Four Turkish civil activists sentenced to prison in Tabriz, Khoy

Hengaw – Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Four Turkish civil activists, Amin Taghizadeh, Samad Heidari, Reza Salimi, and Javad Fathlou, have been sentenced to a combined 13 years and three months in prison by the judicial system of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Information documented by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights indicates that Taghizadeh, Heidari, and Salimi were sentenced by Branch Two of the Revolutionary Court in Tabriz, presided over by Judge Reza Abdi, to three years and seven months in prison on charges of “assembly and collusion against national security,” as well as eight months for “propaganda against the state.” Their combined sentences amount to 12 years and nine months.

The three activists were arrested on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, by Intelligence Ministry forces in Tabriz. The arrest involved the use of violence and physical assault. After interrogation, they were transferred to Tabriz Central Prison and later returned to the Intelligence Ministry’s detention facility in the city. They were temporarily released on bail on Thursday, February 6, 2025.

Separately, Javad Fathlou, a resident of Khoy, was sentenced to six months in prison. The verdict was formally communicated to him on Saturday, December 20, 2025.

Authorities cited Fathlou’s criticism of the government on his Instagram account during the 12-day war between Iran and Israel as the basis for the charge. He had previously been detained during the Woman, Life, Freedom (Jin, Jiyan, Azadi) movement.