“Health Defenders” Sentenced to Over Ten Years in Prison

Branch 29 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran sentenced the defendants of a legal case known as “Health Defenders”, Mehdi Mahmoodian, Arash Keykhosravi, Mostafa Nili, Mohammad-Reza Faghihi and Maryam Afrafaraz to a total of ten years and nine months in prison and other restrictions.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Emtedad News, five lawyers and civil rights activists were sentenced to a total of more than ten years in prison.

According to Mahmoodian’s lawyer, Babak Paknia, the sentences against these individuals are as follows:

  •       Mahmoodian: four years in prison, banned from presence in media for two years
  •       Mostafa Nili: four years in prison, banned from presence in media for two years, prohibition of practicing law for two years.
  •       Arash Keykhosravi: two years, ban from presence in media for one year and prohibition of practicing law for one year.
  •       Mohammad-Reza Faghihi: six months in prison
  •       Maryam Afrafaraz: 95 days in prison.

Attorney Babak Paknia stated that at a public court session, he was not allowed to attend the court even as a spectator.

The first three defendants were convicted on the charge of “creating anti-regime groups to disrupt national security and propaganda against the regime”. The two last were convicted of “membership in anti-regime groups.”

On August 14, 2021, during a meeting to take a decision on filing a lawsuit against the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the government for banning foreign vaccines, nine Iranian lawyers and civil rights activists were arrested. The defendants of this case were dubbed on social media as “Health defenders.”