Political Prisoner Faces Court for Prison Bedbugs Complaint

The court hearing for Zia Nabavi, a political prisoner held in Iran's Evin Prison, took place on Wednesday via video conference in a fresh case.

According to Nabavi's lawyer, the case was initiated following a complaint from Evin Prison after Nabavi published a text about the presence of bedbugs in the prison's Ward 8.

Mustafa Nili, Nabavi's lawyer, said that "on Wednesday, August 28, the first court session was held on the charge of spreading false information." 

"The complaint against Nabavi was lodged by Evin Prison for his post regarding bedbugs in Ward 8. The court session was conducted via video conference, during which Nabavi presented his defense," he said.

Nili added, "My colleague, Amir Raisian, and I, as his legal representatives, requested that the proceedings continue in person in the next session so that he can present his evidence to the court. We also requested that the presiding judge personally inspect Ward 8 to verify our client's claim, which was agreed upon."

Nabavi is already serving a one-year sentence for "propaganda against the Islamic Republic," a charge stemming from his protest against the serial poisoning of school students. 

The sentence was upheld by the Tehran Court of Appeals in August 2023, and Nabavi began serving it in April. 

As many as 13,000 pupils reportedly suffered symptoms like nausea, fainting, headaches, coughing, breathing difficulties, and heart palpitations, with many requiring treatment at hospitals in late 2022 and early 2023.

The attacks appeared to have targeted girls for their involvement in the nationwide protests sparked by the September 2022 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody.