Abadan: Five poets and journalists sentenced to over ten years in prison

Hengaw: Monday, March 17, 2025

Four journalists—Mandana Sadeghi, Farzaneh Yahya-Abadi, Reza Mohammadi, and Arash Qaleh-Golab—along with Kourosh Karam-Pour, a poet and journalist, have been sentenced to a total of 10 years and 9 months in prison for criticizing government corruption and officials’ misconduct in the Metropol building collapse incident.

According to a report received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights
, Mandana Sadeghi and Arash Qaleh-Golab, two critical journalists, were recently sentenced by Branch 1 of the Abadan Revolutionary Court to 7 months and 16 days in prison for “propaganda against the government” and an additional 3 years, 6 months, and 1 day for “assembly and collusion against national security.”

Additionally, Reza Mohammadi, the husband of Mandana Sadeghi, and journalist Farzaneh Yahya-Abadi were each sentenced to 3 months and 1 day in prison on charges of “propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Kourosh Karam-Pour, a poet and journalist, was sentenced to 2 years in prison on charges of “collaborating with opposition media and working with the monthly publication Khat-e Solh (Line of Peace).”

In these cases, evidence such as mobile phone content, speeches, protest participation, collaboration with media outlets, and chanting slogans were cited as grounds for conviction.

Background: The Metropol Building Collapse

The Metropol building collapse occurred on Monday, May 23, 2022, on Amir Kabir Street in Abadan, resulting in 43 deaths and 37 injuries.

Subsequent investigations revealed that construction violations and structural failure were the primary causes of the disaster. Government officials and authorities in Abadan were later accused of corruption in connection with the case.