Writer and Member of the Iranian Writers’ Association Sentenced on Charge of “Propaganda Against the State”
13-June-2026
Category: Prison Sentence
13 June 2026
News Category: Prison Sentences
Breathing in Confinement: Yousef Ansari, a writer and member of the Board of Secretaries of the Iranian Writers’ Association, has been sentenced to one year’s imprisonment.
According to reporters for Breathing in Confinement, the news outlet of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, Yousef Ansari was sentenced by Branch 21 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court to one year of discretionary imprisonment on the charge of “propaganda against the state.”
According to the published information, eight months of the one-year sentence have been suspended for a specified period, leaving four months to be served, unless the judgment is successfully appealed within the prescribed legal time limit or a higher judicial authority issues a different ruling.
Mr Ansari was arrested by security forces on 8 January 2026 after attending a memorial ceremony for Baktash Abtin, the late writer and member of the Iranian Writers’ Association, and was subsequently transferred to Greater Tehran Prison.
In mid-March 2026, he was granted temporary release pending the conclusion of judicial proceedings after posting bail in the amount of 700 million tomans.
The case has been pursued in connection with Mr Ansari’s civil and cultural activities. The judgment is currently a first-instance decision and remains subject to appeal.