three-quarters of Yazdani’s sentence, were suspended for 5 years.

  • Enayatollah Karamati, Kazem Chezgi, and Sahar Dashti were each fined 20 million tomans as a substitute for 3 months and 1 day of prison.

  • Mehdi Mohammad Hosseinian, Sajad Javadi, and Amirdokht Bahareh Barzegar were each fined 40 million tomans as a substitute for 6 months and 1 day of prison.

  • Rouhollah Hosseini, Fa’ezeh Seyyedi, and Mitra Izadifar were each fined 20 million tomans.

The same court issued a non-prosecution order for another defendant in the case, Sayyedeh Vajih Ghoreishi. Two other lawyers, Ali Asghar Dashti and Seyyed Jafar Saghravanian, were sent back to the prosecutor’s office for further investigation on separate charges including propaganda in favor of the Zionist regime, insulting the Supreme Leader, and spreading falsehoods.
The verdicts are appealable within 20 days of notification at the Khorasan Razavi Court of Appeals.

These lawyers were previously prosecuted in 2022 on charges such as propaganda against the regime, but their case had initially been subject to an pardon directive.

Teacher Union Activist Asghar Amirzadegan Arrested

HRANA News Agency – On Saturday, April 12, Asghar Amirzadegan, a teacher union activist in Fars Province, was arrested by security forces and taken to an undisclosed location, according to the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations.

As of the time of this report, the reasons for his arrest, his whereabouts, and the charges against him remain unknown.

On February 11, 2025, Amirzadegan had been sentenced in absentia by Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Firuzabad to two years in prison for insulting the Supreme Leader and insulting the founder of the Islamic Republic, and one year for propaganda against the regime—a total of three years.

His sentence was recently upheld in the initial court following the rejection of his objection.

Amirzadegan, a teacher union activist in Fars Province, has previously been arrested and convicted for his activism.

Film Actress Shahrar Ghamar Sentenced to Over 4 Years in Prison

HRANA News Agency – Shohreh Ghamar, a film actress, has been sentenced by the Revolutionary Court to four years and eight months in prison. Her lawyer stated that an appeal has been filed against the verdict.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists in Iran, Shohreh Ghamar has been convicted and sentenced to prison. Her attorney, Ali Sharifzadeh Ardakani, announced that his client was sentenced by the Revolutionary Court to three years and six months in prison on charges of allegedly supporting Israel, and an additional 14 months for “spreading falsehoods.” He added that they have filed an appeal against the ruling.

The lawyer also noted that she had previously been sentenced to 15 months in prison for supporting the 2022 nationwide protests.

Shohreh Ghamar, aged 31, was arrested by security forces on July 26, 2023, over what was described as “posting offensive content on social media.” She was later released on bail.

Nariman Randani Arrested by Security Forces in Saqqez

HRANA News Agency – On Wednesday, April 9, Nariman Randani, a resident of Saqqez, was arrested by security forces and taken to an undisclosed location, as reported by Kurdpa.

 
According to the report, Mr. Randani was arrested at his workplace without a judicial warrant. As of the time of this report, no information has been obtained regarding the reasons for his arrest, his whereabouts, or the charges against him.
 

Randani had previously been released from Saqqez Prison on bail on February 26, 2025. His earlier arrest was in connection with the general strike held on Wednesday, January 24, 2025, in Kurdish cities.

 

Appeals Court Upholds Sentence Against Former MP Mahmoud Sadeghi

HRANA News Agency – The Tehran Province Court of Appeals, Branch 36, has upheld the conviction of Mahmoud Sadeghi, a former member of Iran’s Parliament. He was previously sentenced by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court to six months in prison and a fine of 40 million tomans. The prison sentence has been suspended for three years.

In a ruling issued on April 6, 2025, and officially delivered to Mr. Sadeghi, he was acquitted of the charge of “propaganda against the regime” but convicted of “spreading false information” for which he received six months in prison and paying a fine. The prison term was suspended for three years.

In February 2025, Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court had initially handed down this sentence in the preliminary stage.

The case against Mahmoud Sadeghi originated in June 2024 following comments he made during a news interview.

Sadeghi, a lawyer and former member of Parliament, has previously been summoned and sentenced due to his political activities.

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Filmmakers of “My Favourite Cake” Sentenced to Imprisonment and Fines

HRANA News Agency – Behtash Sanaeeha and Maryam Moghaddam, directors of the film My Favourite Cake, along with producer Gholamreza Mousavi, have been sentenced by Branch 26 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court to a total of five years and four months in prison and monetary fines. All prison sentences have been suspended for five years.

