Fatemeh and Javad Safari sentenced to prison over January protests

Hengaw – Sunday, August 16, 2026

Javad Safari, a retired teacher, and his wife, Fatemeh Safari, both detained during the January protests, have been sentenced by the Iranian judiciary to a combined seven years and seven months in prison. Javad was also fined 32 million tomans.

According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Javad Safari, 59, who is currently held in Zanjan Prison, was sentenced to five years in prison and fined 32 million tomans.

The Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations reported that he was charged with “insulting Khamenei” and “encouraging young people to protest.”

Javad Safari, who was also injured during the eight-year Iran-Iraq War, was arrested on January 22, 2026, in connection with the protests and transferred to Sefrabad Prison in Zanjan. He was denied access to a lawyer throughout the legal proceedings.

Fatemeh Safari was arrested alongside her husband on the same day and released after 20 days. She was subsequently sentenced to two years and seven months in prison and is currently serving her sentence outside prison under electronic monitoring.