Iranian Protester Sentenced to Over 16 Years’ Imprisonment

A resident of the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad who was arrested during last year’s nationwide protests has been sentenced to 16 years and 4 months in prison.

Human rights sources say Judge Hossein Yazdankhah from Branch 5 of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court handed down the sentence to Azam Gholami Zahab on August 23.

The presiding judge, Hassan Yazdankhah, did not allow her lawyer to attend the court session.

The 35-year-old Gholami was found guilty of “assembly and collusion against security, propaganda activity against the government and connection with the People's Mujahideen Organization,” an exile opposition group which Iranian officials regard as terrorists.

Under the Islamic Republic’s sentencing guidelines, Gholami will have to serve 15 years of her prison sentence.

Gholami was arrested by the Intelligence Department of Mashhad in October 2022. 

During her 11 months of detention, she was inflicted physical and psychological torture to get her to "confess."

She was also deprived of her basic rights such as accessing a lawyer or receiving visits. 

Gholami is being held at the city’s Vakilabad prison.