Iranian court sentences political activist Kamal Jafari Yazdi to 18 years in prison

Hengaw – Thursday, December 25, 2025

Kamal Jafari Yazdi, a political activist and former political prisoner based in Mashhad, has been sentenced to a total of 18 years in prison by the Iranian judiciary.

Information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights indicates that Kamal Jafari Yazdi was sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment by Branch Two of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Hassan Vaziri. The ruling was issued on December 8, 2025, and was formally communicated to him on Wednesday, December 24.

According to the verdict, Jafari Yazdi was sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of “forming a group with the intent to disrupt national security,” five years for “membership in opposition groups,” two years for “insulting Khamenei,” and one year for “propaganda against the state.” Under Iran’s sentence aggregation law, the maximum enforceable sentence is 10 years in prison. The ruling is subject to appeal within 20 days of notification.

Court hearings related to the case were held on June 10 and November 11 of this year at the same branch of the Revolutionary Court.

Jafari Yazdi was arrested on December 10, 2024, following a raid by Intelligence Ministry forces on his home in Mashhad and was transferred to Vakilabad Prison. He was later released on bail on November 15, 2025.