Elham Ostadi, a 30-year-old woman from Iranshahr in southeastern Iran, has been sentenced to one year in prison by the Revolutionary Court in Zahedan for “propaganda against the state.” Her crime was posting on social media in support of protests against the rape of a 15-year-old girl by a former police commander in Chabahar.
This case highlights the ongoing repression of free speech in Iran, especially when it involves criticism of state officials or institutions.
On August 20, 2024, Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court in Zahedan, the capital of Sistan and Baluchestan province, sentenced Elham Estadi to one year in prison for “propaganda against the state.” The charge was based on a post she made on Instagram expressing support for protests against the rape of a 15-year-old girl by Colonel Ebrahim Kuchakzai, the former police commander of Chabahar, a city in southeastern Iran.
The incident that triggered these protests occurred on September 1, 2022, when Colonel Kuchakzai, under the pretense of interrogation, took the girl to his private quarters in Sediq Zahi village, Chabahar County, and raped her. This heinous act led to widespread protests across Sistan and Baluchestan province, an area known for its significant Baluch ethnic minority population. The protests were met with a harsh crackdown by Iranian security forces.
Although Elham Ostadi did not participate in the street protests, her Instagram post criticizing the crime and expressing solidarity with the protesters led to her arrest on August 22, 2023. She was detained by security forces in Chabahar, who reportedly used violence and did not present an arrest warrant. Ostadi was initially held in a secret detention center before being transferred to Zahedan Central Prison, where she spent 10 days in solitary confinement.
After nearly two weeks in custody, Ostadi was temporarily released on September 2, 2023, after posting a bail of 200 million tomans (approximately $4,700 USD at that time). Despite her release, she continued to face legal pressure, leading to her eventual sentencing in August 2024. In addition to the prison sentence for “propaganda against the state,” Elham Ostadi had previously been fined for “disturbing public opinion” in a separate case.
In response to the public outcry over the rape case, the Iranian judiciary announced in February 2023 that Colonel Kuchakzai had been convicted by a military court in Sistan and Baluchestan province. He was sentenced to prison and permanently dismissed from public service.
Ostadi’s sentencing is part of a broader pattern of the Iranian regime’s efforts to silence dissent, particularly on social media, where criticism of the government and its officials is increasingly met with severe punishment. This repression is particularly pronounced in regions like Sistan and Baluchestan, where ethnic and religious minorities face disproportionate persecution.
Elham Ostadi’s case is emblematic of the Iranian regime’s ongoing crackdown on freedom of expression. Her imprisonment for a social media post condemning a police officer’s sexual assault on a minor reflects the lengths to which the regime will go to suppress dissent and shield its officials from accountability.
As Elham Ostadi prepares to serve her sentence, her story underscores the urgent need for international attention to the human rights abuses in Iran, especially concerning the treatment of women and ethnic minorities.
