Activist Sima Mazlaghani sentenced to two years in prison

Hengaw – Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Branch 21 of the Tehran Province Court of Appeals has upheld and finalized a two-year prison sentence against Sima Mazlaghani, a Tehran-based civil activist who was detained during the protests earlier this year. Iranian judicial authorities have also refused to provide her with a full copy of the ruling.

According to information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the appeals court upheld the lower court’s verdict against Mazlaghani on charges of “assembly and collusion with the intent to act against national security.”

Under the ruling, Mazlaghani was sentenced to two years in prison, although 18 months of the sentence have been suspended for two years, leaving six months to be served.

The appeals court rejected the activist’s defense arguments and based its decision solely on reports submitted by security agencies, including the Intelligence Organization of the Greater Tehran Police Command (FATAB).

The allegations cited against Mazlaghani in the case include “participation in an illegal gathering on February 20, 2026,” “filming gravesites at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery,” and “refusal to provide the password to her mobile phone.” Based on these allegations, security agencies accused her of acting as a “leader” of the gathering.

An informed source told Hengaw that the judiciary’s security-focused handling of the case extended to withholding the full text of the appeals court ruling from Mazlaghani. Instead, authorities provided her only with a printed summary of the verdict, a move viewed as a clear violation of the defendant’s rights and judicial transparency.

Mazlaghani had previously been tried by Branch 23 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court on April 18, 2026, where she received the same sentence. She was later released from Qarchak Prison in Varamin on bail after spending 26 days in detention. The ruling has now been finalized at the appeals stage.