Rasht: Former political Prisoner Hamideh Zarei sentenced to prison and flogging
Hengaw: Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Hamideh Zarei, a Gilak activist and former political prisoner, has been sentenced to one year and six months of imprisonment and 178 lashes. She was released earlier this month from Rasht Central Prison (Lakan) after nearly a month in detention when her detention order was changed to a bail guarantee.
According to a report received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Branch 2 of the Rasht Criminal Court, presided over by Judge Majid Shadpour, has sentenced her to nine months in prison and 74 lashes for “disrupting public order”, another nine months for “resisting law enforcement officers,” an additional 74 lashes for “insulting an officer on duty,” and 30 lashes for “causing non-visible injuries.”
Hamideh Zarei was arrested on February 3, 2025, after appearing at the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office in Rasht as part of her forced residency sentence. She was detained for not wearing the mandatory hijab, leading to a new case being filed against her. After 29 days in detention, she was released on March 3, 2025, on bail.
During her detention, she was physically assaulted by two officers from the Rasht Prosecutor’s Office Protection Unit, sustaining injuries and bruising to her wrist.
Previously, Hamideh Zarei was arrested on June 5, 2024, after being summoned to Rasht Court and transferred to Lakan Prison, before being released on June 10 on a judicial bond.
In November 2023, Branch 1 of the Karaj Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Mousa Asafolhosseini, sentenced her to one year in prison for “propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran.” The sentence was later reduced to nine months after she accepted the verdict.
She was arrested in Karaj on May 29, 2023, and transferred to Kachouii Prison to serve her sentence. She was released on February 22, 2024, after completing her prison term.
As part of her supplementary punishment, she was banned from traveling for two years, prohibited from social media activity for two years, and subjected to two years of forced residency in Rasht.
Hamideh Zarei was initially arrested on November 3, 2022, during the 40th-day commemoration of Hadis Najafi and transferred to Kachouii Prison. She was finally released on February 7, 2024, following the issuance of a so-called “pardon” directive.
