Six-year prison sentence handed down to Nahavand-based writer and poet couple

Hengaw – Tuesday, July 29, 2025

Fereshteh Soori and Ali Jahaniyan, a writer and poet couple from Nahavand, Hamadan province, have been handed a combined six-year prison sentence while already serving a prior sentence at Malayer Prison.

According to a report received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the Nahavand Revolutionary Court recently sentenced Soori and Jahaniyan to two years in prison for “spreading false information online” and one year for “propaganda in favor of groups opposed to the Islamic Republic of Iran,” totaling six years.

Under Iran’s sentence aggregation law, only the most severe sentence—two years in this case—will be enforced.

A portion of Soori’s sentence was reduced after she accepted the verdict. Taking into account her time already served, she is expected to remain in prison until September 12, 2027. She   suffers from depression, and her father is battling cancer.

Jahaniyan’s appeal is still pending, and he remains in prison awaiting a final decision.

The conditions inside Malayer Prison are deeply concerning. Reports indicate severe overcrowding, with many prisoners confined in small, poorly ventilated rooms.

Previously, on March 10, 2025, Branch 1 of the Nahavand Revolutionary Court sentenced both Soori and Jahaniyan to one year in prison for “propaganda against the state.” They were acquitted of the charge of “forming a group to disrupt national security.”

The couple was initially arrested on September 10, 2024, when agents from the Intelligence Department raided their home. Soori was released on bail after several hours of interrogation. However, on September 11, they were both re-arrested by Nahavand intelligence officers and later transferred to Malayer Prison. They were ultimately released on bail on November 11, 2024.

During her interrogation at the Intelligence Office, Soori was subjected to both verbal and physical abuse.