Reza Ramezanzadeh commenced his one-year prison term at the Great Tehran Penitentiary on Tuesday, August 29, 2023. Ramezanzadeh, a former political detainee, was apprehended during the nationwide protests.

Ramezanzadeh’s sentence of one year was handed down by Judge Iman Afshari of the Tehran Revolutionary Court. The conviction was based on charges of “propaganda against the regime.” Despite an appeal process, the verdict was upheld.

On January 7, 2023, Ramezanzadeh was summoned to the Evin Courthouse, leading to his immediate detainment in Ward 209 of Evin Prison. Subsequently, on February 9, he was released on bail.

Ramezanzadeh’s recent encounter with the legal system is not his first; he has faced arrests and convictions previously for his activism.

Background on the 2022 Nationwide Protests
The arrest of Mahsa Amini by Tehran Morality Police for her improper hijab and her suspicious death on September 16 sparked protests sweeping across Iran. Protesters came to the streets with the central slogan “Women, Life, Freedom” in protest against the performance, laws and structure of the regime. During the nationwide protests, thousands of people, including journalists, artists, lawyers, teachers, students and civil rights activists, were arrested.