18 Civil Rights Defenders in Iran Sentenced to Prison and Lashings

Iran Human Rights (FEB 20 2016): 18 civil rights defenders, who were arrested while peacefully protesting outside Evin Prison in November 2015, have each been issued prison and lashing sentences.

Branch 1060 of Tehran's criminal court has sentenced each of the 18 individuals to 91 days in prison and 74 lashes. Based on the information received by Iran Human Rights, the court sentenced two of the individuals to an additional two-year suspended prison term. The names of the 18 are: Simin Ayvaz-Zadeh (mother of civil rights activist Omid Alishenas), Hashem Zeinali (father of missing student Saeed Zeinali), Reza Malek (former political prisoner), Ehsan Kheybar, Abdolazim Oruji, Mohsen Haseli, Mohsen Shojah, Khadijeh (Leyla) Mirghaffari, Azam Najafi, Parvin Soleimani, Shermin Yemeni, Sara Saiee, Arshia Rahmati, Massoud Hamidi, Ali Babaiee, Esmaeil Hosseini, Farideh Tousi, and Zahra Modarreszadeh.

"They didn't commit any actual crime and their actions were in line with their right to freedom of assembly; as per Article 27 of the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Article 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which has been adopted by the UN General Assembly and ratified by Iran," Mohammad Moghimi, a human rights lawyer for the 18 defenders, tells Iran Human Rights.

Iran Human Rights condemns the unlawful actions committed by Iran's judicial system and calls on Iranian authorities to end the repression and eradication of civil society in Iran. "Iranian authorities have once again shown their intolerance to the peaceful activities of civil society. All levels of government within the Islamic Republic of Iran are responsible for the treatment of these 18 individuals," says Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, spokesperson for Iran Human Rights.