Reza Babrnejad, brother of slain Woman, Life, Freedom protester, sentenced to prison
Hengaw – Monday, June 8, 2026
Reza Babrnejad, a Kurdish resident of Quchan and a member of the justice-seeking families, whose brother Mehdi Babrnejad was killed during the Woman, Life, Freedom (Jin, Jiyan, Azadi) movement, has been sentenced by the Iranian Judiciary to a total of six years in prison. Under Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, the most severe sentence—five years in prison—will be enforceable.
According to information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the verdict was recently issued by Branch 101 of the Criminal Court of Quchan, presided over by Judge Pouraria, and formally communicated to Babrnejad. He was sentenced to five years in prison on the charge of “membership in groups opposed to the state” and an additional year on the charge of “propaganda against the state.”
The court also ruled that four years and six months of the five-year sentence would be suspended for a specified period.
Babrnejad was arrested for a second time on June 6, 2024, and transferred to Quchan Prison. He had previously been detained on May 20, 2024, by the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) after publishing social media posts following the death of Ebrahim Raisi. After 13 days in custody, he was released on bail but was rearrested five days later. He was ultimately released from Quchan Prison on July 21, 2024, on temporary bail pending the conclusion of judicial proceedings.
He had also been arrested on August 11, 2023, by IRGC intelligence forces in Quchan on the eve of his slain brother’s birthday and has previously faced judicial prosecution.
Mehdi Babrnejad, Reza Babrnejad’s 22-year-old brother, was killed on September 21, 2022, in Quchan during the Woman, Life, Freedom movement after being shot directly by government forces. Security agencies withheld his body from the family for three days and returned it only after obtaining a written commitment from relatives. His funeral was subsequently held under heavy security measures in the village of Shark.
