Six-year prison sentence of Soha Mortazaei, student activist, confirmed

The conviction of Soha Mortazaei, a student activist and former secretary of Tehran University’s student council, has been upheld by Branch 54 of the Tehran Province Court of Appeals.

Ms. Mortazaei was sentenced to six years in prison by Branch 15 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Solavati, on charges of “assembly and conspiracy with intent to act against national security.”

In issuing this verdict, the court cited specific charges against Ms. Mortazaei including a sit-in at Tehran University in protest of her exclusion from doctoral studies, participation in nationwide protests in November 2019 and a gathering in protest of the hijab bill at Tehran University, and her activities in the student council of Tehran University.

This student activist was transferred on November 17, 2019, to the IRGC Intelligence detention center known as Ward 2A of Evin Prison and was temporarily released from Qarchak Prison in Varamin on February 20 of that year upon posting a 500 million toman bail until the completion of legal proceedings.

Last year, after scoring rank 10 on the doctoral entrance exam in political science, Ms. Mortazaei was barred from continuing her studies under the pretext of “file deficiency,” and her name was added to the list of students marked as deprived of education.

In protest of this decision, she conducted a solitary sit-in for 21 days in front of the central library of Tehran University.

This student activist was previously detained in a case related to December 2017 protests and was sentenced to one year in prison.

Source: Radio Farda