Mohammad Abedraftar sentenced to 21 years in prison over January protests

Hengaw – Thursday, July 23, 2026

An Iranian court has sentenced Mohammad Abedraftar, a 29-year-old resident of Shahinshahr in Isfahan Province who was arrested during the January protests, to 21 years in prison and a two-year ban on residing in Isfahan Province.

According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Branch 47 of the Isfahan Province Court of Appeals issued its ruling on Thursday, July 2, 2026, upholding Abedraftar's 21-year prison sentence while reducing his permanent ban on residing in Isfahan Province to two years. The case has since been referred to the sentence enforcement office.

The original verdict was issued on April 26, 2026, by Branch 102 of the Shahinshahr and Meymeh Criminal Court Two. Judge Javad Kamali, who has jurisdiction over Revolutionary Court cases in Shahinshahr, sentenced Abedraftar to 21 years in prison and permanent internal exile from Isfahan Province. Because Shahinshahr does not have an independent Revolutionary Court, the case was heard by the city's Criminal Court.

The sentence includes one year in prison for "propaganda against the state," five years for "inciting and encouraging war and killing," five years for "assembly and collusion to commit crimes against national security," and 10 years for "attempting to manufacture unconventional devices (Molotov cocktails) with the intent to cooperate with hostile states." The court also imposed a two-year ban on residing in Isfahan Province as an additional punishment.

Iranian security forces arrested Abedraftar on January 7, 2026. He was released on temporary bail in late March after posting bail of five billion tomans.