Ghazal Marzban, a Christian Convert, on Hunger Strike in Evin Prison
Ghazal Marzban, a 41-year-old Christian convert currently residing in Tehran, has been on a hunger strike in Evin Prison since Sunday, December 22, 2024. She began her protest in response to her continued detention and the uncertainty surrounding her legal status.
Originally, from Lasht-e-Nesha, a small town near Rasht, Ghazal Marzban was recently tried by Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran on charges of “propaganda against the regime” and “appearing in public without observing mandatory hijab.” Although she was informed that a suspended sentence had been issued against her, she has yet to receive formal documentation of the ruling.
Marzban was arrested on November 5, 2024, by security forces and held for two days at the Vozara Detention Center before being transferred to the women’s ward of Evin Prison. During her arrest, she sustained severe injuries to her ribs.
Leila Hossein Zadeh Sentenced to One Year in Prison
Leila Hossein Zadeh, a former political prisoner and expelled university student, has been sentenced to one year in prison and a monetary fine. Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran convicted her of “propaganda against the regime,” imposing a one-year prison sentence, and fined her 3,300,000 tomans for “violating hijab laws in public.”
On September 3, 2024, Hossein Zadeh received a notice from the judiciary requiring her to pay a fine of 100 million tomans. This penalty was issued following a medical commission’s confirmation of her permanent inability to endure punishment, which annulled a five-year prison sentence imposed in 2021 for “assembly and collusion with intent to act against national security.”
Hossein Zadeh, 32, is a former student of Tehran University and has long suffered from Crohn’s disease.
Zeinab Zaman Sentenced to Six Months in Prison
Zeinab Zaman, a women’s rights activist and resident of Tehran, has been sentenced to six months in prison, a monetary fine, and additional restrictions.
On December 8, 2024, Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran convicted Zaman of “spreading falsehoods,” sentencing her to six months in prison and fining her 50 million tomans. The prison sentence was suspended for five years, and the ruling was delivered to her lawyer, Abouzar Zaman.
As part of her supplementary punishment, Zaman has also been prohibited from associating or communicating with individuals active in political or social domains for five years.
