Women's rights activist Alieh Motabalzadeh's prison sentence upheld in appeals court
The three-year prison sentence of Alieh Motabalzadeh, vice president of the Association for the Defense of Press Freedom and women's rights activist, was upheld by the Tehran Provincial Court of Appeal.
An informed source told VOA that Ms. Motabalzadeh's three-year prison sentence, which was previously issued by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court on charges of "gathering and colluding against national security" and "propaganda against the system," has been confirmed by Branch 36 of the Tehran Provincial Court of Appeals, presided over by Judge Zargar Aina.
This sentence was issued while, according to Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, which stipulates the aggregation of sentences, only two years of this sentence will be enforceable as the maximum punishment.
According to this informed person, Ms. Motabalzadeh's three-year prison sentence has been referred to the First Branch of the Evin Martyr's Court for execution, and the Evin Martyr's Court for Execution of Sentences has also given the women's rights activist five days to present herself to the relevant branch for execution of the sentence.
Alia Motabalzadeh, vice president of the Association for the Defense of Press Freedom and a women's activist, was arrested in December 2016 following a summons to the Intelligence Department and after appearing at this security institution. After a while, she was temporarily released from Evin Prison after posting a bail of 300 million Tomans, pending the completion of the trial.
In September of this year, Atefeh Rangriz, a women's rights activist, was sentenced to 11 years and six months in prison and 74 lashes by Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Mohammad Moghiseh, on charges such as "gathering and colluding against national security" and "disturbing public order."
In February of last year, Amnesty International called 2018 the "year of shame" for the Islamic Republic, announcing that more than seven thousand people, including participants in demonstrations, students, journalists, women's rights activists, environmental activists, labor activists, and ethnic and religious minority rights activists, had been arrested in Iran this year.
The US State Department recently strongly condemned the Islamic Republic's regime's severe repression of women's rights activists in Iran and called for an end to the harassment and imprisonment of women who are simply demanding their basic and fundamental rights.
Source: Voice of America
