18-Year-Old Student and Artist Shaghayegh Afshar Najafi Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison

Breathing in Confinement, Saturday, 8 August 2026: Shaghayegh Afshar Najafi, an 18-year-old student and artist from Qazvin, has been sentenced to prison based on a report by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Intelligence Organisation and her participation in the nationwide protests in January this year.

According to Breathing in Confinement, the news outlet of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, Branch 2 of the Qazvin Revolutionary Court sentenced Shaghayegh Afshar Najafi to a total of nine years’ imprisonment, along with additional penalties. Under Iran’s sentencing rules governing multiple offences, however, five years of the sentence will be enforceable, with the time she previously spent in detention credited towards her sentence.

Shaghayegh Afshar Najafi, who recently turned 18, was arrested at her home on 15 January. After spending one night in an Intelligence Ministry detention facility, she was transferred to Choobindar Prison in Qazvin, where she remained in pretrial detention for a period of time. She was eventually released temporarily pending the completion of judicial proceedings after posting bail of 1.5 billion tomans.

According to the verdict, she faced charges including “assembly and collusion against national security,” “cooperation with hostile foreign governments against the Islamic Republic,” and “propaganda against the state in cyberspace and support for Israel through sending photographs and videos to Iran International.” The court sentenced her to five years, three years, and one year in prison, respectively, on these charges.

The verdict cited a report by the IRGC Intelligence Organisation and the student’s participation in the nationwide protests in January this year among the evidence relied upon in issuing the sentence. In addition to imprisonment, the court imposed a two-year travel ban, six months of unpaid community service with Qazvin Municipality, and a permanent ban on employment in government and public institutions. The ruling also ordered the confiscation of her mobile phone, SIM card, and laptop in favour of the state.