Brother of Civil Activist Reports; Execution of Sepideh Roshno's Prison Sentence Halted Until March 10

Saman Roshno, brother of Sepideh Roshno, announced that the execution of the prison sentence for this civil activist opposing mandatory hijab has been halted until March 10, following the acceptance of a "retrial" in one of her cases by the Supreme Court. Saman Roshno wrote on his account on X: "With the follow-up by Mr. Panahipour at the Supreme Court, the retrial of the second case has been accepted. Today we went to Sepideh at Evin dawn. The execution of the sentence has been halted until March 10. We hope that the appeals court will acquit Sepideh and that the suspended sentence will not be executed." Previously, on February 15, Sepideh Roshno, a writer, poet, and civil activist opposing mandatory hijab, wrote on her Instagram page that with the consolidation of her three cases, a sentence of three years and 11 months of imprisonment has been executed, and she will introduce herself to the Evin execution office in the coming days. Ms. Roshno noted that in the first case, she was sentenced to three years and seven months, in the second case to four months, and in the third case to a fine of 1.5 million tomans, adding that the fine was issued due to her appearance in court with her chosen attire for the second case. She also mentioned that "as soon as the case reaches the execution office, she has been banned from leaving the country. However, the ban is for someone who has no intention of leaving." Sepideh Roshno was arrested in July 2022 following her protest against "mandatory hijab" and her resistance against the interference of a woman known as "Rayhaneh Rabiei" regarding her attire, and she was forced to make a "forced confession" in front of the Islamic Republic's state television camera. She has a history of arrest and conviction due to her activities. Ms. Roshno's name appears in the BBC's list of the 100 inspiring and influential women of 2023. The American PEN Association condemned the conviction of Sepideh Roshno, the young Iranian poet and writer, and a staunch critic of mandatory hijab, stating: "The health and vitality of a nation depend solely on the ability of its people to express their thoughts without fear of government retaliation."