Category: Freedom of Expression

Shahab Darabi Sentenced to Three Years in Prison

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Freedom of Expression, Labor and Guilds, News
HRANA, Iranian truck driver, Shahab Darabi, شهاب دارابی

HRANA – Shahab Darabi, a truck driver from Eslamabad-e Gharb who was arrested by security forces for supporting the truck drivers’ strikes, has been sentenced to three years and one day in prison.

According to a verdict recently issued by a branch of the Revolutionary Court and communicated to Mr. Darabi, he was sentenced in connection with his participation in the truck drivers’ strikes and for posting supportive content on social media. Further details, including the specific charges brought against him, are under review by HRANA.

Darabi was arrested on May 27 by Ministry of Intelligence agents. His arrest was carried out violently, with officers subjecting him to beatings.

After his detention, a video of Darabi was circulated on social media in which – under unclear circumstances – he expressed regret over his past actions. The footage sparked widespread reactions online, with many users describing it as a “forced confession.” He was eventually released on bail on June 1.

HRANA has also published a detailed report on the truck drivers’ strikes in June, outlining the causes, the strike’s expansion, the government’s response, and the subsequent arrests.

Appeals Court Increases Prison Sentence of Hamid Chapati

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Freedom of Expression, News
Hamid Chapati, Urmia, West Azerbaijan, حمید چپاتی

HRANA – The prison sentence of Hamid Chapati, a resident of Urmia, has been increased to six months by Branch 23 of the West Azerbaijan Province Court of Appeals. He had previously been sentenced to three months in prison by a lower court.

According to Kurdpa, the ruling was issued by Branch 23 of the West Azerbaijan Court of Appeals and formally communicated to Mr. Chapati on Tuesday, August 19. Under this verdict, he has been sentenced to six months in prison on the charge of “propaganda against the regime.”

The increased sentence came after an appeal filed by Behzad Sarikhanlou, the deputy prosecutor of Urmia, against the lower court’s decision, which resulted in the case being referred to the Court of Appeals.

In February 2025, Branch 2 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court had sentenced Mr. Chapati to three months in prison on the same charge of “propaganda against the regime.”

Mr. Chapati was initially arrested on October 16, 2024, after being summoned by phone to the Urmia Security Police. He was later released on bail following the formal presentation of charges.

Tahereh Kalateh Seyfari Arrested in Sabzevar

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Freedom of Expression, News
HRANA, Sabzevar, Tahereh Kalateh Seyfari, کلاته سیفری

HRANA – Yesterday, Tahereh Kalateh Seyfari, a resident of Sabzevar, was arrested by security forces in the city and transferred to an undisclosed location.

A knowledgeable source confirmed the news to HRANA, stating: “Ms. Kalateh Seyfari was arrested on Wednesday, August 20, by security forces in Sabzevar. The reason cited for her arrest was her participation in the July 22 protest in front of the county governor’s office, where residents gathered to protest repeated electricity and water outages.”

Based on information received by HRANA, since her arrest this citizen has not been in contact with her family. Despite her family’s inquiries with judicial and security authorities, no information has been made available regarding her whereabouts or the charges against her.

It should be noted that on the evening of Tuesday, July 22, a group of Sabzevar residents held a protest in front of the county governor’s office in response to frequent power and water cuts.

Appeals Court Upholds Prison Sentence and Defrocking of Shiite Cleric Mohammad-Taghi Akbarnejad

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Freedom of Expression, News
irgc, IRGC Intelligence, Mohammad-Taghi Akbarnejad, Qom prison

HRANA – The Appeals Court of the Special Clerical Court has upheld the prison sentence and defrocking order against Shiite cleric Mohammad-Taghi Akbarnejad. In the initial ruling, he had been sentenced to 23 months and six days in prison, along with three years of defrocking from the clergy.

A page attributed to this cleric reported that the Appeals Court of the Special Clerical Court confirmed in full both his prison sentence and defrocking order. In the lower court, he had been sentenced to eight months and one day in prison on the charge of “acting against the regim,” and to 15 months and five days in prison for “insulting the leaders of the Islamic Revolution.” Additionally, he was sentenced to three years of defrocking on the charge of “dishonoring the clergy.”

Mr. Akbarnejad was released from Qom Prison in March 2024 after posting bail. His arrest had taken place on February 17, 2024, by agents of the IRGC Intelligence.

In an earlier audio message sent to HRANA, Akbarnejad described being pressured to make forced confessions.

Mr. Akbarnejad, a Shiite cleric and former professor at the Qom Seminary, has previously faced judicial action due to his activities.

Mojtaba Moghiseh Arrested in Sabzevar

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Freedom of Expression, News
Mojtaba Moghiseh, Sabzevar, مجتبی مقیسه

HRANA – On Wednesday, August 20, Mojtaba Moghiseh, a resident of Sabzevar, was arrested by security forces in the city and transferred to an undisclosed location.

A source close to the family confirmed the news to HRANA, stating: “Mr. Moghiseh was arrested on Wednesday, August 20, by security forces in Sabzevar. Since his detention, he has not contacted his family, and his whereabouts remain unknown.” At the time of this report, no information is available regarding the reasons for his arrest.

In late 2024, Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Sabzevar sentenced him to seven months and 15 days in prison and one year of exile. In late-April 2025, Moghiseh’s conviction was upheld in full by the Court of Appeals of Razavi Khorasan Province.

