Hengaw Reports Sentencing of Five Women Activists from Gilan to Over 20 Years in Prison

The human rights organization Hengaw announced on Monday, August 13, that five women activists from Gilan, who were active in media and environmental fields, have been sentenced by the judiciary of the Islamic Republic to a total of more than 20 years and seven months of imprisonment. According to the report, Anahita Doostdar, Nina Golestani, Rozita Rajai, Anahita Hajazi, and Negin Adalatkhah were each sentenced to three years, six months, and one day in prison for what was termed 'conspiracy and collusion,' and an additional seven months and sixteen days for 'propaganda against the regime.' Hengaw reported that these sentences were issued by the Third Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Rasht, presided over by Judge Mehdi Rasakhi, and were officially communicated to them. Rozita Rajai, a writer, and Anahita Hajazi, the director of the Ana Animal Shelter in Rasht, along with three others, were arrested by the security forces of the Islamic Republic on Saturday, November 11, 2023, and were temporarily released from Lakan Prison in Rasht after posting bail. Earlier, on July 13 of this year, six civil and women's rights activists from Gilan, named Forough Samiinia, Jalveh Javaheri, Shiva Shahsiya, Negin Rezaei, Matin Yazdani, and Azadeh Chavoshian, had been transferred to Lakan Prison in Rasht to serve their sentences. According to reports from the human rights organization, officials of the Islamic Republic have intensified the crackdown on women activists and human rights defenders following nationwide protests over the death of Mahsa Amini in custody of the morality police in 2022, known as 'Women, Life, Freedom,' resorting to harsher methods and issuing heavy sentences to silence dissenters and those with differing opinions. Yasmin Hashdari, a women's rights activist in Gilan province, was summoned and imprisoned without completing her medical treatment. One women's rights activist in prison developed 'atelectasis.' The Human Rights Campaign in Iran stated that the death sentence for Sharifeh Mohammadi reflects the dire situation of labor activists. Three other women’s rights activists in Rasht were arrested to serve their prison sentences, and sentences totaling over 60 years for Gilan activists were sent to the execution branch of the Rasht Prosecutor's Office.