64-year-old civil activist Zina Faridounian sentenced to prison in Qorveh
Hengaw - Thursday, June 5, 2025
Zina Faridounian, a 64-year-old civil activist, has been sentenced to 13 months of discretionary imprisonment by the judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran in connection with her public criticism of local conditions.
According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Faridounian, a Turkish woman from the city of Qorveh, was convicted in two separate cases by the city’s Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Beigdeloo.
In the first case, she was sentenced to 10 months in prison on charges of “propaganda against the government.” In the second, she received an additional 3-month discretionary prison term and a 3-year suspended sentence for “spreading false information and disturbing public opinion.”
A reliable source reports that Faridounian’s legal counsel submitted a request to the Enforcement Branch of the Qorveh Judiciary, arguing that she is medically unfit for incarceration and seeking to have her sentence converted to electronic monitoring. However, the court recently rejected the request, and the 10-month prison sentence has now been forwarded for enforcement.
The charges against Faridounian are related to her outspoken criticism of unregulated drug trafficking in Qorveh, as well as systemic corruption in local government offices and institutions.
In addition to her activism, Faridounian is involved in charitable and social initiatives and currently works as a hall manager.
She had previously been summoned by the Qorveh Prosecutor’s Office and formally charged for expressing criticism of local governance. She has also been interrogated on three occasions by the Intelligence Division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Qorveh.