Another part of his case, on the charge of insulting sacred beliefs, is still under review at Branch 103 of the Criminal Court of Sabzevar.

Mojtaba Moghiseh is one of those arrested during the 2022 nationwide protests in Sabzevar and has previously faced arrest and conviction over his activities.

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Nariman Randani Arrested by Security Forces

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Freedom of Expression, News
Nariman Randani, Nariman Rendani, Saqqez

HRANA – On August 19, 2025, Nariman Randani, a civil rights activist and resident of Saqqez, was arrested by security forces and taken to an undisclosed location.

His brother, Milad Randani, confirmed the news, writing: “My brother Nariman was arrested for the third time in recent months. Yesterday at 6 a.m., intelligence forces came to our house again and arrested him. I have no information about Nariman’s whereabouts.”

On May 11, 2025, Nariman Randani was released on bail. He had previously been arrested on April 9, 2025, for unknown reasons.

Randani had also been arrested earlier, on February 25, 2025, in connection with a general strike in Kurdish cities, and was later released.

Writers Nina Golestani and Rozita Rajai Sentenced to Prison

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Freedom of Expression, News
HRANA, IRGC Intelligence, Lakan prison, Nina Golestani and Rozita Rajaie, Rasht, Rozita Rajai, رزیتا رجایی, نینا گلستانی

HRANA – Nina Golestani and Rozita Rajai, two fiction writers from Rasht, have each been sentenced to one year in prison by Branch 3 of the Revolutionary Court of the city.

According to Hyrcani, the two writers were previously tried by Branch 3 of the Revolutionary Court of Rasht on charges of “propaganda against the regime on social media.” The court has now sentenced each of them to one year in prison.

Another joint case against the two remains under judicial review. Charges in that case include “spreading falsehoods, appearing in public without hijab, publishing images and content deemed contrary to public morality, and disclosing preliminary investigations of the prosecutor’s office.”

Rozita Rajai was released on bail from Lakan Prison in Rasht on August 3, 2025, after being arrested on July 19 following a prosecutor’s office interrogation.

Nina Golestani was released on bail from Lakan Prison on March 16, 2025. She had been arrested on March 11, 2025, in Rasht by IRGC intelligence agents and transferred to the same facility.

Both writers have previously faced judicial convictions in relation to their activities.

Mehdi Jahangiri Arrested in Tehran

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Freedom of Expression, News
HRANA, Mehdi Jahangiri, University of Tehran, مهدی جهانگیری

HRANA– Mehdi Jahangiri, a resident of Tehran, was arrested today by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence at his workplace and transferred to an undisclosed location.

A source close to the family confirmed the arrest to HRANA, stating: “This morning, Wednesday, August 20, 2025, Mehdi Jahangiri was arrested at his workplace. Ministry of Intelligence agents carried out the arrest without presenting a judicial warrant.”

According to information received by HRANA, the arrest was linked to his social media posts and protests over repeated power outages.

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

Mehdi Jahangiri, a University of Tehran graduate and worker at the Golgoun Industrial Town, had previously been arrested by the security police on December 16 of last year during a workers’ protest at the same industrial complex. He was later released on bail.

Kianoosh Cheraghi Sentenced to Prison and Flogging

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Freedom of Expression, News
Darreh Shahr, Dehloran, Ilam prison, Kianoosh Cheraghi, کیانوش چراغی

HRANA – Kianoosh Cheraghi, a resident of Dehloran, has been sentenced by Branch 101 of the Criminal Court Two in this city to 13 months and 16 days in prison and 40 lashes.

This verdict was recently issued by Branch 101 of the Dehloran Criminal Court Two. He was sentenced to 13 months and 16 days in prison, taking into account time previously spent in detention, on the charge of “spreading falsehoods online,” and to 40 lashes for the charge of “insulting officers on duty.”

The ruling stated that publishing critical videos of government officials on Cheraghi’s personal page was considered as evidence of “spreading falsehoods.”

Cheraghi was arrested on Tuesday, June 25, by security forces in Dehloran and transferred to The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility in Ilam.

Earlier, in late May this year, he had been released from Darreh Shahr Prison following the suspension of a previous prison sentence in another case. On March 24, 2025, however, he was arrested again to serve his prison term and transferred to Ilam Prison.

Kianoosh Cheraghi, 45, a resident of Dehloran and a former employee of the city’s Social Security Organization, has been sentenced in two separate cases to a combined three years in prison and supplementary punishments.

Hasti Amiri Sentenced to Prison, Fine, and Additional Punishments

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Freedom of Expression, News
Evin Prison, Hasti Amiri, Iman Afshari, هستی امیری

HRANA – Hasti Amiri, a student at Allameh Tabataba’i University in Tehran, has been sentenced by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court to three years in prison, fines, and supplementary punishments.

This verdict was issued in absentia by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court and was notified to Amiri yesterday. Based on the ruling, she was sentenced to one year in prison for “propaganda against the regime,” and fined 3.3 million tomans for “appearing in public without mandatory hijab.” She was also sentenced to two years in prison and fined 50 million tomans for “spreading falsehoods with the intent to disturb public opinion.”

Judge Iman Afshari also imposed supplementary punishments, banning Amiri for two years from leaving the country and from membership in political and social groups.

On Saturday, April 26, 2025, Amiri was arrested after appearing at the Evin Courthouse and transferred to Evin Prison. She was released the following day after posting bail.

Hasti Amiri has previously been arrested and served prison time due to her activism.