Iranian-American Journalist Reza Valizadeh’s 10-Year Sentence Upheld on Appeal

An appeals court has confirmed a 10-year prison sentence for Iranian-American journalist Reza Valizadeh, along with additional restrictions including travel bans and prohibitions on political activity.

The verdict, originally issued by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court under Judge Iman Afshari in December 2024, found Valizadeh guilty of “collaboration with a hostile government.”

Beyond imprisonment, the sentence bars him from living in Tehran and neighboring provinces and prohibits participation in political and social groups for two years.

“Today, I visited Abdolreza Valizadeh to show him the appeal rejection,” his lawyer Mohammad Hossein Aghasi said.

“I had previously said that the court’s standard procedure is to uphold the original ruling, but perhaps a retrial could finally open the blindfolded eyes of justice.”

According to Voice of America, Valizadeh has been denied family visits during his detention in Evin Prison.