Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Abolqasem Salavati, has sentenced Nasimeh Eslamzehi, a Sunni mother to 25 years in prison on charges of “assisting in the crime of baghy” (armed rebellion).
The sentence was issued even though no specific, verifiable evidence of her membership in or cooperation with an armed group was presented.
Nasimeh Eslamzehi, a Sunni mother held in Evin Prison, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison, and the sentence was delivered to her earlier this week. The 42-year-old mother has denied all charges against her since her arrest and has stressed that she was not a member of any group and had no cooperation with any group.
Nasimeh Eslamzehi was tried in three sessions at Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court. According to an informed source, no specific evidence indicating her membership in cooperation with, or participation in armed activities was presented during these hearings.
The informed source familiar with the case also stressed that Ms. Eslamzehi was arrested solely because she was the wife of Arslan Sheikhi. In September 2023, security agents went to their home to arrest her husband, and Nasimeh Eslamzehi was also arrested simply because she was present at the house.
Ms. Eslamzehi had previously been sentenced to three years and six months in prison by the Criminal Court in another part of the case.
Prevention of Access to Lawyers of Her Choice
During the proceedings, several lawyers approached the court to represent Nasimeh Eslamzehi, but Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court refused to accept them, and the trial was conducted with a court-appointed lawyer.
Being denied access to a lawyer of her choice, particularly in a case involving the charge of “baghy,” severely limits the defendant’s ability to examine the evidence, challenge the grounds presented against her, and mount an effective defense. The lack of publicly available evidence against her, combined with the issuance of a sentence based solely on a family connection, has heightened concerns that an innocent woman is being punished because of her husband’s case.
Birth and Detention of Tasnim in Evin Prison
Nasimeh Eslamzehi and her husband, Arslan Sheikhi, are Sunni security detainees who were arrested in September 2023 in Malard County, Tehran Province, and transferred to Zahedan for interrogation.
She is the mother of two daughters. Ayesha, her elder daughter, was about two years old when her mother was arrested. After being separated from her mother, the child was transferred to the State Welfare Organization, but the family was able to obtain custody of her after following up on the matter.
In late April 2024, Nasimeh Eslamzehi gave birth to her second daughter, Tasnim, in Evin Prison. The infant was kept in prison from the first day of her birth and spent 40 days with her mother in a solitary confinement cell without adequate ventilation or sufficient light.
After that, the mother and infant were transferred to quarantine. Earlier reports about the year-long detention and uncertainty surrounding Nasimeh Eslamzehi and her seven-month-old infant as well as the threat to Tasnim’s health show that from birth, the child has been deprived of a healthy environment appropriate to her physical and psychological needs.
