Farhad Sheikhi, a labor activist, is currently serving an eight-month prison sentence in the Central Prison of Karaj, following a ruling by the Alborz Province Court of Appeals.
According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists in Iran, Sheikhi was arrested in late September 2024 after appearing at the Criminal Enforcement Office in Hashtgerd and was transferred to Karaj Central Prison to serve his sentence.
On November 5, a source informed HRANA that Sheikhi was punitively transferred to solitary confinement for five days before being returned to his ward.
Sheikhiâs legal troubles began on May 28, 2023, when security forces arrested him at his home in Hashtgerd. Initially detained in Rajai Shahr Prison, he was later charged at the Hashtgerd Prosecutorâs Office on June 13, 2023. He was released on a bail of 100 million tomans pending trial.
In June 2024, Branch 1 of the Karaj Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Seyed Musa Asef al-Hosseini, convicted Sheikhi of “propaganda against the regime.” He was sentenced to one year in prison, two years of exile to Divandarreh in Kurdistan Province, a two-year travel ban, and a two-year ban on residing in Alborz and Tehran Provinces following the completion of his exile.
On August 29, 2024, the Court of Appeals reduced his prison sentence to eight months, while the other aspects of his punishment remained unchanged.
Sheikhi, a dedicated workers’ rights advocate, has faced repeated arrests and convictions for his activism. On February 7, 2023, he was released from a prior imprisonment following an amnesty directive.
Sheikhiâs case exemplifies the ongoing challenges faced by labor activists in Iran, who continue to face judicial and extrajudicial pressures for their advocacy.