Peyman Farhangian, a poet and workers’ rights activist, has had his 7-year suspended prison sentence converted to an enforceable sentence by Branch 18 of the Gilan Province Appeals Court. This decision followed his conviction in a separate case, which added an additional one-year prison term and led to the revocation of his suspension.
Branch 18 of the Gilan Appeals Court, presided over by Judge Mohammad Mehrani and Counselor Hossein Gholizadeh, replaced Peyman Farhangian’s 7-year suspended sentence with an enforceable prison sentence. This decision followed his conviction in another case, where he was sentenced to one year in prison, in accordance with Article 54 of the Islamic Penal Code.
Based on Article 54 of the Islamic Penal Code, “If the convict commits any intentional crime punishable by hudud (punishment by sinful action), qisas (punishment by retaliation), diya (punishment by payment), or ta’zir (punishment not spedified in Islam but enforced by a Sharia Judge) up to degree seven during the suspension period, upon finalization of the new sentence, the court revokes the suspension and orders the execution of the previously suspended sentence, notifying the court that issued the suspension order.”
On May 15, 2021, Farhangian was sentenced by the aforementioned judicial authority to five years in prison for “insulting the sanctities of Islam,” two years for “insulting the founder and Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic,” two separate one-year sentences for “propaganda against the regime and in favor of opposition political groups,” five years for “inciting people to disturb national security by spreading information about the November 2019 protests,” one year for “inciting people to violent acts via social media,” and two years for “forming and leading a group of more than two people with the intention of disrupting national security.” Additionally, he was sentenced to complementary punishments, including the blocking of his Instagram account and a two-year travel ban.
Judge Mehrani had initially suspended the 7-year prison sentence, the most severe and enforceable punishment, for five years. However, the suspension lasted only a few months, and the order for its execution has now been issued.
Peyman Farhangian later faced another legal case. On August 15, he was sentenced by Branch 102 of the Criminal Court 2 of Astaneh Ashrafieh to one year of imprisonment for “propaganda against the regime,” two years of forced residency in Zabol, a two-year travel ban, and the blocking of his Instagram account. This sentence was upheld by Branch 11 of the Gilan Appeals Court.
On January 3, Farhangian was arrested and transferred to Azbaram Prison in Lahijan to serve his sentence. He was granted temporary leave from prison on March 6, 2024.
