Hasti Amiri and Zia Nabavi Sentenced to One Year in Prison

The one-year prison sentence for Zia Nabavi and Hasti Amiri, students protesting against the serial poisonings in Iranian schools, has been upheld by the appeals court. The website Didban Iran reported that these two students from Allameh University in Tehran had previously been sentenced to one year in prison in the primary court and Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran. Accordingly, the sentences of these two students were confirmed in the appeals court. Zia Nabavi, a former political prisoner and student activist, along with Hasti Amiri, a student activist, were tried for 'propaganda against the regime' due to the 'gathering of Allameh students on March 7, 2023, in protest against the serial poisonings of school students.' The serial poisonings, primarily affecting female students, began in early December 2022 in Qom and spread across Iran, with officials confirming that these attacks were 'deliberate.' Previously, students had actively participated in protests against the death of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the morality police. The ongoing poisonings of students have sparked widespread domestic and international reactions. Abolfazl Ghadiani described it as a 'biological attack' originating from the 'house' of Khamenei, while Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi referred to these attacks as a reflection of the 'corrupt nature of the Islamic Republic regime.' Additionally, Abdulhamid Ismailzahi, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan, called for the closure of schools and labeled the poisonings as a 'crime' committed by elements 'within the system' of the Islamic Republic. The indifference of the prison organization to the treatment of imprisoned labor and union activists has also been highlighted, as the appeals court of Fars Province sentenced eight teacher union activists to 37 years in prison. The International Federation of Journalists condemned the prison sentences for Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi.