Eight Women’s Rights Activists Sentenced to Long Prison Terms and Imprisoned

Several human rights groups are calling for the immediate annulment of the prison sentences and the release of the imprisoned activists. These women, including Shiva Shahsiah, Jelveh Javaheri, Negin Rezaei, Forough Samii Nia, and Azadeh Chavoshian, were brutally tortured and threatened with rape and murder during their last detention.

In the second week of July, eight women’s rights activists were arrested in the northern Iranian province of Gilan and taken to Lakan Prison in the provincial capital, Rasht. They were sentenced to long prison terms solely for their advocacy for women’s rights and opposition to the compulsory hijab. The activists were involved in humanitarian aid projects and educational work for impoverished women and children in Gilan.

These eight women, including Matin Yazdani and sisters Zohreh and Zahra Dadras, were first arrested in August 2023 during raids on their homes. They were held in solitary confinement at Lakan Prison for several weeks without access to legal counsel. They were later released on bail.

Zohreh Dadras was sentenced to nine years in prison, and her sister Zahra received a six-year sentence. The regime’s judiciary, which serves as a tool of oppression, accused the activists of supporting women’s freedom protests and having contacts with anti-regime media. In May 2024, they were sentenced to lengthy prison terms in an arbitrary trial on charges of “endangering national security.”

Matin Yazdani was also sentenced to six years in prison for her advocacy for women’s rights. Activists Shiva Shahsiah, Negin Rezaei, Forough Samii Nia, and Azadeh Chavoshian received six-year prison sentences as well.

Human rights groups, including the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, are demanding the immediate release of the activists. She expressed deep concern about their imprisonment, noting that these women’s rights activists were tortured and threatened with rape and murder during their previous incarceration.

The Tehran regime uses brutal repression to prevent further women’s freedom protests. In April, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called on the regime to end the oppression of women and eliminate all forms of gender-based discrimination and violence, including repressive laws, policies, and practices.