Heavy Prison Sentences for Four Civil Activists in Tehran Appeals Court

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported that Fatemeh (Athena) Daemi, Omid Alishenas, Yasu Rostami, and Ali Noori, four civil activists, have been sentenced to a total of 18 years in prison by the Tehran Appeals Court. According to the report, based on the ruling of Branch 36 of the Tehran Appeals Court issued on Wednesday, October 7, Daemi and Alishenas were each sentenced to seven years in prison for the charges of 'conspiracy to act against national security' and 'insulting the leadership.' The website also reported that Rostami and Noori were each sentenced to two years in prison for the same charges. In this regard, Fatemeh (Athena) Daemi stated in an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights that 'our case was not judged fairly at all; rather, it was more influenced by the interrogators and the IRGC.' Omid Alishenas also announced that there is a letter from the IRGC's intelligence in the case file requesting the court to 'not grant any leniency in the sentence.' He added, 'Several times my mother asked the primary or appeals court why such a heavy sentence was given... The court said we are under pressure from the IRGC's intelligence, and my mother had met my interrogator in court several times while trying to influence the case.' Alishenas, Daemi, Rostami, and Noori were arrested by the IRGC's intelligence forces in the months of Shahrivar and Mehr 1393 (September and October 2014) and were sentenced to a total of 38 years in prison on Esfand 20, 1394 (March 10, 2016) by Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran, presided over by Judge Mohammad Mogheiseh. According to this ruling, Daemi was sentenced to 14 years, Alishenas to 10 years, and Rostami and Noori each to 7 years in prison. According to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, activities such as opposing executions, defending the right to education for Baha'is, and condemning the mass executions of the 1980s in Iran were among the charges against these four individuals.