Four protesters sentenced to prison, flogging, and fines for opposing death sentences in Ekbatan Case
Hengaw: Monday, April 28, 2025
Four people — Masoud Vazifeh, Sohrab Hassankhani, Sina Maleki, and Mojtaba Ebrahimi — who protested against the death sentences issued for defendants in the so-called “Ekbatan” case, have been collectively sentenced by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s judiciary to a total of nine years in prison, 184 lashes, and fines amounting to 130 million tomans.
According to a report received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the four protesters were convicted by Branch 26 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court. They were charged in connection with their sit-in protests against the death sentences handed down to the defendants in the Ekbatan case.
According to the verdicts, Masoud Vazifeh, tried in absentia, was sentenced to four years in prison, 74 lashes, and a fine of 50 million tomans on charges of “propaganda against the state,” “disrupting public order,” and “spreading false information.”
Sohrab Hassankhani was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison, 40 lashes, and a fine of 50 million tomans on charges of “disrupting public order” and “spreading false information.”
Meanwhile, Sina Maleki was sentenced to six months in prison and 30 lashes for “disrupting public order,” and Mojtaba Ebrahimi received a sentence of one year and ten months in prison, 40 lashes, and a fine of 30 million tomans for “spreading false information” and “disrupting public order.” The prison sentences for Sina Maleki and Mojtaba Ebrahimi have been suspended for three years. During the suspension period, they are also banned from using smartphones.
The four were arrested by security forces in December 2024 after protesting the death sentences issued against defendants in the Ekbatan case. They were held in Ward 209 of Evin Prison. Sohrab Hassankhani was released on January 1, 2025, Mojtaba Ebrahimi on January 5, Masoud Vazifeh on February 5, and Sina Maleki later in the winter, all on bail.
It is worth noting that in November 2024, six defendants in the “Ekbatan” case — Milad Armon, Alireza Kafaei, Amir Mohammad Khosh-Eghbal, Navid Najaran, Hossein Nemati, and Alireza Barmarzpournak — were sentenced to death by Branch 13 of Tehran’s Criminal Court.
