Mahdi Mahmoudian Sentenced to Imprisonment for Reporting Bedbug Presence in Evin

Mahdi Mahmoudian, a political activist, states that he has been sentenced in absentia to eight months in prison, a two-year ban on membership in political parties and groups, a two-year ban on using a smartphone, and a two-year travel ban on charges of 'propaganda against the regime.' On Friday, October 6, he shared images of his verdict on his X account, stating that the ruling was issued by Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court and Judge Iman Afshari. According to this former political prisoner, all these penalties are solely because he wrote in response to a news outlet's false claim about the eradication of bedbugs in prison that 'they have falsely claimed to be addicted.' Mahmoudian further stated, 'The vengeful judge of the court merely copied and issued this ruling based on this one sentence and my confession in front of the investigator, where I said that the actions of the Islamic Republic are the best propaganda against the regime.' He continued, 'Is lying in a tweet or confessing to an investigator propaganda against the regime, or is it the official news agency of the judiciary lying in denial of obvious facts or the text of the ruling issued by the illiterate judge of Branch 26?' According to Mahmoudian's post on X, although he was present in the office of Branch 26, he refrained from appearing before Judge Iman Afshari, and thus his ruling was issued in absentia. He emphasized that although he has exercised his right to appeal, he did not attend the second court session either. Zia Nabavi is going to court on charges of 'reporting the presence of bedbugs in prison.' About a month ago, Amir Reysian, a lawyer, announced that a court session would be held for Zia Nabavi, a political prisoner, on charges of 'spreading falsehoods' regarding the presence of bedbugs in Evin prison. According to Reysian, this court session is scheduled for September 7 to address the charge of 'spreading falsehoods.' For the first time, Zia Nabavi, who is serving a one-year sentence for protesting the poisoning of schoolgirls, reported in May of this year, in a note from inside the prison, about the presence of bedbugs in Ward 8 of this prison and the physical and psychological health problems for prisoners resulting from it. Some political and civil activists and former prisoners, including Mahdi Mahmoudian and Jamal Ameli, also confirmed Nabavi's statements. At that time, Mahmoudian wrote on social media that Ward 8 of Evin prison had been 'emptied' due to bedbugs, and Taleghani Hospital in Tehran announced that it would refuse to accept dialysis patients from Evin prison for this reason. However, some media outlets in Iran, including the 'Entekhab' website, published the reaction of Taleghani Hospital, which called Mahmoudian's claims 'utterly false.' Nevertheless, following the publication of Nabavi's note, which sparked widespread reactions on social media, the judiciary of the Islamic Republic denied Nabavi's statements on May 24 and accused him of seeking to 'change his ward in Evin prison.' Months later, however, the lawyer of this prisoner reported that 'prison officials, due to this note, removed Mr. Nabavi from his ward and, by the decision of the prison disciplinary council, transferred him to solitary confinement for a week.'