HRANA – Zeinab Mousavi, an Iranian comedian, has been sentenced by a judicial authority to six months of discretionary imprisonment and the writing of a research thesis under the supervision of the Ferdowsi Foundation, due to a video she posted online containing remarks about the Iranian poet Ferdowsi.

According to HRANA, quoting Shargh newspaper, Zeinab Mousavi has been sentenced to six months of discretionary imprisonment and the writing of a research thesis under the supervision of the Ferdowsi Foundation.

Part of the issued verdict states: “The defendant is required, under the supervision of the Ferdowsi Foundation and with the guidance of an instructor approved by this foundation, to draft and defend within six months a thesis on topics including Ferdowsi’s role in Iran’s national identity and culture, and the significance of the Shahnameh in Persian literature.”

According to the ruling, Mousavi is also obligated to conduct at least 120 hours of storytelling sessions centered on Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh in schools or cultural centers in underprivileged areas, coordinated with the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults and the Ministry of Education, and to submit documentation to the Enforcement of Judgments Office.

Zeinab Mousavi, one of the first female stand-up comedians in Iran and the creator of the character “Emperor Kuzco,” was arrested in October 2023 and released after a few days. Her case was sent to both the Revolutionary Court and the Criminal Court of Tehran on two charges.

She was also arrested in Qom in October 2022 and released on bail in late November of the same year pending trial. Mousavi has stated that she was held in solitary confinement for 25 days during her detention and was sentenced to two years in prison.