HRANA – The convictions of Rostam Shahpari Talkh Abi and Iman Shahpari Nia, who were arrested during the January 2026 protests, have been fully upheld by the Khuzestan Province Court of Appeals. In a joint case, Branch 1 of the Ahvaz Revolutionary Court had previously sentenced each of them to two years in prison along with supplementary punishments.
Based on a ruling recently issued by Branch 14 of the Khuzestan Province Court of Appeals, Mr. Shahpari Talkh Abi and Mr. Shahpari Nia were each sentenced, on the charge of “disrupting public order,” to two years in prison, a two-year ban on leaving the country, and one year of mandatory attendance at the Headquarters for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. The court cited the note to Article 286 of the Islamic Penal Code as the basis for the sentence.
The initial verdict in their case had been issued by Branch 1 of the Ahvaz Revolutionary Court on the same charge.
In this case, the charge of “disrupting public order” was brought under the note to Article 286 of the Islamic Penal Code. Under Iran’s legal framework, Article 286 itself pertains to the offense of “spreading corruption on earth” (efsad-e fel-arz). However, according to its accompanying note, if a defendant’s actions are deemed to have caused disorder or insecurity but are not considered sufficiently extensive to constitute efsad-e fel-arz, the death penalty is not applied, and the defendant may instead be sentenced to a Grade 5 or Grade 6 discretionary prison term (up to five years’ imprisonment).
The reliance on this note rather than Article 618 of the Islamic Penal Code, which addresses ordinary public-order offenses and carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison, indicates that the case was handled through a security-oriented approach, with the court relying on the more severe penalties provided under the note to Article 286.
Rostam Shahpari Talkh Abi and Iman Shahpari Nia were arrested on January 9, 2026, during the nationwide protests and were subsequently transferred to Sheiban Prison in Ahvaz.
