Seven Years and Seven Months Prison Sentence for “Javad and Fatemeh Safavi,” Retired Couple

Approximately nine months after the December protests, judicial crackdowns and legal proceedings against protesters continue unabated; Javad Safavi, a 59-year-old retired teacher, and his wife Fatemeh Safavi have been sentenced to a combined seven years and seven months imprisonment and a fine of 32 million tomans—a case that demonstrates the continuation of judicial pressure on protesters months after the end of street demonstrations.

Javad Safavi, a 59-year-old retired teacher and a victim of the Iran-Iraq War, has been sentenced according to the court ruling to five years imprisonment and a fine of 32 million tomans. According to a report by the Coordination Council of Iran’s Professional Teachers’ Associations, the charges brought against him include “insulting Khamenei” and “inciting young people to protest.”

Javad Safavi was arrested on the second of Bahman in connection with the December 1404 protests and transferred to Safaabad Prison in Zanjan. Published reports on this case indicate that he was denied access to a lawyer during judicial proceedings.

His wife, Fatemeh Safavi, was arrested at the same time and released after approximately 20 days. Nevertheless, judicial proceedings against her continued, and she was ultimately sentenced to two years and seven months imprisonment. Fatemeh Safavi is now living outside prison under electronic monitoring.

Hengaw also previously reported that Javad and Fatemeh Safavi were arrested during the wave of arrests related to the December protests in the Tarom region. The human rights organization reported the arrest of the couple and their transfer to Zanjan Prison in February 2026. Published reports on this case demonstrate that the arrest of these two citizens was not the end of their legal proceedings, and after Fatemeh Safavi’s release, judicial action continued to pursue them.

Although the December 1404 protests have ended on the streets, the judicial consequences for many arrested during that period continue. The case of Javad and Fatemeh Safavi is an example of this process—a couple who were arrested, faced judicial proceedings, and now face a combined sentence of more than seven years imprisonment.

The continuation of such verdicts approximately nine months after the protests raises the question of how long the security and judicial crackdowns against protesters will continue, and what will become of other detainees whose cases have not yet been resolved.

Regarding Javad Safavi, the charges announced included “insulting Khamenei” and “inciting young people to protest.” The issuance of a five-year prison sentence and a fine against a retired teacher based on such charges once again brings to the forefront the issue of judicial action against political expression and citizens’ protest activities.

Javad Safavi’s deprivation of access to a lawyer during judicial proceedings is also among the issues raised in reports related to this case. Fatemeh Safavi, who was released after approximately 20 days of detention, experienced that her release did not mean the closure of her case.

She was subsequently sentenced to two years and seven months imprisonment and is now living outside prison under electronic monitoring—a situation that demonstrates how the judicial consequences of the protests can continue months after protesters have left the streets.

In total, the sentences handed down against this couple amount to seven years and seven months imprisonment and a fine of 32 million tomans.

The case of Javad and Fatemeh Safavi resulted in sentencing under circumstances where human rights reports continue to document the detention and judicial persecution of citizens in connection with the December protests.

This process demonstrates that the suppression of protests has not been limited to the days of people’s presence in the streets and has continued months later in the form of arrests, case filings, trials, and the issuance of prison sentences.

For Javad and Fatemeh Safavi, the December protests have now been transformed into a judicial case that will affect more than seven years of their lives; another example of the continuation of action against protesters, even approximately nine months after the protests.