Parham Parvari, an athlete, swimming coach, and mechanical engineering graduate, has been imprisoned since October 2022. His four-year imprisonment has continued amid serious concerns regarding respect for his fundamental rights as a defendant, from the time of his arrest through the judicial proceedings and enforcement of his sentence, as well as his access to fair-trial guarantees.
Parvari was arrested on August 2, 2022, during the Woman, Life, Freedom protests, while returning home from work in Tehran. Following his arrest, he was held and interrogated for a period in Ward 209 of Evin Prison. A case was subsequently opened against him on charges including “moharebeh” (waging war against God) and other national-security-related offenses.
His case was heard in June 2023 by Branch 28 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court. Parvari was ultimately sentenced to 10 years in prison with exile, in addition to five years of Ta’zir imprisonment. The sentence was subsequently upheld by the Supreme Court.
In December 2023, Parvari was transferred from Evin Prison to Iranshahr Prison without prior notice to his family or lawyer. Transferring a prisoner to a facility located a considerable distance from the family’s place of residence can, in addition to the effects of imprisonment itself, seriously impede regular family visits and communication. In October 2024, reports emerged that Parvari had been injured following an attack by several prisoners convicted of ordinary crimes at Iranshahr Prison. He was temporarily transferred to Zahedan Prison and returned to Iranshahr Prison in December of the same year.
In March 2025, Parvari’s lawyer, Maziar Tataei, announced that his third request for a retrial had been accepted and that the case had been referred for reconsideration. His lawyer had previously challenged whether the conduct attributed to his client met the legal elements of the charge of “moharebeh.”
According to the latest available information, Parham Parvari remains detained at Iranshahr Prison.
The Hana Human Rights Organization considers Parvari’s continued four-year imprisonment deeply unjust in light of the circumstances of the case, including the manner of his arrest, the serious charge of moharebeh, concerns regarding the judicial proceedings, his transfer to a prison far from his family’s place of residence, and reported concerns about his safety in prison. Depriving an individual of liberty for such a prolonged period cannot be justified solely by the existence of a judicial sentence where there are serious concerns regarding the effective observance of minimum defense rights and fundamental fair-trial guarantees.
Hana expresses serious concern over the continuation of this situation and emphasizes the need for an immediate and clear determination of Parvari’s legal status, a fair review of his case, and guarantees of his defense rights, personal security, and human dignity throughout his imprisonment. Continued deprivation of liberty in a case where serious concerns have been raised regarding the basis of the charges and the judicial proceedings requires effective judicial oversight and accountability.