Additional One-Year Sentence Issued for Political Prisoner Forough Taghipour Held in Evin Prison
16-May-2026
Category: Prisoners
6 May 2026
News Category: Freedom of Expression – Prisoners
Breathing in Confinement: Forough Taghipour, a political prisoner held in Evin Prison, has been sentenced to an additional one year of imprisonment following the opening of a new case against her by the Revolutionary Court of Tehran.
According to Breathing in Confinement, the news outlet of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, the sentence was issued in relation to a statement she released on the occasion of Student Day. According to the report, the statement was issued within the framework of exercising the right to freedom of expression; however, judicial authorities considered it an instance of “propaganda against the system.”
According to the published information, the sentence was formally communicated to Ms Taghipour inside the prison by Judge Sharifi-Nasab. The handling of this case has drawn criticism from human rights organisations, particularly as effective access to legal counsel and a public hearing were not guaranteed.
Previously, in March of this year, an official notice had been delivered to her in regard to the opening of a new case against her. According to the notice, she was required to appear for questioning via video conference before Branch 2 of the Prosecutor’s Office of District 33 (Moghaddas). The charge brought against her in this case was “propaganda against the system inside prison.”
It should be noted that Forough Taghipour had previously been sentenced on 15 February 2024, in a trial held in absentia by Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, alongside Marzieh Farsi, to 15 years’ imprisonment on charges of “armed rebellion (baghi) through cooperation with the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organisation.” Holding the trial in absentia and the failure to guarantee the defendant’s defence rights constitute violations of fair trial principles, including the right to be present at trial, the right to access legal counsel, and the presumption of innocence.
The increasing judicial pressure on political prisoners through the opening of new cases during their imprisonment has been regarded as a violation of prisoners’ rights, including the principle prohibiting double punishment and the right to judicial security.