A lawyer and civil activist from Kermanshah sentenced to 18 years in prison
Sohila Hijab, a lawyer and civil activist from Kermanshah who was arrested by IRGC intelligence officers in mid-Khordad, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison by the Revolutionary Court.
According to the Iran Human Rights website, this Kurdish civil activist was sentenced on Wednesday, the 28th of Esfand, by Branch 28 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Moghisseh, to a total of 18 years in prison on charges of “propaganda against the system,” “assembly and collusion,” “disturbing public opinion with intent to cause unrest,” “forming a group in pursuit of women’s rights,” and “calling for a referendum and constitutional change.”
This sentence was issued for Sohila Hijab at a time when, in accordance with Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code regarding sentence aggregation, if this verdict is upheld by the appeals court, only 7 years and 6 months of it will be enforceable on the charge of “assembly and collusion.”
According to the report, this Kurdish civil activist was arrested on the 16th of Khordad by IRGC intelligence officers at her personal residence and was temporarily released on Saturday, the 24th of Esfand, from the women’s ward of Evin Prison after posting a bail of 3 billion tomans until the conclusion of legal proceedings.
This is not the first time Sohila Hijab has faced a prison sentence. She was previously arrested on the 7th of Dey 1397 in the city of Shiraz, and after some time was sentenced to 2 years in prison by the Revolutionary Court of that city. According to available information, after serving 5 months of her sentence, she was released from Adel Abad Prison through conditional pardon.
Previously, Voice of America reported regarding other Kurdish activists that the sentence of 69 months in prison for Mozhgan Kavosi, a Kurdish writer and researcher, which was issued by the primary court of Nowshahr on charges such as “propaganda against the system,” “inciting people to disturb public order,” and “membership in groups opposed to the system,” was increased to 76 months and 15 days in the appeals court.
The U.S. State Department has repeatedly condemned the violent actions of the Islamic Republic regime against the Iranian people under various pretexts, as well as the repeated and continuous violations of Iranian citizens’ rights by regime agents.
Source: Voice of America
