Mohammad Nourizad, a civil activist imprisoned in Evin Prison, has been sentenced to five years in prison due to a new case recently opened against him during his incarceration.

A page attributed to this civil activist reported that on Sunday, July 21, 2024, a hearing on Mr. Nourizad’s charges was held via video conference in his absence. Consequently, without having the opportunity to defend himself against the charges, he was sentenced to an additional five years in prison. The release of an audio file from prison has been cited as one of the charges against him.

In February of 2024, Nourizad was sentenced to an additional 61 months in prison due to another case opened against him during his imprisonment.

In July 2023, in yet another case, Nourizad was sentenced to two years in prison by Branch 28 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court.

On August 11, 2019, Mohammad Nourizad was arrested by security forces in connection with a letter signed by 14 civil activists calling for the resignation of Ayatollah Khamenei and for his presence in front of the building where Kamal Jafari Yazdi’s appeal hearing was held. He was eventually transferred from Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad to Evin Prison in 2020.

Nourizad’s legal ordeal began on August 11, 2019, when he was arrested by security forces for participating in the drafting of an open letter with 13 other civil rights activists, calling for the Supreme Leader of Iran to step down. In the initial case, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison, three years of exile in Izeh, and a two-year travel ban. Although the prison sentence was upheld on appeal, the duration of exile and travel ban were reduced to two years.

In late April 2020, Nourizad received an additional one-year imprisonment for expressing support for Baha’i citizens in Eyvanki, Semnan Province.

Concerning the second part of his legal case, the Mashhad Criminal Court sentenced Nourizad to 8 months in prison and 74 lashes, along with exile to Tabas, for “disturbance of public order.” He also received an additional 74 lashes for “spreading falsehood.” This verdict was upheld on appeal as well.

Nourizad was released from Evin Prison on November 17, 2021, based on an early release order. However, on January 23, 2022, he was summoned and re-incarcerated in Evin Prison to serve the remainder of his sentence.

Nourizad has a history of arrests and convictions linked to his peaceful activism. He is a prominent filmmaker, writer, director, and journalist from Iran. While previously known as an outspoken religious journalist, he has become an active critic of the Islamic Republic in recent years.