Iran jails comedian Zeinab Mousavi, orders her to write thesis on Ferdowsi

Hengaw – Friday, November 14, 2025

Iranian authorities have sentenced comedian Zeinab Mousavi to six months in prison and ordered her to write a thesis on Ferdowsi under the supervision of the Ferdowsi Foundation.

According to information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Mousavi received this sentence for publishing a video about Ferdowsi on social media. The ruling requires her to complete a research thesis under the guidance of an instructor approved by the Ferdowsi Foundation within a six-month period.

The verdict further obliges her to complete at least 120 hours of storytelling sessions based on Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh in schools or cultural centres in underserved areas. These sessions must be carried out in coordination with the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults and the Education Department, with documentation submitted to the Enforcement Office.

Mousavi was previously arrested in November 2023 and released a few days later. She was also detained in October 2022 in Qom and released in late November 2022 on bail pending judicial proceedings. During her detention, she spent 25 days in solitary confinement and had been sentenced to two years in prison.