Issuance and Enforcement of Prison Sentences for at Least Three Political and Civil Activists in Iran

At least three political and civil activists in Iran have been sentenced to prison or summoned for the enforcement of their sentences in recent days. According to human rights sources, Sirvan Ebrahimi, a Kurdish language teacher, has been transferred to prison. Additionally, Siamak Amini, a former political prisoner, has been summoned to serve his prison sentence, and Khashayar Safidi, a expelled student, has also been sentenced to prison. According to HRANA, the news agency of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, Sirvan Ebrahimi, one of the detainees from the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests, was transferred to Sanandaj prison on Wednesday, July 4, to serve an eight-month prison sentence. This member of the Noujin Cultural Association, who has a history of previous arrests, has been accused of 'propaganda against the regime.' On the other hand, Siamak Amini, a political prisoner from the 1980s, has been summoned to Evin Prosecutor's Office to serve a sentence of four years and three months in prison. According to HRANA, this political activist, who was sentenced to prison in May of this year, must introduce himself to the first branch of the criminal execution court of Evin Prosecutor's Office by Sunday, July 17. The charges against Siamak Amini, a 63-year-old resident of Tehran, include 'collusion and conspiracy to commit a crime' and 'propaganda against the regime.' In addition to imprisonment, he has been subjected to supplementary punishments, including a ban on using a smartphone, a prohibition on leaving the country, and a two-year ban on membership in political and social groups. Khashayar Safidi, a 32-year-old expelled music student from Tehran University of Art, has been sentenced to one year in prison for 'propaganda against the regime.' This student activist stated in an Instagram message that the issuance of this sentence was due to his sit-in and hunger strike in May in protest against the 'unjust' death sentence for Tomaj Salehi, a imprisoned rapper. Simultaneously, Motahareh Ghonei, a suspended and exiled dental student activist from Tehran University, has also been sentenced to one year in prison for protesting against the death sentence for Tomaj Salehi. Pressure on civil and political activists has increased in recent years, especially following nationwide protests after the death of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the morality police. According to Amnesty International in early May, Iranian authorities have resorted to 'illegal coercive powers and unfair trials' to 'severely suppress the political freedoms' of activists, journalists, and critics. Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labor activist, was sentenced to death in the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Rasht. Rana, the sister of Mojahid Korkor, a political prisoner sentenced to death, was arrested. Concerns are growing over the condition of Saman Yasin, a political prisoner: the condition of this protesting artist is 'extremely critical.' A young protester is at risk of re-arrest; informed sources report that Mehdi Tahidi suffers from epilepsy.