Azam Gholami Zahab is charged with being in contact with the opposition People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran
The 5th Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Mashhad condemned Azam Gholami Zahab to 16 years and 4 months in prison.
The verdict was issued on Monday, September 4, 2023, by Judge Hossein Yazdankhah. Ms. Gholami’s trial was held on August 23, 2023, but her lawyer of choice was not allowed to attend the court session.
The charges leveled against Azam Gholami Zahab include “assembly and collusion to disrupt national security,” “propaganda against the state,” “arson,” and “being in contact with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran.”
If the verdict is upheld, Azam Gholami Zahab will serve 10 years in prison as the maximum punishment for Moharebeh (waging war on God) through membership in the PMOI/MEK.
Political prisoner Azam Gholami Zahab, 35, has languished in confinement for over 10 months. Security forces arrested her in front of her Qasem Abad residence in Mashhad during the height of the nationwide protests in October 2022. Her home was subjected to a search, and several personal possessions were confiscated.
She was subsequently taken to the detention center of the Intelligence Department of Mashhad. Following a period of relentless interrogation that spanned more than two months, she was transferred to the Ministry of Intelligence Ward within the Central Prison of Mashhad, also known as Vakilabad Prison.
Azam Gholami Zahab is detained in Ward 5 of the Central Prison of Mashhad (aka Vakilabad Prison) among ordinary prisoners and violent criminals, in violation of the principle of separation of crimes. She is constantly mistreated, harassed, and pressured by prison authorities and the guards. She has been deprived of access to a lawyer during more than ten months of detention.
