Lashes on the Body of Protest: Neda Dede-Jani and Setayesh Sarabi Become Victims of Physical Punishment by the Islamic Republic

Neda Dede-Jani and Setayesh (Behnoosh) Sarabi, two Kurdish women from Qorveh who were detained during the December protests, faced 31 lashes after appearing in Qorveh court and were subsequently transferred to Sanandaj Central Prison to serve their sentences; a case that once again demonstrates the Islamic Republic’s use of corporal punishment to suppress the voices of protesters.

The flogging verdict against two Kurdish protesting women in Qorveh was carried out; a punishment that in the international human rights legal system is not merely an ordinary tool of justice, but rather a form of cruel and degrading treatment. Neda Dede-Jani and Setayesh (Behnoosh) Sarabi, on Saturday, August 22, corresponding to 31 Mordad, were arrested after appearing in Qorveh court, and the sentence of 31 lashes for each of them was executed. Both women were subsequently transferred to the women’s ward of Sanandaj Central Prison.

Reports published by “Henaw” and “Kulburnews” and their coverage by other media outlets confirm the details of this process. According to these reports, these two women had previously requested permission to wear electronic anklets, but without receiving a response to their request, their flogging and imprisonment sentences were carried out.

The case of these two citizens does not end with flogging alone. Branch 102 of Qorveh Criminal Court sentenced each of them to one year imprisonment, 31 lashes, and two years of exile to Nikshahr in Sistan and Baluchestan Province. In a separate case, the first branch of Qorveh Revolutionary Court issued a sentence of two years imprisonment for each on the charge of “gathering and conspiracy to commit crimes against internal security.” In total, each woman has been sentenced to three years imprisonment, 31 lashes, and two years of exile, of which, according to human rights reports, two years of imprisonment is enforceable.

However, what places this case beyond a typical judicial dispute is the nature of the punishment the government has imposed on these two women. The human rights organization “Hana” has described the execution of flogging as “judicial torture” and a retaliatory measure against protesting Kurdish women.

Human Rights Watch, in its global report on Iran, has also stated that Islamic Republic authorities continue to carry out punishments such as flogging and amputation; punishments this organization considers to be torture under international law.

This perspective is not limited to non-governmental organizations. The United Nations report on the human rights situation in Iran also emphasizes that Iran, as a member of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, is obligated to respect the prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishment or treatment, and the continued issuance of flogging sentences in Iran is a source of serious concern.

On the other hand, UN experts in 2026 expressed concern about the suppression of protesters in Iran, including arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture, and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. These concerns have been raised in connection with Iran’s recent nationwide protests.

Amnesty International also warned in a report about detainees from the January 2026 protests that thousands of people are at risk of torture, ill-treatment, and highly unjust trials. The organization also reported on the government’s use of severe punishments to create fear among protesters.

In such a context, the case of Neda Dede-Jani and Setayesh Sarabi cannot be viewed merely as two separate judicial rulings. This case is a picture of a mechanism in which civil protest can be transformed into a security case and, ultimately, the human body becomes the arena for the execution of corporal punishment.

Neda Dede-Jani herself is a theater artist, puppeteer, costume designer, and makeup artist, and had previously won awards in puppet artistry and puppet design at a regional festival for theater by people with disabilities. Now her name, alongside Setayesh Sarabi’s, appears not because of an artistic work, but because of enduring physical punishment in a case related to protests, in human rights reports.

From a Christian and moral perspective, the issue is not merely about a legal article or a court ruling; the issue is human dignity. A human being should not be transformed into a tool for displaying governmental power, and physical suffering should not be a means of silencing conscience, protest, or demands for freedom.

The execution of flogging on the bodies of two protesting women, at a time when international institutions have repeatedly warned about torture, unjust trials, and the suppression of protesters in Iran, is yet another sign of the deep chasm between the conduct of the Islamic Republic government and fundamental standards of human dignity.

The story of Neda Dede-Jani and Setayesh Sarabi is not merely the story of two women in Qorveh; this case is part of a larger picture of a government that, instead of responding to the demands of its people, uses prisons, exile, and flogging to impose silence.