Marzieh Moradveisi, a dismissed teacher and one of the political prisoners of the 1980s, and Sohrab Bahrami, a civil activist from Sanandaj, have been sentenced by the Islamic Republic’s judiciary, in two separate cases, to suspended prison terms and fines, according to information received by the Hana Human Rights Organization.
Moradveisi had previously been detained in April/May 2021 and was sentenced in 2022 to five months of ta’zir imprisonment and four years of suspended imprisonment. She was detained once again on January 10, 2026, and was released after 25 days in custody.
Proceedings in this more recent case concluded with Moradveisi being sentenced to two years of suspended imprisonment and a fine of four million tomans, a verdict communicated to her on September 30, 2026.
In a separate case, Sohrab Bahrami was detained on January 25, 2026, after security forces entered his home. He spent roughly three months in custody before being released on bail on April 22, 2026, pending the conclusion of his trial.
Hana has learned that Bahrami’s case concluded with a sentence of five years of suspended imprisonment and a fine.
The Hana Human Rights Organization voices serious concern over the prosecution, detention, and sentencing in both cases. Fundamental principles of Iran’s Code of Criminal Procedure, including the presumption of innocence, the requirement that any restriction of liberty rest on law, and the right to an effective defense, bind judicial authorities to observe fair trial guarantees. The Constitution, for its part, protects freedom of belief and the rights of individuals and peaceful assemblies.
These same requirements are reflected at the international level in Articles 9, 14, 19, and 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Any restriction on liberty, expression, or civic activity must rest on a clear legal basis, answer a specific necessity, and be proportionate to whatever legitimate aim is claimed.
If these prosecutions were in fact grounded in the two citizens’ civic activity, expression of opinion, or peaceful participation, then imposing a criminal penalty, even in the form of a suspended sentence and a fine, cannot be reconciled with these requirements. A suspended sentence left standing, moreover, can leave a person exposed to enforcement for a long stretch of time and, in practice, cast a chilling effect over their civic activity.
The Hana Human Rights Organization calls for the full guarantee of Marzieh Moradveisi’s and Sohrab Bahrami’s defense rights, and for an effective review of any sentence issued in connection with their peaceful exercise of fundamental rights and freedoms.