Imprisonment, Exile, and Flogging Handed Down to Yosef Dehghani, Healthcare Worker Detained During Protests
Yosef Dehghani, a healthcare worker detained during protests in December 2025, has been sentenced to one year in prison, two years of exile to Zabol, and 31 lashes; he has also received a separate verdict of two years suspended imprisonment and a monetary fine.
According to human rights organizations’ reports released today, October 20, Yosef Dehghani was arrested in December 2025 by intelligence agents at a hospital where he worked. After months of judicial limbo, he now faces verdicts from two judicial authorities in Qorveh County.
Based on the published details, the criminal court branch of Qorveh presided over by Judge Hadi Khani has sentenced Dehghani to one year in prison, two years of exile to Zabol County, and 31 lashes. In a separate case, the revolutionary court branch of Qorveh presided over by Judge Hossein Bigdelou issued a verdict of two years suspended imprisonment and a monetary fine against him.
Hengaw, which published the report of his verdict, did not clarify the details of the charges leading to these sentences, the amount of the monetary fine, or whether the verdicts are final or subject to appeal. Therefore, a complete assessment of the legal basis for the verdicts and the judicial proceedings is not possible without the release of more information about the case.
According to the same report, Yosef Dehghani was previously summoned and interrogated by government agencies during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement. This history, combined with his arrest at his workplace and the issuance of multiple sentences, raises questions about how security and judicial institutions treat citizens arrested in connection with protests.
The issuance of a flogging sentence, in addition to imprisonment and exile, once again brings up the issue of the use of corporal punishment in the Islamic Republic’s judicial system. Exile can also separate a convicted person from their family, place of residence, and social support network, imposing additional pressures on them and their loved ones.
In Yosef Dehghani’s case, the fundamental question is not merely the extent of punishment; transparency regarding the charges, access to case information, the possibility of effective defense, and adherence to fair trial guarantees are also important. Until more details about the charges and the basis for the verdicts are released, the public cannot obtain a complete picture of the judicial proceedings in this case.
The conviction of a healthcare worker in connection with protests once again highlights the need for accountability from judicial institutions and clarity regarding the basis for the verdicts. Respect for the rights of defendants and proportionality between punishments and proven charges are fundamental principles that should never be overlooked under any circumstances.
