Mehdi Mahmoudian, Political Activist, Sent to Prison Following Summons for Sentence Execution

Mostafa Nili, the lawyer for Mehdi Mahmoudian, a political activist, has announced the implementation of his client's eight-month prison sentence. According to this lawyer, Mehdi Mahmoudian reported to prison on Tuesday, February 15. He told the Emtedaad news channel that the case against Mr. Mahmoudian dates back to a letter from Zia Nabavi regarding the presence of bedbugs in prison, which was subsequently denied by the Mizan news agency, affiliated with the judiciary, citing 'an informed source.' Mr. Nili stated that his client, Mehdi Mahmoudian, published two texts on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) in protest of this denial, leading to his summons to the Culture and Media Court on charges of 'spreading falsehoods,' with the additional charge of 'propaganda against the regime' later added to his case. On Tuesday, Mehdi Mahmoudian humorously announced on X that his sentence had been executed earlier than scheduled, as he was supposed to report to prison in a month. Mr. Nili explained that last week, the enforcement branch summoned Mehdi Mahmoudian, and they both went to the Culture and Media Court. According to this lawyer, the court agreed to a one-month extension for Mr. Mahmoudian to handle personal matters, but on the morning of Tuesday, he was contacted and told he must report to prison that day. Zia Nabavi, a political prisoner serving a one-year sentence for protesting the poisoning of schoolgirls, had previously published a note from inside Evin Prison in May 2023, mentioning the presence of bedbugs in Ward 8 of that prison and the resulting physical and mental health issues for inmates. Although this was confirmed by some political and civil activists and former prisoners, including Mehdi Mahmoudian and Jamal Amali, the Iranian judiciary denied Mr. Nabavi's statements on May 24, accusing him of seeking to 'change his ward in Evin Prison.' At that time, Mr. 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. Nevertheless, some media outlets, including the 'Entekhab' website, published the response from Taleghani Hospital, calling Mr. Mahmoudian's claims 'utterly false.' In early October, Mehdi Mahmoudian announced that he had been sentenced in absentia to eight months in prison, a two-year ban on membership in parties and groups, a two-year ban on using smartphones, and a two-year travel ban on charges of 'propaganda against the regime.'