Appeals Court Upholds One-Year Prison Sentence for Fereshteh Souri

HRANA News Agency – The Court of Appeals in Hamedan Province has upheld a one-year prison sentence for Fereshteh Souri.

As stated in the verdict issued by Branch 11 of the Hamedan Province Court of Appeals, which was delivered to Ms. Souri, she has been sentenced to one year of imprisonment on the charge of “propaganda against the regime.”

In the preliminary stage, Souri and her husband, Ali Jahanian, were tried and convicted in March 2025 by Branch 1 of the Nahavand Revolutionary Court. Each was sentenced to one year in prison in Nahavand. After Ali Jahanian accepted the ruling, the judge reduced his sentence by only 18 days.

The couple was released on bail on November 11, 2024, after spending 64 days in detention.

A source close to the family told HRANA that “during her interrogation at the Ministry of Intelligence, Ms. Souri was subjected to verbal abuse and physical assault.”

Ali Jahanian, a poet and political activist based in Nahavand, has previously been arrested for his activism.

Ali Jahanian and Fereshteh Souri Sentenced to Prison

HRANA News Agency – Ali Jahanian and his wife, Fereshteh Souri, have each been sentenced to one year in prison by Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Nahavand.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists in Iran, the couple was convicted of “propaganda against the regime” and sentenced to serve their terms in Nahavand Prison. However, the court acquitted them of the charge of “forming a group to disrupt national security.”

Their trial was held in late January 2025, and the verdict was issued and formally communicated to them on March 10, 2025.

Jahanian and Souri were originally arrested by Intelligence Ministry agents on September 9, 2024, at their home in Nahavand. While Souri was released on bail after several hours of interrogation, she was rearrested on September 11 and later transferred to Malayer Prison.

Both were eventually released on bail on November 11, 2024. A source close to their family told HRANA that Fereshteh Souri was subjected to verbal abuse and physical violence during her interrogations at the Intelligence Ministry’s detention facility.

Ali Jahanian, a poet and political activist from Nahavand, has been previously arrested due to his activism.

Poet Ali Jahanian Arrested by Security Forces in Nahavand

On September 9, Ali Jahanian, a poet and political activist, was arrested by Ministry of Intelligence agents in Nahavand and transferred to the Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility in Hamedan.

A source close to his family confirmed the news to HRANA, stating: “Mr. Jahanian and his wife, Mrs. Fereshteh Souri, were arrested by Ministry of Intelligence agents at their residence in Nahavand. His wife was released after several hours of interrogation on bail. Security agents also searched their home during the arrest and confiscated some of the couple’s personal belongings, including their mobile phones.”

The source added, “Ali Jahanian has been transferred to the Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility in Hamedan following his arrest.”

So far, the reasons for his arrest and the charges against him have not been disclosed.

Ali Jahanian, a poet and political activist residing in Nahavand, has previously been arrested due to his activities.

Ali Jahanian Arrested in Hamedan

On April 26, 2023, Ali Jahanian, a resident of Nahavand, was arrested after an appearance at the Ministry of Intelligence office in Hamedan. The agents transferred him to an undisclosed location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on April 26, 2023, Ali Jahanian was arrested in Hamedan.

An informed source close to Jahanian’s family told HRANA, “He was summoned by the Ministry of Intelligence and arrested at their office. His family’s frequent inquiries from judicial and security institutions about his whereabouts have remained unanswered.”

Jahanian, a poet and political activist, recently published a video on social media criticizing the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei.

The allegations against Jahanian are still unknown.