Appeal Court upholds the sentence of 5 years in prison for Leila Hosseinzadeh
7-December-2021
Category: Freedom of Expression، Students، Women
6-December-2021
Newsgroup: Freedom of Expression – Students – Women – Repression –
Breathing in Confinement: Branch 36 of the Revolutionary Court sentenced Leila Hosseinzadeh, a student activist, and a member of Tehran University Students’ Union, to five years in prison. The sentence had been issued by Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran, for Ms. Hassanzadeh’s participation in a gathering held in front of Sharif University on the occasion of the birthday of the imprisoned Gonabadi dervish, Mohammad Sharifi Moghaddam.
According to Breathing in Confinement, the news organ of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, Branch 36 of the Court of Appeals in Tehran upheld the sentence of five years in prison as well as two years of ban from activities on social media for Leila Hosseinzadeh, a former political prisoner, and a student activist. The sentence was notified to Amir Raisian, Ms. Hosseinzadeh’s lawyer.
Leila Hosseinzadeh’s participating in a gathering held in front of Sharif University on the occasion of Mohammad Sharifi Moghaddam’s birthday as well as singing the anthem Khun-e Arghavanha (Purple Blood) have been used as accusatory evidence against her.
Ms. Hosseinzadeh was notified of her charges in September 2019 in Branch 2 of the Evin Prosecutor’s Office, headed by Judge Nasirpour.
Ms. Hosseinzadeh previously also had been arrested during the January 2017 protests and after spending 16 days in detention was released on January 18, 2020. In that case, she had been sentenced by Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court, headed by Judge Mashallah Ahmadzadeh, to six years in prison as well as two years of ban on leaving the country on charges of “conspiracy against national security and propaganda against the regime.” On June 24, 2019, Branch 36 of the Court of Appeals reduced her sentence to three and a half years in prison as well as a two-year ban on leaving the country. According to Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, two years and six months of this sentence was applicable to her.
Ms. Hosseinzadeh was arrested by security agents at her home on July 28, 2019, and after spending ten days in one of the IRGC’s safe houses, was transferred to the women’s ward of Evin Prison to serve her two-year and six-month prison sentence.
Leila Hosseinzadeh was sent on sick leave from Evin Prison on March 11, 2021, and finally, with the application of a new directive of the Judiciary, she was released from jail because of her inability to endure the prison sentence.