Bahareh Aghaei, Lawyer, Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison

Breathing in Confinement, Wednesday, 7 October 2026: Bahareh Aghaei, a lawyer held in Qarchak Prison in Varamin, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in a case related to her support for protesters and families seeking justice.

According to Breathing in Confinement, the news outlet of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, Bahareh Aghaei, a licensed attorney and international law student at the University of Tehran, has been sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment by the Tehran Revolutionary Court. The charge of “propaganda against the system” has been raised in connection with her case, but full details of the ruling — including the precise nature of all charges, the branch that issued the sentence, and the punishment imposed for each charge — have not yet been made public.

According to information published about her case, her support for protesters during the January protests, attendance at a ceremony marking the 40th day after Sepehr Shokri’s death, and the provision of legal assistance to families seeking justice were among the matters cited against her during the judicial proceedings.

Aghaei was arrested following the January protests, and her family had no information about her whereabouts for nearly two weeks. Reports from sources close to her family indicate that approximately 10 security officers entered her home to arrest her and also confiscated electronic devices belonging to members of her family.

According to the same reports, Bahareh Aghaei was held in solitary confinement for at least 15 days and went on hunger strike on one occasion in protest against her detention conditions and situation. More than seven months after her arrest, she remained in an uncertain legal situation for a period before being transferred to Qarchak Prison in Varamin.

Her conviction comes amid numerous reports in recent months of lawyers in Iran being summoned, arrested, sentenced to imprisonment, or subjected to judicial and professional restrictions. According to published statistics, at least 135 lawyers have faced one or more of these forms of pressure or restriction over the past year.

Imposing penalties on lawyers because of their professional activities, support for protesters, defence of political prisoners, or contact with families seeking justice not only restricts their individual and professional freedoms but may also affect citizens’ right to effective and independent legal representation. The independence of lawyers and their ability to practise freely are fundamental components of a fair trial and of individuals’ right to defend themselves against criminal charges.

Bahareh Aghaei remains imprisoned in Qarchak Prison in Varamin. Detailed information regarding the status of her case, the full terms of the ruling, and whether the judgment can be appealed has not yet been officially released.