Sanaeeha and Moghaddam were each sentenced to 14 months of imprisonment and paying a fine for “propaganda against the regime through spreading falsehoods with the intent to disturb public opinion.” Their prison terms are suspended for five years.

In a separate charge, all three—Sanaeeha, Moghaddam, and Mousavi—were sentenced to one year of suspended imprisonment and ordered to forfeit related equipment for “participation in the production of obscene content.” Judge Iman Afshari also sentenced them to pay a fine each and ordered the confiscation of all remaining equipment for “screening the film without official permission.”

The court session for these three individuals, as well as three other defendants in the case—two actors and a cinematographer—was held on March 1, 2025.

Despite international recognition of My Favourite Cake, including the Silver Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival, Sanaeeha and Moghaddam were unable to attend due to a travel ban imposed on them.

The film was produced without censorship and did not enforce the mandatory hijab for female actors, prompting sharp criticism from Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.

My Favourite Cake, a 2024 drama, received the Silver Hugo at the Chicago Film Festival and gained significant attention after being released online.

A Prisoner Executed in Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz

HRANA News Agency – At dawn on Saturday, April 5, the death sentence of a prisoner previously convicted of murder was carried out in Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz.

Iran Human Rights has identified the prisoner as Zahir Shamsi, 32 years old, a resident of Dezful and father of a five-year-old daughter.

According to the report, Mr. Shamsi was arrested four years ago on charges of murdering his cousin and was later sentenced to death by the judiciary. Before his arrest, he worked as a tile and ceramic installer.

As of the time of this report, the execution has not been officially announced by prison authorities or relevant institutions.

In 2024, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran documented 812 cases related to the right to life, including the sentencing of 214 individuals to death and the execution of 930 individuals. Among these, 4 executions were carried out in public. Of those executed, 818 were male, 26 were female, and 5 were juvenile offenders—individuals under 18 years old at the time of their alleged crimes.

Wahab Khadiri Pour Sentenced to Prison by Mahabad Revolutionary Court

HRANA News Agency – Wahab Khadiri Pour, a resident of Mahabad, has been sentenced to 10 months in prison by the city’s Revolutionary Court.

According to HRANA, quoting Kolbar News, Mr. Khadiri Pour was sentenced to prison on the charge of alleged collaboration with one of the opposition parties.

He had been arrested on January 19, 2025, following a summons by the Mahabad office of the Ministry of Intelligence. After his interrogation, he was transferred from The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility to Mahabad Prison. He was released from Mahabad Prison on February 20, 2025, after posting bail.

Wahab Khadiri Pour, 32, is the father of two children. He is also the cousin of Shomal Khadiri Pour, one of the victims killed during the 2022 nationwide protests.

Farzad Abdi Arrested by Security Forces in Dehloran County

HRANA News Agency – Yesterday, Farzad Abdi, a resident of Dehloran County, was arrested by security forces and taken to an undisclosed location.

According to HRANA, citing Kurdpa, on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, Farzad Abdi was arrested in Dehloran County located in Ilam province. Security forces reportedly arrested this resident of the city of Pahle in Dehloran without presenting a judicial warrant and used physical violence during the arrest.

A source familiar with the situation stated that Mr. Abdi’s arrest took place following a Nowruz celebration held in the city of Pahle.

As of the time of this report, no information has been obtained regarding his whereabouts or the charges brought against him.

Sociologist Mostafa Mehraeen Faces Legal Action Over Open Letter to Supreme Leader

HRANA News Agency – A judicial case has been opened against Mostafa Mehraeen, a sociologist, at the Culture and Media Prosecutor’s Office in Iran.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists in Iran, the case stems from an open letter Mehraeen published, addressing Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. The letter, which is now the basis for legal proceedings, is under review at Branch 9 of the Culture and Media Prosecutor’s Office.

In the letter, Mehraeen sharply criticized the Supreme Leader’s governance and proposed sweeping political reforms. His recommendations included the release of political prisoners, the dissolution of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the holding of a national referendum, amendments to the constitution, and the eventual resignation of the Supreme Leader.

Mostafa Mehraeen is an assistant professor of sociology at the Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies. He holds a Ph.D. in the sociology of culture from Tarbiat Modares University and is known for his scholarly work on culture, art, and literature. Over the years, he has authored and translated numerous academic publications in these fields.