Workers’ Rights Activist Reyhaneh Ansari Receives Four-Year Prison Sentence and Additional Restrictions

The Tehran Revolutionary Court has handed a four-year prison sentence to workers’ rights activist Reyhaneh Ansari. According to Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, the original charge would have led to a four-year imprisonment.

Ansari’s lawyer, Razieh Zeydi, informed the public that Judge Salavati, who presided over the Tehran Revolutionary Court, sentenced Ansari to four years for “assembly and collusion against national security and acting against national security.” As an additional punishment, she has been prohibited from leaving the country, joining political and civil groups, and engaging in online and media activities for two years.

Ansari, along with several other civil and workers’ rights activists, was apprehended at Mohammad Habibi’s residence just days before International Workers’ Day on April 28, 2023. Subsequently, she, along with Anisha Asadollahi, was released on a one-billion-Toman bail ten days later.

It is important to highlight that Ansari has a history of arrests and convictions related to her activism.

Reyhaneh Ansari in Pre-trial Detention over 50 Days

Workers’ Rights Activist Reyhaneh Ansari is detained in Ward 209 of Evin Prison for over 50  days.

An informed source told HRANA, “Reyhaneh is a single mother of a daughter. As the detention continues, her daughter can no longer afford her living costs”.

The Ministry of Intelligence has delayed Ansari’s release despite the one billion tomans bail that she provided.

On May 13, 2022, security forces arrested Ansari and transferred her to Ward 209 of Evin Prison in Tehran. The agents searched her house and confiscated some of her personal belongings.

Reyhaneh Ansari has been arrested on previous occasions for her civil activities.

Workers’ Rights Activist Reyhaneh Ansari Arrested in Tehran

On Thursday, May 13, 2022, workers’ rights activist Reyhaneh Ansari was arrested and transferred to an unidentified location. The security forces searched her house and confiscated some of her personal belongings.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting the Coordinating Committee to Help Form Workers’ Organizations, security forces arrested workers’ rights activist Reyhaneh Ansari at her home.

The reasons for the arrest, the entity responsible for the arrest and her whereabouts are still unknown.

Reyhaneh Ansari has been arrested on previous occasions for her civil activities.