Zia Nabavi, student activist, released from prison after eight years

Zia Nabavi, a star-student and former member of the Islamic Students Association at Noshirvani University of Babol, was released from Semnan prison just before the ninth anniversary of his imprisonment. According to reports from the Harana news agency and the Kalemeh website, Mr. Nabavi was freed on Wednesday, February 25. This political prisoner was arrested on June 15, 2009, just three days after the presidential elections and the large protests against the election results, along with several of his friends at the campaign headquarters of Mehdi Karroubi. He was initially sentenced to 15 years in prison and later to 10 years in exile by the appeals court on charges of 'moharebeh' (waging war against God) and 'connections with the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization'. Nabavi, who denied these charges, repeatedly requested a retrial, and finally, 'with the expert opinion of the Ministry of Intelligence', the 36th branch of the appeals court re-examined his case and 'rejected the charge of moharebeh through connections with the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization'. Nevertheless, he was sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of 'gathering and collusion, propaganda against the regime, and disturbing public order'. Reports indicate that Nabavi was released from Semnan prison after nearly nine years, having served about four years more than his final sentence. During this time, he was held in various prisons, including Evin, Ahvaz, Ahvaz Clinic, and Semnan. Nabavi, along with Mahdieh Golroo, Majid Dary, and several other deprived students, formed a group called the 'Council for the Defense of the Right to Education' and held gatherings to protest the deprivation of students from education. After the 2009 presidential elections, many student activists and members of the Office for Strengthening Unity in Iran were arrested and sentenced to long-term imprisonment, including Mahdieh Golroo, Milad Asadi, Majid Tavakoli, Zia Nabavi, Majid Dary, Shabnam Madadzadeh, Mehdi Khodaei, and Emad Bahavar.