Two Students Sentenced to Imprisonment Subsequent to Protesting Against the Death Sentence of Toomaj Salehi

Hengaw; Thursday, July 4, 2024

Khashayar Sefidi, a dismissed student of the University of Tehran’s Art department, and Motahare Goonei, a student activist and detainee in the Jin, Jiyan, Azadi (Woman, Life, Freedom) movement, have each been sentenced to one year of imprisonment by the judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

According to a report received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Khashayar Sefidi, 32 years old and residing in Tehran, was recently sentenced by the Tehran Revolutionary Court to one year of prison for the charges of "propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran" and "spreading falsehoods."

Additionally, Motahare Goonei, a suspended and exiled student, was sentenced to one year of prison by Branch 29 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Ali Mazloomi, on charges of "propaganda activities against the government."

The charges against these students are reported to be their support for Toomaj Salehi, an artist and political prisoner, and their protest against the issuance of a death sentence for him.

Khashayar Sefidi, a former student of the University of Tehran’s Art department, was expelled from this university by the disciplinary committee late last year. He had previously played musical pieces in mourning for Kian Pirfalak and in commemoration of Armita Geravand, children killed by government forces.

On Wednesday, April 3, 2024, Motahare Goonei was arrested in Tehran after being summoned by the IRGC intelligence. She was released from Evin Prison on May 5, 2024, on bail.

Motahare Goonei had previously been detained for a period by security forces in Tehran during the Jin, Jiyan, Azadi movement.