Two Writers and One Social Media Activist in Golestan Sentenced to Prison and Fines

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported on Saturday, October 7, citing an unnamed source, that two writers and a social media activist in Golestan have been sentenced to prison and fines by the appeals court. According to the website, writer Roozbeh Gilasian has been sentenced to one year in prison, and Elaheh Soroush-Nia, a writer and poet, has been fined eight million tomans. Additionally, Nima Safar, a social media activist, has been sentenced to 80 days in prison. In the initial trial at the first branch of the Revolutionary Court presided over by Hojjatollah Ghorbani, Roozbeh Gilasian was sentenced to five years, Elaheh Soroush-Nia to one year, and Nima Safar to two years in prison. These three individuals were arrested by the IRGC intelligence in Golestan in December 2015 and were released on bail after one month. Reports indicate that the charges against them relate to their writings and comments in cyberspace. None of Roozbeh Gilasian's books have received publishing permits and all have been published online. In recent years, several poets, including Mahdi Mousavi, Fatemeh Ekhtesari, Heila Sedighi, and Mohammad Haj Rostam Beigloo, have also been arrested, with some sentenced to prison. Notably, Mahdi Mousavi and Fatemeh Ekhtesari were sentenced to long-term imprisonment and lashes by the Islamic Revolutionary Court. In related news, 60 girls and boys were arrested at a 'night party' in Golestan, and 40 young men and women were detained in a 'night party' in the village of Ziarat, Golestan. Heila Sedighi recounted her arrest: 'I was moved with a cage.' Kaveh Karimi, an Iranian documentary filmmaker, received 223 lashes and a six-year prison sentence. Mahdi Mousavi and Fatemeh Ekhtesari were sentenced to long-term imprisonment and lashes.