Zartosht Ahmadi Raghb, Imprisoned Human Rights Activist, Sentenced to Imprisonment and Exile

The first branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Karaj has sentenced Zartosht Ahmadi Raghb, a civil rights activist imprisoned in Qazalhasar Prison, to one year in prison and two years of exile to the city of Qeydar in Zanjan Province on charges of 'propaganda against the regime.' According to a knowledgeable source in contact with Voice of America, this ruling was issued by Judge Mousa Asf-al-Hosseini and was communicated to Mr. Ahmadi Raghb on Tuesday, July 9. He added that this imprisoned civil rights activist has described the recent ruling as 'illegal and anti-human rights' and sees it as indicative of the 'lack of independence of the judiciary' and the 'government's dominance' over this institution. The charge against Zartosht Ahmadi Raghb is based on an audio file from September 6 of last year, in which he reported on the transfer of 16 political prisoners from Evin Prison to Qazalhasar Prison under 'extremely inhumane' conditions. After boycotting the recent 'mock elections,' he was also transferred to a punitive solitary confinement cell by the authorities of Qazalhasar Prison. Zartosht Ahmadi Raghb is one of 10 political prisoners held in Qazalhasar Prison who initiated the protest campaign 'No to Execution Tuesdays' last February. This former firefighter, who was dismissed from his job due to his civil and human rights activities, has been previously arrested and has gone on hunger strikes multiple times in protest against human rights violations in Iran. On March 7, 2023, Zartosht Ahmadi Raghb was arrested 'with violence' while intending to participate in a teachers' protest against the serial poisoning of students. According to a knowledgeable source, the judiciary of the Islamic Republic has sentenced this human rights activist to 'three years and nine months in prison' without issuing a ruling. The one-year prison sentence of Abdollah Momeni has been reaffirmed in the appellate court; Nasrin Sotoudeh expressed concern about the situation of Ahmadreza Jalali, a prisoner at risk of execution; Youssef Farhadi Babadi, a civil activist, was sentenced to one year in prison and a monetary fine; and Reza Shahabi, a labor activist imprisoned in Evin Prison, went on a hunger strike.