Civil activist Souri Babaei Chegini sentenced to prison and travel ban

Hengaw – Monday, June 1, 2026

Iranian authorities have sentenced Souri Babaei Chegini, a civil activist, anti-compulsory hijab campaigner, and detainee of the January 2026 protests, to three years in prison and additional penalties.

According to information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Babaei Chegini, a Lor civil activist from Qazvin, was recently sentenced by Branch 2 of the Qazvin Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Davoud Tashakkori, to a total of three years of discretionary imprisonment.

Under the ruling, she was sentenced to two years in prison on the charge of “insulting the Supreme Leader” and one year on the charge of “propaganda against the state.”

The court also ordered the confiscation of her mobile phone and SIM card and imposed a two-year ban on leaving the country as an additional punishment.

In a separate proceeding, Branch 105 of Criminal Court Two in Qazvin reviewed a charge of “disrupting public order and peace” against Babaei Chegini and ultimately acquitted her.

Government forces arrested Babaei Chegini in Qazvin on January 6, 2026, during protest gatherings linked to the January protests. A mother of three, she has previously been arrested, prosecuted, and imprisoned for her civil activism and involvement in campaigns opposing compulsory hijab.