The Iranian Judiciary sentenced Mahsa Yazdani to 13 years in prison.
Mahsa Yazdani is the mother of one of the victims of the 2022 Iran protests, Mohammad Javad Zahedi.
The first branch of the Revolutionary Court has sentenced Mahsa Yazdani to two counts of five-year sentences for “insulting the sanctities” and “provoking people against national security.” She is sentenced to two years for insulting Ali Khamenei, and to one year in prison for “activities against the Islamic Republic.” These make a total of 13 years. If the verdict is upheld, Mrs. Yazdani would have to serve five years in prison.
Security forces in Sari, the capital of Mazandaran Province, arrested Mahsa Yazdani on August 22, 2023, before the anniversary of last year’s Iran protests.
Mahsa Yazdani was temporarily released on 1.5 billion Toman bail on October 12, 2023.
Mohammad Javad Zahedi, 20, was shot and killed from close range with a pellet gun by security forces on September 22, 2022.
In another development, the 35th Branch of the Revision Court of Khorasan Province upheld a six-month sentence for Atekeh Rajabi, an elementary school teacher who was arrested before joining a teachers’ protest in Mashhad on May 9, 2023.
She had been already expelled from her job on January 5, 2023, for supporting the nationwide protests.
Two months of this sentence will be implemented and four months will be suspended for five years.
Hailing from Mashhad, Atekeh Rajabi was a devoted teacher at Abu Zar Elementary School until her expulsion from the Khorasan Province’s Education Department on January 5, 2023, owing to her staunch support for the nationwide 2022 uprising.
On Tuesday, May 9, 2023, Atekeh Rajabi was apprehended by security forces as she was leaving home to join the protest gathering of educators in Mashhad. Subsequently, she was transferred to the detention center of the Intelligence Department of Mashhad. The authorities proceeded to search her residence following her arrest.
