Iranian Courts Issue New Prison Terms, Flogging, and Exile for Protesters and Activists Amid Ongoing Crackdown on Dissent and Compulsory Hijab Violations

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The Iranian regime continues its systematic crackdown on civil liberties, using harsh judicial sentences, physical punishments, and economic pressure to suppress dissent and enforce strict social norms. This creates a highly volatile environment with significant human rights risks and potential for further unrest.

📌 Key developments

• Iranian courts have handed down new prison terms and other punishments against protesters, activists, and citizens accused of national security offenses; at least six individuals were sentenced in five cases reported by HRANA on Wednesday and Thursday, August 12-13, 2026, with punishments ranging from eight months to 10 years in prison.
• A 21-year-old physical education student, Tara Farhangian, was sentenced in Qorveh to one year in prison, 31 lashes, and two years of exile for 'disrupting public peace and order,' 'resisting officers,' 'propaganda against the regime,' and 'assembly and collusion to commit a crime against national security.'
• Homa Teymouri and Yaser Azadeh, a couple arrested during the January protests, were each sentenced to five years in prison for 'assembly and collusion against national security,' with Teymouri also receiving a two-year travel ban, a two-year prohibition on social media activity, and confiscation of her phone.
• Iranian authorities have sealed at least 42 businesses, including cafés, restaurants, shops, and sports clubs, across the country in the past three weeks over compulsory hijab rules and alleged violations of Islamic norms.
• Security forces reportedly utilized cultural venues and medical clinics as firing positions, ammunition stores, and sites for holding bodies during the January 2026 protest crackdown in Alborz province.
• Over 152,000 disabled Iranians remain on a waiting list for nursing care payments due to insufficient government funding, according to the rehabilitation deputy of Iran's State Welfare Organization.

💡 Why it matters

These developments underscore the Iranian government's unwavering commitment to suppressing any form of dissent and enforcing its ideological norms, particularly against women and students. The judicial system is being used as a tool for repression, and the lack of social welfare for vulnerable populations indicates systemic issues. This will likely fuel further public discontent and resistance, posing ongoing challenges for internal stability and international relations.

👀 What to watch

• Further reports on the conditions and potential appeals of those recently sentenced.
• Any escalation or new forms of protest in response to the ongoing crackdowns and business closures.
• International reactions to the human rights situation and judicial abuses in Iran.